Robert Griffin III is “100 percent” interested in becoming Baylor’s new football coach, the school’s only Heisman Trophy winner said on Monday. Griffin also confirmed he has talked with Baylor athletic director Doug McNamee about the opening.
Robert Griffin III (Credits: ESPN)
Griffin made the comments during an interview on The Dan Patrick Show, one day after Baylor fired head coach Dave Aranda on Sunday. Aranda went 40-40 over six and a half seasons, and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman was named interim coach for the rest of this season.
RG3 “100 Percent” Interested in Baylor Coaching Job
“Yes, 100 percent,” Griffin said when Patrick asked if he was interested in the job. “If Baylor wants to get back to winning and have a university that isn’t just respectable on the football field, but the fans can be proud of, they need people who know what it looks like to win at Baylor. So yeah, I would 100 percent be interested.”
Griffin, 36, is now a college football analyst and broadcaster for Fox Sports, and he has no coaching experience — a point he addressed himself. He argued that being a CEO-type coach in college football is different, and that a coach does not necessarily need experience at the highest level to be successful.
He also named other candidates he said would fit the role, including Boise State’s Spencer Danielson, UTSA’s Jeff Traylor and USC’s Lincoln Riley, whom he called a “dark horse.”
Why Baylor Matters to Robert Griffin III
Griffin played at Baylor from 2008 to 2011 and won the Heisman Trophy in 2011, when he threw for 4,293 yards with 37 touchdowns and only six interceptions, and ran for another 699 yards and 10 touchdowns. Baylor went 10-3 that season, its first 10-win season since 1980.
He was the second overall pick by Washington in the 2012 NFL Draft and played seven NFL seasons. McNamee said in an open letter on Monday that the process to find the next head coach was already underway, but the football calendar makes it likely December before any hire is made.
Griffin summed up his pitch in one line: “I’m just tired of seeing Baylor be the steppingstone or the stepchild to all these other teams. We should be back on top.”
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Source: ESPN — read the full story there.