One of college football’s most prestigious programs has a coaching vacancy, although it looks like it may be filled rather quickly. The University of Texas announced on Saturday morning that head football coach Tom Herman, who the university hired to much fanfare prior to the 2017 season, is out of a job. As the university explained in a statement, Herman’s ouster comes following an evaluation of the football program, which went 7-3 this year and won the Alamo Bowl, and a determination that a coaching change is needed “to get us on track to achieving our ambitious goals.”
Shortly after, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte released a statement of his own regarding the decision.
https://t.co/w0BcDoAJXM pic.twitter.com/fqLa3dr1E0
— Chris Del Conte (@_delconte) January 2, 2021
The decision to move on will come at quite the hefty price tag.
Texas has fired Tom Herman. Will owe him $15 million and the staff nearly $24 million.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 2, 2021
Herman got the job following two years at Houston, where he went 22-4 and helped the Cougars win the Peach Bowl in his first season. His decision to make the jump to Austin seemed like the kind of move that could have breathed new life into a program that has not come close to its national title aspirations in recent years, but for the most part, things just did not work out. Herman went 32-18 in four years with a 22-13 record in conference play and only made one New Year’s Six Bowl.
As for where the school will go now, Chip Brown of Horns247 reports that they already have Herman’s replacement lined up. The school will reportedly bring Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian on board as its next coach.
BREAKING: #Alabama OC Steve Sarkisian is expected to be named the new coach at #Texas, replacing Tom Herman, who was fired Saturday, multiple sources told Horns247.https://t.co/hC1KXr2VPr
— Chip Brown (@ChipBrown247) January 2, 2021
While highly-regarded as an offensive coordinator for years, Sarkisian’s head coaching tenure has not been particularly successful. He spent five years at Washington, going 34-29, before jumping to USC in 2014. He led the Trojans to a 9-4 record in his first year, but stepped away from the program five games into his second year and was ultimately fired amid struggles with a drinking program. Since then, he has spent two stints in Tuscaloosa with two years as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons sandwiched in between.