Charlie Strong is tough, demanding and will win big with Texas Longhorns

Charlie Strong has yet to coach a game for Texas but the Longhorns first-year head coach is already under a great deal of criticism about whether he is the right fan for the job, but none of the criticism is coming from his former boss, Lou Holtz, who thinks Strong will win in Austin.

“He’s a winner, he’s a competitor, and has a great relationship with his players. He’s tough. He’s demanding, but he’s very fair.”

Much of the criticism of Strong centers around his introverted personality and if he’ll be able to win over the media and high school football coaches in Texas the way his predecessor, Mack Brown, did with relative ease. Personality conflicts aside, Strong can coach football and he can recruit, two traits that will suit him well on The 40 Acres.

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Strong was on the Notre Dame staff under Holtz and was his defensive coordinator with the South Carolina Gamecocks, so if there’s one coach who knows the what Strong can do for his current and future players at Texas, it’s Holtz.

“He (Strong) is very well organized,” Holtz tells Orangebloods. “He has a great drive to succeed. Just the sense of pride he has. He gets to know his players. He gives them discipline, he gives them toughness, he gives them direction, but he also gives them compassion when they need it the most. When people need love and understanding the most is usually when they deserved it the least. He’ll pick a guy up when he’s down, but he’ll also make him the best on the field, off the field, and in the classroom.

Strong experienced a great deal of success in his time at Louisville, compiling a 37-19 record, two Big East championships and a 3-1 record in bowl games, including a dominating performance against Florida in the Sugar Bowl two years ago.

His last team at Louisville produced three first round picks in a year where the Longhorns failed to have a single player drafted for the first time since the late 1930s.

Strong’s combination of recruiting success, on-field prowess, championship pedigree and a reputation as a tough disciplinarian sounds like the total package for a coach.

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