Clint Brakebill Sports

Art Briles is back in college football.

And somehow, he is doing it in my hometown.

Eastern New Mexico University has hired Briles to lead the Greyhounds, and whether you support the move, oppose it or are still trying to decide what to think, one thing is clear: People are paying attention to ENMU football.

Maybe more than ever.

I grew up in Portales, New Mexico. I know what Eastern football means there. I know the people who follow the Greyhounds every year, regardless of the record.

But this feels different.

There is buzz around the program. There is curiosity. There is real anticipation for the season ahead.

And much of that is tied to one name.

Art Briles.

His past cannot be ignored.

Briles has not coached in college football since Baylor fired him in 2016 amid the sexual assault scandal that engulfed the program during his tenure. The fallout was significant, and later attempts to bring him back into college football were met with strong criticism.

That history follows him to Portales.

It should.

But there is also no denying what Briles accomplished as a football coach.

Long before Baylor, Briles built a reputation as one of the top offensive minds in Texas.

He took over a Stephenville program that had not reached the playoffs in decades and turned it into a powerhouse.

His quarterbacks developed. His teams scored. His offenses became difficult to defend.

Then he went to Houston and won.

Then Baylor.

And Baylor was not a national contender when Briles arrived.

By the end of his tenure, the Bears had produced a Heisman Trophy winner in Robert Griffin III, won conference championships and became one of the most explosive teams in college football.

Briles went 65-37 at Baylor and won at least 10 games four times in his final five seasons.

That is what makes this hire so interesting to me.

Not because anything that happened at Baylor should be overlooked.

It should not.

But because we have not seen this version of Briles in nearly a decade.

He is 69 years old. College football has changed. Recruiting has changed. The transfer portal has changed roster building. Offensive concepts that once made Briles different have been copied and adapted across the sport.

So can he still do it?

I have no idea.

Can one of the best offensive minds of his generation still build a system that creates problems for defenses?

Can he recruit enough talent to Portales?

Can he take a Division II program coming off a 3-8 season and make it relevant?

Can he win?

Those are fair questions.

And now Eastern New Mexico gets to find out.

One thing Briles has already emphasized with his new team is a simple message: “Find the good.”

He wears those words on his wristband as a reminder to stay optimistic and make the most of the opportunities in front of him.

It is a simple phrase, but it is hard not to notice the significance.

Briles is trying to restart a college coaching career that appeared to be over.

Eastern is taking a chance on a coach with a résumé few Division II programs could ever expect to attract.

And Portales is preparing for a football season unlike any I can remember.

Will it work?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Maybe Briles still has the coaching ability that once made his teams some of the most entertaining in the country.

Maybe nearly a decade away from college football proves to be too much.

I do not know how this ends.

That is exactly why I will be watching.

The past matters.

The questions surrounding Briles are not going away.

But neither is the intrigue.

Art Briles is coaching Eastern New Mexico football.

In Portales.

My hometown.

And for the first time in a long time, a lot of people outside eastern New Mexico are going to care what happens there this fall.