The Houston Cougars announced two new hires to their coaching staff on Saturday in former Baylor assistants in Kendal Briles and Randy Clements.
The #HTownTakeover welcomes Kendal Briles (Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/QBs Coach) and Randy Clements (Run Game Coordinator/OL Coach) to its coaching staff.
Full iinfo: https://t.co/cFV55VlBw1 pic.twitter.com/dKlYD0qBNn
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) January 6, 2018
Briles will be the associate Head Coach/offensive Coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Clements will serve as run game coordinator and offensive line coach.
Both coaches served on staff at Baylor during the fallout from the sexual assault scandal that ultimately cost then head coach Art Briles his job.
Both men had previously been on staff with Art Briles when they were at Houston. Kendal Briles was the offensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic while Clements was on staff at Southeastern University in Florida.
The hire does not come out with controversy. Briles was named in a pending Title IX civil suit against Baylor and both coaches were also on staff in when the Pepper Hamilton law firm released their “Finding of Fact”. Per The Houston Chronicle, there are several references to “football staff” engaging in behavior that stifled university and criminal investigations.
In a statement, head coach Major Applewhite said that both men were vetted prior to their hires on their coaching staff.
“They both have 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, Applewhite said in a statement, “Throughout this process we have researched their abilities and backgrounds with several references and have received glowing praise.”
Multiple UH spokesmen also told The Houston Chronicle that the two had been vetted.
“Every hire in our athletics department, from the top to bottom, is an important one and we vet every candidate for employment in our department,” vice president of intercollegiate athletics Chris 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.”
“Both coaches have gone through an extensive interview process and we have complete confidence that they understand and appreciate our culture of compliance and the appropriate treatment of our students,” University of Houston spokesman Mike Rosen said in a statement to the Chronicle.
Brought to you by:
