UH hires Briles’ son
Applewhite defends both hires: ‘We did our due diligence’
Kendal Briles was on dad Art’s controversial Baylor staff.
The University of Houston made moves Saturday to address its offensive problems.
But first the Cougars had to play some defense.
UH coach Major Applewhite announced the hiring of Kendal Briles and Randy Clements, former staff members at Baylor when a sexual assault scandal rocked the football program and university.
Briles, the son of embattled exBaylor coach Art Briles, will serve as associate head coach/offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for a UH offense that is coming off its worst point production in 15 years. Clements’ role will be as run game coordinator and offensive line coach.
Chris Pezman, UH’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics, said Applewhite remained in close contact with university officials to “gain approval” during the interview process. Baylor never implicated Kendal Briles or Clements during its investigation.
“Every hire in our athletic department, from the top to the bottom, is an important one and we vet every candidate for employment in our department” Pezman said in a statement. “We have done our research on the backgrounds of both Kendal and Randy, and coach Applewhite has been in close contact with myself and our university leadership providing all necessary information and to gain approval.
“We hold all our staff to the high standards the University of Houston demands, and will continue to do so with all of our current staff. Both Kendal and Randy know our expectations and we look forward to their growth while members of our department.” Contract has morality clause
Briles signed a two-year deal that will pay a base salary of $400,000 and Clements received a two-year deal worth $290,000 per year, according to contract details obtained by the Chronicle.
A morality clause is included in the memorandum of understanding for both coaches, which gives UH the right to terminate if any negative information from their time at Baylor comes out that has not previously been disclosed.
“For the avoidance of doubt, merely having been on staff at Baylor and performing your job duties while allegations of misconduct were made or supporting the Baylor football program during your period of employment at Baylor (including any posts or tweets you personally made in support of Baylor’s football program or its staff) does not support termination for cause under this paragraph,” a portion of the memorandum of understanding reads.
While Briles, 35, was not implicated in the scandal that cost his father’s job, he was named in a pending lawsuit — one of several Title IX civil suits filed against Baylor — that alleges he tried to attract recruits by saying female students at Baylor liked the players. “Do you like white women? Because we have a lot of them at BAYLOR and they LOVE football players,” Briles told a Dallas-area recruit, the lawsuit alleged.
Additionally, Baylor suspended Kendal Briles and another assistant after they were found to have committed recruiting infractions for having impermissible contact with a prospect in 2015.
Briles paid tribute to his father, who was fired amid the scandal, by writing the initials “CAB” on his hands during Baylor’s season opener in 2016.
“These hires, like all of our hires, are not taken lightly and we certainly delve into the background of all of our candidates to ensure who we hire fit the University of Houston standards,” Applewhite said in a statement. “We did our due diligence with Kendal and Randy, and are not aware of any circumstances where either were directly implicated in any wrongdoing.
“Since leaving Baylor, both have taken on new employment opportunities and were successful members of coaching staffs, on and off the field. They have full knowledge of our University’s standards and expectations for our coaching staff and our student-athletes. We look forward to growing our program and moving forward with both.”
UH president Renu Khator and board of regents chairman Tilman Fertitta were not immediately available for comment. UH spokesman Mike Rosen said both coaches went through “an extensive interview process” and the school has “complete confidence that they understand and appreciate our culture of compliance and the appropriate treatment of our students.”
A source close to the university said the process of hiring Briles was “probably the most thought out assistant (coach) hire in the history of the University of Houston.”
On the field, the Cougars hope the addition of Briles will jump-start an offense that used three quarterbacks and was inconsistent. Briles replaces Brian Johnson, who left in December to become QB coach at Florida. Last season UH averaged 28.2 points, the program’s lowest mark since 2005, as the Cougars went 7-5 in Applewhite’s first year.
“They have extensive knowledge of our program and its standards, and we know they will be the right fit,” Applewhite said in the statement. “They have both been a part of some of the nation’s top offenses with multiple programs and have shown the ability to learn and adapt while staying thoroughly tied into our state’s landscape in terms of recruiting.”
Briles spent last season working on Lane Kiffin’s staff at Florida Atlantic, where the Owls ranked eighth nationally in scoring (40.6 points) and ninth in total offense (498.4 yards).
“My family and I are excited to return to Houston where my wife and I met while both competing for Houston athletics,” said Briles, a UH alum who played on the football team from 2003-05. “I have personal stock in how the University of Houston performs with first-hand knowledge of the department’s values, and I am fully committed to ensuring Houston is represented fittingly on and off the field. We are excited to join coach Applewhite and the Houston coaching staff for what should be a great future.”
Before Florida Atlantic, Briles spent nine seasons on his father’s staff at Baylor, including the last two as offensive coordinator. The Bears led the nation in total offense in 2015 and were ranked in the top five in passing from 201114. Briles was named a Broyles Award finalist as the nation’s top assistant in 2015. Second time around
This will be the second stint for both coaches at UH. While Briles was a student assistant in 2006, and Clements spent five seasons at UH (2003-07) under Art Briles before joining him at Baylor. Clements is credited with helping develop four-time Super Bowl champion offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer.
Clements coached last season at Southeastern University, an NAIA school in central Florida. He replaces Chris Scelfo, who was not retained with one year left on his contract.
“Our family is thrilled to return to the University of Houston. It was an honor to help set the base for what the football program has been able to build and it’s humbling to have the ability to come back and help take it to greater heights,” Clements said. “It is a Tier One university with high standards and we look forward to upholding those standards and competing on a championship level. We cannot wait to join coach Applewhite and the entire Houston coaching staff.”