Art Briles: ‘Contrary to reports and rumors I am a Baylor Bear’

Apparently, you can cross the name of Art Briles off Texas’ -- and the NFL’s -- coaching to-do list.

Long considered a candidate for the UT opening, Briles was the subject of yet another round of speculation earlier in the week when it was reported that not only was he willing to meet with the school regarding its vacancy but that he would accept the job if offered. Those rumor mill churnings were in addition to speculation that had Briles reuniting with Robert Griffin III with the Washington Redskins.

Briles himself added fuel to the NFL fire by acknowledging he was intrigued by how his style of offense would fit at the professional level.

In the face of that speculation, Briles sent out a tweet late Friday morning in an attempt to beat back the notion that he’s leaving Waco for Austin -- or the Nation’s Capitol.

In addition to that tweet, a statement attributed to Briles was released a short time ago further cementing his commitment to the Bears.

“I have no desire to pursue other coaching positions. As I’ve said many times, I am both humbled and honored to be the head coach at Baylor University, and believe we have something special going here. I look forward to leading the Bears onto the field next fall at McLane Stadium and defending our Big 12 championship that our players and coaches worked so hard to win this season.

“There is tremendous excitement for our program’s future, and I look forward to many more great seasons at Baylor,” he added. “There is tremendous commitment from our University leadership, athletic administration, coaches and student-athletes - it truly is a great time to be a Baylor Bear.”

So, does that end the Briles-to-UT storyline? Of course not. That won’t happen until the Longhorns have a coach in place that doesn’t answer to the name “Briles.”

Interestingly, Briles seemingly proclaiming his loyalty to Baylor comes less than a day after reports of increasing interest on the part of UT in UCLA head coach Jim Mora. Could it be that Briles rebuffed the ‘Horns, causing a shift in attention to the Left Coast cast of coaching contenders? As the coaching carousel spins wildly, anything and everything is possible this time of year.