Former Baylor football head coach Art Briles has landed his first coaching job since Baylor as the Assistant Head Coach Offence of the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
In their official release the Tiger-Cats discussed in length the accomplishments that Briles has had on the football field. They noted his career winning percentage of 60.4 and his 35 years of experience in the college football coaching ranks which included stops as head coach at Houston and Baylor.
Briles was thought to be out of college football for good after the controversies that the end of his tenure at Baylor. He certainly has a long way to go to earn the trust of any university when it comes to the student body. That’s all the more reason that a move to the professional ranks, even in Canada make sense.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, like many CFL teams, continue to have a deep connection to the American college football ranks. They recently hired long-time coach June Jones as their head coach.
The team also has first negotiation rights with former college football stars Collin Kaepernick and Johnny Manziel. There has been no word from anyone in either quarterback’s camp that a CFL move is in the cards, but both would flourish in an Art Briles offense. It’s not prime time, but it is something.
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Baylor has moved on from the Briles-era by hiring former Temple head coach Matt Rhule. He and the Bears will open their season on Saturday, Sep. 1 against Liberty at 7 p.m. ET. Quarterback Zack Smith leads a Baylor offense that will need to put up points to compete in the Big 12. Saturday Blitz staff projected the Bears to finish seventh in the Big 12 this season.