Texas football: Pressure on Tom Herman to take big leap forward in 2018

Tom Herman had an interesting season in his first year as head coach of the Texas Longhorns. Was it a step in the right direction for the program?

When Tom Herman arrived in Austin, he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. With a program starving to become great once again, Herman was expected to be great off the bat to eliminate any fears or doubts about where things were heading.

Given the struggles the program has had and the flashes that turned out to be nothing more than that, it’s certainly understandable that there was a lot of angst and anxiety to match the excitement of Herman’s arrival.

After the job he did in Houston, turning a non-power five conference into a contender, there was no one else for the job but Herman. Having already become a great in-state recruiter and someone that just about everyone in Texas wanted heading up the program, Herman was considered the savior before he had even saved anything.

So much was expected of him in his first year, that almost becomes unfair, to say the least. The program certainly wasn’t in the worst position in the world but it wasn’t anywhere close to where it needed to be either.

Therefore it’s hard to argue what the definition of success for Herman’s first year really was. In many ways, it was a highly successful first season with the program. They rebounded with a winning record at 7-6 and won a bowl game by defeating Missouri.

They also perhaps played one of the most entertaining regular season games of the year in an early road tilt with the USC Trojans. The game ended in a loss but it showed the competitive spirit of the program that almost felt lost near the end of the Charlie Strong era. That itself felt like a step forward.

However, with the yearning for greatness and hype that Herman came in with, perhaps there was hope for more than seven wins and defeating Missouri in the Texas Bowl.

Does the fact the Longhorns didn’t win nine or more games and make a little more noise mean that Herman took a step backward in his first year? The only real blemish on the season was a disappointing loss to Texas Tech that should have been avoided. Other than that it’s really nothing more than just nitpicking at this point.

Herman did what he was supposed to do in his first season with the Longhorns. He came in and led the program to a winning record with a bowl win to go with it. It might not have been enough for some but that comes with the scrutiny he will be under to be better than his previous predecessor.

What was good for year one certainly won’t be good for year two. Now that he has a couple of recruiting classes, some more of his talent should begin to blossom and hopefully shine a brighter light on the future of Texas football.

As mentioned that competitive spirit and heart shown on the field was a positive sign. They nearly upset Oklahoma State in yet another entertaining contest on the season and if anything it was a sign that they’re close.

At the same time close loses its luster by the day for the program and results will have to be yielded starting this season. Improving upon seven wins and coming away with a minimum eight or nine would show that improvement that fans are hopeful for.

In addition to upping the win total, it would serve Herman well to come away with a signature victory or two. Besides the obvious Oklahoma, contests against TCU, West Virginia and Oklahoma State would provide great opportunities for growth.

His first year certainly lends argument to whether he did enough. There are arguments for both sides of the coin given the expectations created. In the end, the program isn’t worse off than it was and seems to at least be where they should be.