Art Briles is back. The former Baylor coach has reportedly returned to the sidelines as the new head coach of the Division II Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds. It’s a move few saw coming, given the controversy that ended his Baylor tenure.

Confirmed by multiple sources like ESPN and On3, this marks his return to the college sidelines after nearly a decade following a major scandal. Briles stepped away from the college coaching realm after his career hit a setback in 2016 when Baylor fired him for allegedly mishandling multiple sexual assault allegations against several football players.

At that point, he maintained the narrative of being a scapegoat. The fallout became a huge mark on his career, and he was unable to hold any jobs in college football. He had tried getting back into the groove a few times, but it didn’t work.

Things were so uncertain that when asked about his coaching future last month during an event in Waco, he kept the details vague. “I’m day-to-day right now,” he said.

Fast-forward less than four weeks, and he has already landed a head coaching gig. And as per reports, the school will officially announce the hiring on Monday.

Although it may sound like a contentious hire, Eastern New Mexico genuinely needs someone like him to pull them out of the slump. The Greyhounds haven’t been lighting up the Lone Star Conference. We’re talking about losing seasons over the past few years, including a rough 3-8 record this time. Plus, their last winning campaign dates back to 2019.

Eastern New Mexico is betting on Briles to revitalize the program, inject life into its offense, and compete for the conference title. After all, he was a genius during his peak. Back in 2015, his Baylor unit led the nation in both yards per game (719.7) and points per game (63.8). He also held the record for most points in a season (681 in 2013).

Significantly, the new gig with Eastern New Mexico is a three-year contract. It even has a buyout clause of over $1 million if he were to leave the school. This is a pretty noteworthy deal for a small program. It shows they want to bank on his past reputation as a successful coach.

The offensive innovator’s 99-65 record as the coach at Baylor and Houston, with three conference titles, speaks volumes about his coaching ability. But what or who exactly brought him back to college football coaching?

The connection that brought Briles back seems to be the school’s athletic director, Kevin Fite. They worked together back in the early 2000s when Briles was the head coach at Houston, and Fite worked as the compliance director.

Since leaving Baylor, he spent time coaching high school football and even coached in Italy for a football team called Guelfi Firenze on two separate occasions. His first stint was in 2019, when he led the program to an 8-3 record and advanced to the Italian Bowl championship game. After that, he took a brief hiatus. He returned in 2022 and achieved even greater success.

Remarkably, Guelfi Firenze went to the Italian Bowl (9–2) and pulled off an upset against the undefeated Milano Seamen. After his Italian arc, Briles stayed active in offensive consulting circles. Those who have been keeping tabs on his career say he has been waiting for an administrator willing to stake their reputation on his second chance.

It appears Fite is the one.

When Art Briles made attempts to return to college football

This isn’t the first time Art Briles has tried to get back into coaching since leaving Baylor. In August 2017, the Tiger-Cats (Canadian Football League) hired Briles as an assistant head coach, but canceled the offer just hours later because of the outrage of fans, media, and league officials. The team’s owner, Bob Young, said they messed up and didn’t expect people to react that strongly.

“We made a large and serious mistake. We want to apologize to our fans, corporate partners, and the Canadian Football League, Young said. It has been a challenging season, and we are seeking answers. This is clearly not one of them.”

In 2022, Grambling State brought him in as its offensive coordinator. But the backlash was so intense that Briles stepped down just four days later, saying he didn’t want to become a distraction for the team.

After that, it really looked like no college program would take a chance on him again. That was until Eastern New Mexico decided to give him an opportunity. Now, it will be interesting to see how he helps the football program.