Brown says 'situation has not changed'

Dec 12, 2013 - 4:40 PM San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Texas football coach Mack Brown said Thursday his job status has not changed and he is focused on the team's upcoming Alamo Bowl game against Oregon and recruiting.

Speaking at a media briefing for the Alamo Bowl, Brown briefly addressed recent reports that he will step down after 16 seasons as Longhorns coach.

"As you might have heard, there's been a little speculation about my job status, but we're not here to talk about me," said Brown to start the news conference.

"My situation has not changed."

Earlier this week, the website Orangebloods.com reported that Brown, whose job security has been a heavy topic of speculation over the past few months, will announce his resignation by the end of the week.

Brown was in Florida recruiting when the report came out and told website Horns247.com later that day that he has not decided to leave his post.

On Thursday, Brown said having a new athletic director in Steve Patterson "changes things."

Patterson was hired in November to replace DeLoss Dodds, who is retiring after 32 years. Dodds brought Brown to Austin for the start of the 1998 season.

"We've hired what I think is a great athletic director, but I haven't had time to sit down with him," Brown said Thursday. "I'm looking forward to my meeting and we'll get on the same page and move forward."

ESPN reported earlier this week that Brown's fate will likely be tied to a meeting of the university's Board of Regents, during which the future of Texas president Bill Powers is also to be discussed. Powers has been an ardent supporter of Brown during his eight-year tenure at the school.

According to earlier reports, Brown, who is under contract through 2020, would receive a $2.75 million buyout and be reassigned to an advisory role in the UT president's office over the remainder of his pact.

After taking over a floundering Texas program prior to the 1998 season, Brown restored the Longhorns back to national prominence by stringing together nine consecutive campaigns of double-digit wins from 2001-09. The highlight of that period came during the 2005 season, when the Longhorns capped a 13-0 performance with a victory over USC in the BCS Championship Game.

Brown also took the Longhorns to the national title game in 2009, a 37-21 loss to Alabama, but the program has been in decline since with a record of just 30-20 over the past four seasons.

Texas lost two of its first three games this season, but rebounded to go 7-1 in Big 12 play prior to last Saturday's 30-10 loss to league champion Baylor. The Longhorns could have captured the outright conference title and a BCS bowl bid with a victory over the Bears.

Brown's 158 wins at Texas are the second-most in school history, surpassed only by Hall of Famer Darrell Royal's 167.