That escalated quickly.

Former Texas Longhorns coach Mack Brown has been listed as a candidate for the SMU job since June Jones retired in September and Brown's attorney Joe Jamail confirmed to the Austin American-Statesman Brown, now with ESPN, had heard from several schools. Wednesday, the Dallas Morning News reported that interest had turned into an informal offers of sorts.

The Dallas Morning News' Bill Nichols notes at the end of an exploratory piece on candidates for the job that SMU was floating a big number to Brown.

"SMU officials have already had preliminary discussions with former Texas coach Mack Brown, floating $4 million annually over eight years, sources say. Brown, 63, fits the Larry Brown model — a national championship winner who can land star prospects on name alone."

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Brown made around $5.3 million annually at Texas.