Former Baylor coach Art Briles’ long trip back to college coaching has ended
Art Briles has been hired in the past only to see an immediate reversal, but this one will stick because enough time has finally passed.
The former head coach at Baylor who became the face of its university-wide sexual assault and Title IX scandal has been hired by Eastern New Mexico University. Mark Berman, the former longtime sports director at KRIV in Houston, reported on Sunday night that Briles has agreed to a contract to become the new head coach at the Division II school in Portales.
“I am excited to welcome Art [Briles] to Eastern New Mexico University,” ENMU director of athletics Kevin Fite said in a statement released Monday morning. “He is an excellent coach, and I look forward to the future of Greyhound football.”
Briles did not respond to a message left by the Star-Telegram.
Briles, 69, has not coached a college game since Dec. 29, 2015, when Baylor defeated North Carolina in the Russell Athletic Bowl. He was fired by Baylor on May 26, 2016, as part of a schoolwide attempt to treat what had been an antiquated way of handling sexual assault reports.
Why Eastern New Mexico?
Announcing it during the week of Thanksgiving is smart, and will lessen the noise. One other component that will bring down the volume on this is that people have moved on.
To hire Briles was going to require someone who knows him, and was willing to absorb the 72-hour backlash that comes with the announcement. Fite fits that description.
Fite was an assistant athletic director at the University of Houston when Briles was the head coach from 2003 to ‘06. Fite’s responsibilities at Houston included compliance and eligibility.
Although Briles’ won-loss record said he should have been hired five seconds after he was fired, schools, and professional teams, simply ran from the backlash.
Eastern New Mexico is a member of the Lone Star Conference, and the Greyhounds went 3-8 this season. They fired their head coach, Kelley Lee, one week ago.
Where has Art Briles been?
Although every member of the Baylor coaching staff under Briles landed other jobs after they all left following the 2016 season, many with TCU, the head coach himself remained flammable. Officials at other schools expressed interest, such as Texas Tech, but it never gained any traction.
He frequently visits his son, current TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, in Fort Worth for TCU home games, as well as following his grandchildren, who play football at a local private school.
The consensus from Division I athletic directors was they would not hire Briles because, “I don’t have to.”
In the years that have passed since Briles was fired, more information has come out about how Baylor handled the situation that raised countless questions about the investigation, its conclusion and procedures. This included a letter authored by Baylor’s chief counsel in 2017 that suggested Briles was effectively exonerated by the school that fired him.
While those close to Briles suggested he go on the offensive against Baylor to explain his side, his $15 million settlement with the school included a non-disclosure agreement. The decision to fire Briles left a deep fissure within the Baylor community that remains a (fading) point of discussion to this day.
He didn’t want to risk a potential lawsuit, and he didn’t want to do anything to disrupt Kendal Briles’ and son-in-law Jeff Lebby’s respective careers. Lebby is the head coach at Mississippi State.
Going away and keeping a low profile kept the distractions down.
Since Briles was fired, the following has happened:
— In August 2017, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL hired Briles as the team’s “assistant head coach offense.” Head coach June Jones knew Briles, and wanted to give the man a chance.
According to CFL officials, its commissioner received calls from top league sponsors that threatened to terminate sponsorship deals if Briles was in the league. The Tiger-Cats ended Briles’ employment almost immediately.
— In August 2018, he was hired as head coach by Guelfi Firenze, an American football team in Florence, Italy. The level of football played there is regarded as low-level college ball, played in front of a few hundred fans at high school-type facilities.
Americans who have played in that league said it’s fun, but has a short shelf life. Briles coached the team for multiple seasons.
— In February 2019, Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson wanted to hire Briles as offensive coordinator. All parties thought the deal was done, but a few members of the school’s board of regents objected. Briles was not hired.
— In May 2019, Briles accepted the head coaching position at Mount Vernon High School, which is 60 miles north of Tyler. He coached there for two seasons before resigning.
Although the team was successful, he aspired to coach in college again, and preferred to live closer to his family and grandchildren. At the time of an announcement that generated little attention, the consensus was he would not be hired by a college program, and that he had coached his last game.
— In March 2022, Grambling State hired Briles as offensive coordinator, but he stepped down after four days.
— In October 2024, Baylor held a 10-year reunion for its Big 12 championship football teams at McLane Stadium. Briles and the coaching staff were not invited. The players held a reunion on their own at a local restaurant, which Briles and other staffers attended.
— In November 2024, Stephenville Independent School District announced that its new stadium would be named for Briles. Briles coached the Yellow Jackets in the ‘90s and won four state titles. The new, $40 million facility opened this season and is named “Art Briles Stadium.”
* In October 2025, Briles was the guest speaker at the Lonestar luncheon at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco. The facility is essentially on Baylor’s campus, and it was the first time Briles made a public appearance in Waco since he was fired.
The event was sold-out.
This story was originally published November 24, 2025 at 12:19 PM.
