Art Briles is returning to the college sidelines for the first time in nearly a decade.
Briles, 69, is set to become the next head coach at Division II Eastern New Mexico, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Sunday.
The move marks Briles’ first college job since he was fired by Baylor in 2016 following a university investigation into the school’s handling of sexual assault allegations involving several football players.
Since his dismissal, Briles has made several attempts to reenter the sport but faced significant backlash each time. Grambling State briefly sought to hire him as offensive coordinator in 2022 before Briles withdrew, saying he did not want to be a distraction.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL announced plans to bring him aboard in 2017, only to reverse course the same day after a wave of criticism. He spent time coaching in Italy’s Guelfi Firenze program and at Mount Vernon High School in Texas from 2019 to 2020.
Briles led Baylor to two conference championships and four 10-win seasons. He compiled a 99-65 record across stints at Houston and Baylor.
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