Texas President Offers Support For Charlie Strong

Gilbert coached quarterbacks and receivers at Tulsa this season under head coach Philip Montgomery, a former Baylor assistant.

Hours after news broke that Tulsa Golden Hurricane co-offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert turned down the offensive coordinator position with the Texas Longhorns, president Greg Fenves, athletic director Mike Perrin, and head coach Charlie Strong are all reportedly flying to Tulsa in a last-ditch attempt to land Gilbert.

ESPN was the first to report Gilbert’s decision to remain at Tulsa, where he’s spent one season as a co-offensive coordinator.

Next season, Strong will be in the third year of a five-year contract that pays more than $5 million per year. He moved to Bowling Green with now-Syracuse coach Dino Babers from Eastern Illinois.

Looks like the Longhorns don’t have a new offensive coordinator after all. A TU official also said Thursday that reports Gilbert accepted the Texas job were false at this time.

Gilbert will bring an Art Briles-style spread with him to Texas, where he will have plenty of talented offensive players to toy with. That year the Panthers were first in FSC in yards and points per game.

Following a successful playing career at Lake View and ASU, where he was a two-time all-Lone Star Conference quarterback, Gilbert began his coaching career in 2003 as an assistant coach at Springtown High School.