It has been three and a half years since Mack Brown was fired resigned from his position as head football coach at the University of Texas, and he has settled into his new role as a college football analyst at ESPN.
But in an interview on SiriusXM radio on Wednesday, Brown said he’d be open to returning to the sideline, “if the right situation came up.” The 65-year-old Brown said he has “some good years left.”
"There is no doubt that if the right situation came up, I would coach again. I have some good years left." @ESPN_CoachMack
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) May 31, 2017
There are three current FBS college football coaches older than Brown (Bill Snyder, Frank Solich, Rocky Long), and Nick Saban is only two months younger, so it’s not like a man of Brown’s age can’t lead a big-time program. The problem, if Brown wants to return, will be finding “right situation.” If Brown is looking for an elite, major-conference job, he might be waiting for a while. But if he’s willing to take a lower-tier gig, you’d think he could find an opportunity.
The main thing we can take away from Brown’s stated willingness to return to coaching is that this isn’t another Jon Gruden situation, where a guy gets comfortable on TV and never goes back to the sidelines. Mack is looking for a way back in.
Brown has worked as a studio analyst and a game analyst for ESPN, providing memorable moments like that time he had to leave a broadcast early to catch a flight. There was also the time he was criticized by an unsuspecting Uber driver while riding in the back seat.
https://twitter.com/adamamin/status/813956650893799424
Anyway, Brown isn’t going anywhere just yet, but a return to coaching could be something to keep an eye on.
About Alex Putterman
Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.