The powers in place at SMU would have been silly not to at least give it a shot. SMU reportedly called Mack Brown about the coaching vacancy at SMU, but Brown has told the school he is not interested in coaching. At least, not right now.
Brown, the former head coach of the Texas Longhorns, has already been approached with a handful of coaching offers, but he has turned them all down, according to Brown’s attorney, Joe Jamail. In a report by Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman, Jamail says Brown is comfortable away from the sidelines for right now, but he does miss coaching on Saturdays. Jamail says Brown has been called with questions regarding comparable pay, but which schools made those calls was not reported. SMU was the only school Jamail confirmed had contacted Brown.
“He was approached, I was approached, but he’s not interested in coaching anywhere right now,” Jamail said in the report. “He misses it, frankly, but he loves being on ESPN.”
This is a phone call SMU had to at least make. With nowhere to go but up, why not call a coach who is still respected throughout the state and built Texas into a national power (before it started to decay on his way out)? If you want to be serious about transforming SMU football into a respectable (forget championship) program, Brown had to at least be one of the calls made to convince the school and the fan base you are serious about getting better. Brown had been reported to be one of the big names SMU powers have interest in.
And, based on what is reported, Brown has not shut the door entirely on his future. Brown previously said he would evaluate his options in December. Right now Brown is a studio analyst for ESPN’s college football coverage. But he never wanted to leave Texas, and it is hard for coaches with that kind of passion to step away entirely when it is not their call.