Art Briles, who left his job as head coach at Baylor in disgrace, has been hired as the offensive coordinator at Grambling State, multiple outlets reported Thursday.
247Sports said a Grambling spokesperson confirmed the hiring of Briles but added the school would not be issuing an official statement. Instead, “a local TV station did an exclusive interview and we are allowing for them to tell that story,” the spokesperson said, per 247Sports.
Grambling’s head coach, former Cleveland Browns and then-Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson, has not commented.
Briles, 66, last coached at the college level in 2015. Baylor terminated Briles’ contract before the 2016 season following a widespread sexual assault scandal in the Bears’ football program.
Most recently, Briles spent two seasons as the head coach of Mount Vernon High School in Texas. He resigned following the 2020 season.
Briles was hired at the University of Houston as head coach in 2003. Following five mostly successful seasons and three bowl games with the Cougars, Baylor tabbed Briles as head coach.
Briles’ teams finished in the top 20 four times in his eight seasons at Baylor, where he went 65-37 with six bowl appearances.
In 2019, Briles was close to being hired for the offensive coordinator job at Southern Miss, until negative backlash followed a Biloxi Sun Herald report that Briles was on the Hattiesburg campus for an interview. The school quickly reversed course amid criticism.
An opportunity to work as an assistant coach in the Canadian Football League also was rescinded after community response.
Overall, Briles compiled a 99-65 record in 13 seasons as a head coach at Houston (2003-07) and Baylor (2008-15), leading the Bears to Big 12 championships in 2013 and 2014.
–Field Level Media