Charlie Strong agrees to become head coach at South Florida

Former Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong has accepted the head coaching job at the University of South Florida.

For only the fourth time in 20 years, the University of South Florida will have a new head coach. On Sunday morning, SI.com reported that Charlie Strong had agreed to fill the vacant coaching job and will assume that role for the 2017 season.

Strong was fired from the Texas last month, after serving three unsuccessful seasons, the last of which he went 5-7 in 2016. He was unable to follow up the success he had during his four-year run in Louisville, where he totaled a 37-15 record with the Cardinals.

He met with USF officials on Friday, after speaking on the phone earlier this week. He will replace the departing Willie Taggart, who is taking the head coaching job at Oregon. Strong was a high-ranking choice for several defensive coordinator spots around the country, but he opted to say in a head coach capacity.

He is no stranger to Florida, as he heavily recruited the Sunshine State. He was also a member of Urban Meyer’s coaching staff when the Florida Gators won the national championship in 2006 and 2008. He is also the first coach in USF history to have previous coaching experience at a Power 5 school.

The irony of this is if he stays the duration of his contract, which is set to be five years, he will face his now former team in 2020, when the USF Bulls make the trip to Austin to face the Longhorns.

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Strong went 16-21 in his three seasons with the Longhorns. A change to a smaller school should be good for Strong, especially in a state where he has strong ties and a documented recruiting history. USF will have a better program with him running the show.7