Kendal Briles checks a lot of boxes if Nebraska is serious about landing an established Power Four offensive coordinator.
He has spent more than a decade calling plays across the SEC, ACC and Big 12, and his track record is hard to ignore. Briles has built explosive offenses in a range of settings, and his system has shown it can produce both big rushing totals and high-end passing numbers.
Briles got his start working under his father, Art Briles, at Baylor, where he helped shape the Bears’ fast-moving spread attack before taking over as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2015. That season, Baylor led the country in scoring at 48.1 points per game and total offense at 616.2 yards. Corey Coleman starred in that group, winning the Biletnikoff Award and later becoming a first-round NFL Draft pick.
From there, Briles moved through Florida Atlantic, Houston, Florida State, Arkansas and TCU before Shane Beamer brought him to South Carolina last December. Along the way, the numbers kept following him.
At Florida Atlantic in 2017, he helped guide the Owls to a Conference USA championship while they averaged 40.6 points and 498.4 yards per game, good for eighth and ninth nationally. Running back Devin Singletary piled up 1,920 rushing yards and 32 rushing touchdowns and was named Conference USA MVP.
Houston’s 2018 offense was just as eye-catching. Quarterback D’Eriq King produced 50 touchdowns in 11 games, throwing for 36 and running for 14. That kind of production speaks to the core of Briles’ approach: spread the field, play fast, attack vertically and use RPOs to punish defenses that overcommit.
His version of the veer-and-shoot leans on wide receiver splits, tempo and spacing that can create favorable numbers in the run game. It also has worked against SEC competition.
At Arkansas, his offenses finished seventh nationally in rushing in back-to-back seasons, averaging 227.8 yards per game in 2021 and 236.5 in 2022. That 2022 team also ranked 15th nationally in total offense at 471.2 yards per game.
That Razorbacks offense featured Raheim Sanders, an Associated Press first-team All-SEC selection, and center Ricky Stromberg, who earned first-team all-conference honors and won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy.
Briles’ time at TCU showed another layer of the system. The Horned Frogs finished among the nation’s top 10 passing offenses in each of his three seasons. Josh Hoover set a school record with 3,949 passing yards in 2024, and tight end Jared Wiley earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2023.
South Carolina’s first season with Briles has already produced a balanced offense. The Gamecocks are scoring 34.7 points per game, which ranks 24th nationally, and averaging 452.6 total yards, good for 21st. They’re also putting up 205.4 rushing yards per game, ranking 20th, along with 247.1 passing yards, which ranks 41st.
Another part of Briles’ appeal is his ability to work with different kinds of quarterbacks. He has developed mobile passers like King and Arkansas’ KJ Jefferson, while also getting strong results from a more traditional thrower like Hoover.
The problem for Nebraska is money. South Carolina gave Briles a three-year, $6.3 million deal that pays him $2 million this season, $2.1 million in 2027 and $2.2 million in 2028.
That is well above what Nebraska paid Dana Holgorsen, and the contract includes language that would govern an early exit. If athletic director Troy Dannen wanted to pull Briles away from Columbia, it would take a serious financial commitment.
There is also the question of timing. Briles is already in the SEC, already running his own offense and already among the highest-paid offensive coordinators in the country. On top of that, Nebraska would be asking him to jump into a situation with uncertainty around Matt Rhule’s future.
Still, Briles’ career path suggests he is not the type to stay put just for the sake of it. Since leaving Baylor after the 2016 season, he has worked at six schools in 10 seasons, including one-year stops at Florida Atlantic, Houston and Florida State before landing at Arkansas in 2020. He spent three years with the Razorbacks, then three more at TCU before heading back to the SEC with South Carolina this season.
That kind of movement says he is willing to consider a new opportunity when it makes sense. Nebraska may have to push hard, but Briles is not the kind of target that should be dismissed out of hand. He has built some of the most explosive offenses in college football, and he has shown that his system can hold up against major-conference defenses while still powering a strong run game.
In Other News...
Arkansas Gets A Timely Boost As South Carolina Faces New Doubt
South Carolinas injury report brought a little more clarity heading into its matchup with Arkansas, but not all of it was reassuring. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers was upgraded to probable after dealing with an ankle injury, while several other players on both sides were still listed as out or questionable as the game approached. For Arkansas, the biggest bit of good news came on defense, where Quincy Rhodes moved from questionable to probable.
The more concerning development for South Carolina was at receiver, where Nyck Harbor was downgraded to doubtful. That leaves the Gamecocks sorting through a thinner margin for error on offense, while Arkansas gets a small but meaningful lift with Rhodes trending toward playing. With both teams still carrying a lengthy injury list, the final availability report could still shape how this one unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Faces A Brutal Test Up Front Against South Carolina
Arkansas is heading into a difficult matchup with No. 17 South Carolina, and the challenge starts in the trenches. The Gamecocks defensive line has piled up 24 sacks this season, a number that has understandably caught the attention of the Razorbacks as they try to steady an offensive front that was pushed around at Auburn.
Coaches and players have pointed to South Carolinas pass rush as a major test, with Tomiwa Durojaiye and Anthony Addison among the names drawing notice. For Arkansas, the focus is on giving KJ Jackson cleaner pockets and a little more time to operate, especially after the line allowed six sacks last week. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Can Turn Its Late Fight Into Something Much Bigger
Arkansas has started to make games feel a lot less comfortable for opponents, even in a season that has been heavy on frustration. The Razorbacks have been hanging around into the fourth quarter more often lately, and that has not gone unnoticed outside the program. South Carolina coach Shane Beamer even acknowledged Arkansass competitiveness in recent matchups, a small sign that the effort level has begun to travel beyond Fayetteville.
Ryan Silverfield knows the next step has to be more than just staying close. A win against South Carolina would carry weight well beyond the standings, giving Arkansas something tangible to point to in recruiting and in the broader push to show progress. For a team trying to turn late-game fight into a real foundation, this is the kind of opportunity that can mean more than one result on one Saturday. [Read more 🡒]