Texas officials abruptly announced Saturday morning that football coach Tom Herman would be fired.
It came almost two weeks after UT athletic director Chris Del Conte announced in a tepid statement that “Tom Herman is our coach.”
Saturday’s statement said Del Conte “has evaluated the UT program’s strengths and weaknesses and where the program is relative to our goals. While we have made measured progress during the past several years under Tom Herman’s leadership, Chris has recommended to the university president, Jay Hartzell, that UT make a coaching change to get us on track to achieving our ambitious goals.”
A person with knowledge of the situation told the American-Statesman that Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian was the front-runner to become the next coach. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the situation. Horns247 first reported that that the school was targeting Sarkisian.
According to the UT statement, Hartzell and UT System Board of Regents chairman Kevin Eltife agreed on the decision and approved the change. “We thank Coach Herman for his service and dedication to our student-athletes, our program and our university,” according to the statement.
Herman had three years left on a contract worth $15 million in guaranteed money. His assistants would be owed approximately $10 million.
This season, Football Bowl Subdivision public schools have committed to more than $107.5 million in buyout-related payments for head coaches, assistants, and strength coaches, according to USA TODAY Sports data. This includes slightly more than $63.8 million for head coaches at eight schools. Vanderbilt, a private school, also fired coach Derek Mason.
Keeping Herman was untenable for some Texas fans. He finished 32-18 over four seasons and did not win a Big 12 championship. The Longhorns only made one appearance in the league championship game. That happened in 2018, when UT went 10-4 and won the Sugar Bowl over No. 6 Georgia.
