After a week of will he or won’t he step down, Mack Brown will indeed step down as head coach of the Texas Longhorns, the university announced Saturday night.
After 16 seasons, 158 wins and a BCS championship, Brown will resign, the Longhorn Network first reported.
He will coach the Longhorns in the Dec. 30 Alamo Bowl against Oregon.
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The university said a press conference will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday.
It was widely reported that Brown would resign at some point this week — and it was also reported that Nick Saban would replace him. Of course, we know that Saban won’t be heading to Austin after signing a long-term deal that earns him more than $7 million per season.
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"Sally and I were brought to Texas 16 years ago to pull together a football program that was divided,” Brown said in a statement. “With a lot of passion, hard work and determination from the kids, coaches and staff, we did that. We built a strong football family, reached great heights and accomplished a lot, and for that, I thank everyone. It's been a wonderful ride. Now, the program is again being pulled in different directions, and I think the time is right for a change. I love The University of Texas, all of its supporters, the great fans and everyone that played and coached here.”
Brown finishes 158-47 at Texas and 98-33 in the Big 12. The Longhorns’ national championship in 2005 was the schools first in 36 seasons. He is second only to Darrell Royal, who won 167 games at Texas.
But it was the Longhorns' run since they lost the 2009 BCS title game to Alabama that eventually forced Brown to step down. Texas went 5-7 the year after losing to the Crimson Tide and followed that with 8-5 and 9-4 seasons before going 8-4 this season. Brown went 9-5 in his second season in Austin in 1999 and hadn't lost more than three games in a season until 2010.
Prior to arriving at Texas, Brown went 69-46-1 in 10 seasons at North Carolina, which included back-to-back 1-10 seasons when he arrived in Chapel Hill in 1988.
"It is the best coaching job and the premier football program in America," Brown added. "I sincerely want it to get back to the top and that's why I am stepping down after the bowl game. I hope with some new energy, we can get this thing rolling again."
Athletic director Steve Patterson, who recently replaced DeLoss Dodds, who had been the AD since 1981, was appreciative of Brown’s contributions.
"We appreciate everything Mack has done for The University of Texas,” Patterson said in a statement. “He's been a tremendous coach, mentor, leader and ambassador for our university and our student-athletes. He is truly a college football legend. I've had a number of talks with him recently, and he has always said he wanted what was best for The University of Texas. I know this decision weighed heavily on him, and today he told us he's ready to move forward."
Now, the focus will turn to who replaces Brown at Texas. Among the popular names being mentioned Saturday: Florida State's Jimbo Fisher, Vanderbilt's James Franklin, Louisville's Charlie Strong, UCLA's Jim Mora Jr. and Stanford's David Shaw.