The ball is Mack Brown's court, but one University of Texas official says he thinks Brown will take his ball and go home.
Sports Illustrated is reporting that a high-ranking Texas source the Longhorns' game today against Baylor will have no bearing on coach Mack Brown's future as coach of the team. But the source is predicting that that Brown will resign this season.
"It's up in the air," the source told SI. "My thought is he'll probably do the right thing for himself and Texas and step down. But coaches have something in their DNA that don't normally let them do that. How many times have you seen it? With [Joe] Paterno or [Bobby] Bowden? People forget Darrell Royal was 5-5-1 in his last season."
Speculation grew rampant earlier this week that Texas reached out to Alabama head coach Nick Saban and the sides were close on a deal for Saban to replace Brown after the season, a rumor that Texas president Bill Powers vehemently denies.
"I've never met Nick Saban. I've never talked to Nick Saban. We have not hired Nick Saban," Powers told Austin American-Statesman reporter Kirk Bohls. "Mack (Brown is) our coach, and I can say flatly that the rumors we have hired or come to an agreement with Nick Saban or even talked to him are false."
Sports Illustrated and the American-Statesman cite sources who believe that the school is allowing Brown to make a decision about his future. He is completing his 16th season with the Longhorns. Texas, which has an 8-3 record this season, would at least claim a share of the Big 12 championship with a win over Baylor (10-1).
"It is for sure. Mack has not made any kind of decision, and I know him better than anybody," Houston attorney Joe Jamail, Brown's lawyer and close friend, told the American-Statesman. "If he thinks he's not any longer good for the University of Texas, he'll decide not to stay."
The official quoted in the SI story said he didn't think new athletic director Steve Patterson would fire the longtime Texas coach after only a few weeks on the job. But internally, Brown could be facing pressure to quit or doesn't want to keep coaching in the current climate.
"I personally hope he decides to retire and go out on a good note," the source told SI. "It's a tough call. Ten years from now he'll be remembered as a great all-time coach at Texas. At this point all he can do is tarnish his reputation."
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