Even armed with a hefty new contract extension, Art Briles’ name has long been connected to “bigger” openings and will likely continue to do the same -- especially if a certain job in Austin opens up at some point in the near future.
There’s not much coaches in general and Briles specifically can do about the speculation, thanks in large part to the say-one-thing-then-do-another mentality of some members of the fraternity.
In an interview with David Ubben of FOXSports Southwest, the Baylor head coach said “no, I cannot” when asked if he could envision a scenario in which he listens to offers from other football programs. BU is set to open a shiny new football palace next season, and Briles has every intention of being there to help christen it.
“I would certainly hope so.,” Briles said of helping to open the new stadium. “Yeah. That’s been a goal of ours for the last couple years. Our hat’s off to the alumni that made that happen, because it’s going to be one of the premiere stadiums in the United States of America.”
The bad news for Bears fans is that the chatter involving their head coach will likely not abate at any point in the near future. The good news is that Briles’ success in building what by all appearances seems to be a sustainable, for-the-long-haul program is the overriding factor behind the chatter.
You have to take the good along with the bad, BU fans. Such is life at this level of college football.
