TCU hires Arkansas’ Kendal Briles as offensive coordinator

TCU has discovered its new offensive coordinator.

The Horned Frogs introduced Thursday that Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles can be transferring west to Fort Value. Briles replaces Garrett Riley after Riley left to develop into the offensive coordinator at Clemson.

Briles has been the Arkansas OC for the previous three seasons underneath coach Sam Pittman. Arkansas averaged 6.4 yards per play in 2022 as the college went 7-6 and beat Kansas within the Liberty Bowl.

Earlier than teaching at Arkansas, Briles was the offensive coordinator at Florida State in 2019 and at Houston the season earlier than that. The 40-year-old son of embattled ex-Baylor coach Artwork Briles was on his father’s employees from 2008-16 and labored his means up from inside receivers coach to offensive coordinator and quarterback coach in his remaining two seasons with the Bears.

Kendal Briles stayed as Baylor’s offensive coordinator during the 2016 season after his father was fired earlier than the season following an investigation into the dealing with of sexual assault accusations towards members of the soccer group.

Arkansas dropped from 9-4 in 2021 to 7-6 in 2022 largely due to the group’s protection. The Razorbacks scored greater than 30 factors per recreation in every season with Briles on employees. However a protection that gave up 5.4 yards per play in 2021 gave up 6.5 yards per play in 2022.

In his time as an offensive coordinator at 5 completely different faculties, together with a stint at Florida Atlantic in 2017, Briles has proven a capability to adapt to his strengths with a artistic run recreation as the focus. Arkansas threw the ball 27 occasions a recreation in 2022 and rushed the ball greater than 46 occasions per recreation for over 5 yards a carry.

A powerful run recreation was the muse for TCU’s push to the nationwide title recreation in January. The Horned Frogs averaged over 5 yards a carry as a group and RB Kendre Miller rushed for almost 1,400 yards and 17 TDs earlier than lacking the nationwide title recreation due to a knee damage. QB Max Duggan and backup RB Emari Demercado mixed to hurry for over 1,000 yards and the Horned Frogs scored 37 speeding touchdowns.

The TCU offense will look completely different in 2023 as Duggan, Miller and WR Quentin Johnston head to the NFL. Chandler Morris began the 2022 season at QB earlier than an damage and would be the possible starter in 2023. Demercado will probably be again and the group has added switch WRs John Paul Richardson (Oklahoma State), JoJo Earle (Alabama), TE Jack Bech (LSU) and RB Trey Sanders (Alabama) to bolster the offense.