Art Briles named new head coach at Mount Vernon High School

Art Briles is coming back to high school football in Texas, as he’s set to become head coach at Mount Vernon.

Art Briles is back as a head coach, and he’s also returning to his roots. According to the Dallas Morning News, and a press release from the school district, the former Baylor head coach is going to become head coach at Mount Vernon High School under a two-year contract.

Briles was head coach at Baylor from 2008 until 2015, before being fired in May of 2016 due to his role in the mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against his players. He was hired to be offensive coordinator for the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats in August of 2017, but the move was quickly nixed amid instant backlash.

In August of last year, Briles was named head coach of the Guelfi Firenze American football team in Florence, Italy. It was his first head coaching job at any level since being fired at Baylor. Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson wanted to hire Briles as his new offensive coordinator back in February, but the athletic director overruled him.

Briles made his name over 20 years as a Texas high school football coach, winning four state championships at Stephenville in the 1990s. Add in his time as an assistant under Mike Leach at Texas Tech and his head coaching jobs at Houston and Baylor, and he has three decades of history coaching football in Texas.

"High school football is a Texas institution.  As a coach, it’s my first love,” Briles said in a statement provided by his new employer. “You’ll make no bigger impact in this world than when you shape the lives of young people — one practice, one game, and one life at a time."

As expected Mount Vernon’s hiring of Briles has fallen under instant scrutiny, but district Superintendent Jason McCullough offered the expected sentiment.

"We are pleased to welcome Coach Briles back home to Texas. He brings with him a wealth of not only football experience but also life experience. He is passionate about investing in the lives of young people and helping them to succeed both on the field and in life. After a thorough due diligence process and several earnest conversations, we believe our students will benefit greatly from his skills and experience,"

Mount Vernon has never appeared in a state championship game in football. The school is now attaching itself to Briles, and all his name represents, with a great level detachment from the negative he brings and some blind hope for high-level results on the field.