There is a man on the sidelines each week in Arkansas football gear that many Razorback fans have a love/hate relationship with. You might have heard of him. His name is Kendal Briles.
Let’s take a look at the career of Kendal Briles, son of former Baylor head coach Art Briles.
Hired by his dad at Baylor in 2008, he began his college career as the inside receivers coach, soon becoming the passing game coordinator, then eventually the offensive coordinator in 2015, a job at which he has excelled at each of his coaching stops.
In 2015, in his first year as a coordinator, Baylor finished with a 10-3 record and the number one offense in the country (616.7 yards per game). This roster was loaded with extremely talented players, such as Corey Coleman, KD Cannon, Jarrett Stidham, Seth Russell, & Shock Linwood. Two 1,000-yard rushers, two quarterbacks who put up serious numbers, and multiple future NFL receivers.
The following season at Baylor was off to a great start before the scandal that ended his father’s run as the head coach. They began the season 6-0 before losing six straight games. However, Briles managed to still have the most powerful offense in the country, averaging 616.2 yards per game.
2017, 2018, and 2019, Briles bounced around as OC at Florida Atlantic with Lane Kiffin, Houston with Major Applewhite, and Florida State with Willie Taggart.
At FAU, they finished the season with an 11-3 record averaging just under 400 yards per game. The following season in Houston, his alma mater, was also a great success. He coached and developed an unbelievable quarterback named D’Eriq King (who later transferred and became the starter at Miami during the early NIL days). In 2019, Kendal Briles took the coordinator role at Florida State, where their passing offense far outweighed their rushing offense.
Arkansas football’s offensive coordinator has been successful at each of his many stops.
Then Sam Pittman was hired at Arkansas. We all know the rest of the story. Three years later and Coach Briles is still the Arkansas football offensive coordinator. Some people love him, some people hate him, and some experience both emotions in a single Razorback possession.
So, with the Hogs having so much success offensively under Briles and drastically improving each year, why do some people dislike him so much this season?
Let’s discuss!