"I wanna take this as far as I feel comfortable taking it": Clemson HC Brad Brownell shares his take on turning down Indiana job

Clemson Tigers' Brad Brownell is one of the longest tenured coaches in college basketball. He has led the Tigers since the 2010-11 season, helping them go on some deep runs in the March Madness tournament. As a result, he received attention from other teams with an interest in hiring him.

This offseason, the Indiana Hoosiers went on a coaching search, and there were rumors that Brownell could take the job. However, former West Virginia coach Darian DeVries eventually took the job.

Rather than pursuing the job at Indiana, Brownell received a new contract from Clemson. It includes a new clause that indicates he can step down and become a special assistant to the athletic director at any time. Brownell spoke about his decision in an interview with On3 on Tuesday.

"It was one of those things where my daughters are in Greenville and I’ve been here 15 years," Brownell said. "This kinda becomes your program you know. You feel like 'Hey, I wanna take this as far as I feel comfortable taking it and continue to grow and get better.' But likely, this is where me and my wife and everybody are gonna want to be.

"And so to leave here to do something else doesn’t seem like the right decision, and I’m very grateful to Clemson for giving me the opportunity to coach here for as long as they have."

Brad Brownell explains the importance of signing a new contract with Clemson

Another important aspect of Brad Brownell's decision to stay at Clemson came down to his reworked contract. Specifically, the clause that allows him to step down from his coaching position but stay employed by the team was important.

"It’s something we talked about when the Indiana thing was going on," Brownell said Tuesday. "That was something that I knew Clemson could offer me that another school could not and I’m really proud of the program we have here. I plan on coaching for several years.

"I'm not saying this because I'm thinking that I’m gonna stop coaching, I could coach 10, 12, 15 more years if I still feel good about it. But if something happens and I decided not to, I'd love an opportunity to still be a part of the university and I think I can bring value in other ways."

Brownell and the Tigers are two seasons removed from a run to the Elite Eight in March Madness. That was the second time in the program's history that it went on a run that deep.