Mack Brown and Butch Davis join ESPN as analysts
After 16 seasons of roaming the sidelines as head coach at the University of Texas, Mack Brown finally has a new gig lined up. Though it was first reported in early June, the news was officially announced by ESPN Thursday that Brown will join the network’s college football coverage as an in-studio analyst.
Brown, who coached the Longhorns to a BCS National Championship and two Big 12 titles, will provide commentary on shows like SportsCenter, College Football Live and ABC’s College Football Countdown. On Countdown, Brown will join host John Saunders and former Florida State quarterback Danny Kanell.
“I’m so excited and grateful to be joining ESPN’s college football coverage team,” Brown said in a release. “We’ve been talking about it for a few months, and I think it’s a great opportunity to continue to be an active part of a game I love so much. People who know me know I’m a football junkie, so I’m really looking forward to watching and studying teams, sharing thoughts, and talking football with all of the passionate college football fans across the country each and every week.”
After coaching at North Carolina for nine years, Brown took over at Texas in 1998. In his 16 seasons in Austin, Brown compiled a 158-48 overall record and won the 2005 National Championship. Brown coached the Longhorns to another BCS title game appearance in 2009, but then won just five games in 2010.
Brown could never elevate the program back into a national title contender and announced that he would resign in December after an eight-win campaign in 2013.
In addition to Brown, ESPN also announced the hiring of former Miami and North Carolina coach Butch Davis in a similar role. According to a release, Davis will join ESPN2’s day-long coverage every Saturday as an in-studio analyst.
“I’m thrilled with the opportunity to be an analyst on a sport that has been a part of my coaching life at every level,” said Davis. “My wide-ranging career experiences – from being a head coach at the high school, college and professional level to being an executive with two NFL teams – provides with me an ability to give fans an inside perspective on a vast array of subjects.”
In addition to coaching the Tar Heels and Hurricanes, Davis was also the head coach of the Cleveland Browns and had stints as an assistant with Oklahoma State and the Dallas Cowboys.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
