5 replacements for Art Briles at Baylor
By John Buhler
Art Briles has been ousted as the head coach of the Baylor Bears football team. Here are five good replacements for Briles at the Big 12 powerhouse in Waco.
Things are going down in Waco, Texas with its elite Power 5 football team. The Baylor Bears sexual assault scandal has begun to derail one of the best football programs in the Big 12. Baylor president Ken Starr was fired by the Baylor Board of Regents days ago after six years on the job. Now head coach Art Briles has also been axed, with defensive coordinator Phil Bennett assuming the interim gig.
Before this sexual assault scandal became public knowledge, Briles had easily been the best coach in the football program since the legendary Grant Teaff. Briles turned the Big 12 doormat into a national power in just a few seasons.
After taking over in 2008, Briles’ Bears rose to national prominence in the 2011 NCAA season thanks to quarterback Robert Griffin III’s Heisman Trophy campaign. Baylor won at least 10 games in the last four years under Briles’ watch, including two Big 12 Championships (2013-14).
While Baylor could very well be on probation for the next few years for this sexual assault scandal, Baylor does play in Texas where elite football talent resides and the spread offense came into being. Baylor is a Top 25 program and a regular contender to win the Big 12 and play in the College Football Playoff. Here are five replacements for Briles at Baylor should the university decide to hire from outside the program.
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