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Urban Meyer and 5 likely candidates to replace Tom Herman at Texas

By Brad Berreman

STILLWATER, OK - OCTOBER 31: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns greets his team before a game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on October 31, 2020 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Texas won 41-34 in overtime. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
STILLWATER, OK - OCTOBER 31: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns greets his team before a game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on October 31, 2020 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Texas won 41-34 in overtime. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /
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Urban Meyer
Urban Meyer. (Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports) /

With speculation about his future ramping up, here are five candidates to replace Tom Herman as the next Texas football head coach.

With Friday’s 23-20 loss to Iowa State, the Texas Longhorns fell to 5-3 this season (4-3 in the Big 12). They will fall short of the Big 12 title game barring something unforeseen, and speculation about the future of Tom Herman as the head coach in Austin has ramped back up.

Near the end of his fourth season at Texas, Herman is 30-18 overall and 21-13 in Big 12 play. Since the start of the 2019 season, after a tease that was a 10-4 2018 campaign capped by a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia, the Longhorns are 13-8 with a 9-7 mark in conference play.

Herman has generally recruited well, but the on-field results haven’t come other than that flash in 2018. The cache of the Texas football program is not what it was, from the bitter end of Mack Brown’s tenure to three dismal seasons under Charlie Strong to the current underachievement under Herman. Apart from the resources available, the University of Texas is not a destination job at this point.

Athletic director Chris Del Conte did not hire Herman, so a move to jolt the program might very well be on the radar, Of course, there is a financial element, which takes on more importance with the impact of COVID-19. Herman has three years left on his contract, and as of Dec. 1 (according to USA TODAY), his buyout would be $15.4 million.

Naturally, Herman was asked about this future after Friday’s loss and admitted it’s not his decision to make but thinks the program is in a better spot than what he inherited. Although, Sam Ehlinger didn’t give him a ringing endorsement.

A big buyout is a serious deterrent for a university to fire a coach in this environment. However, Texas presumably has the resources to move on from Herman. The question is who would leave their current job to replace him, and in parallel who might see the job as a clear step up.

With two remaining games to try to save his job, here are five candidates to replace Herman as the Longhorns’ head coach.

5 candidates to replace Tom Herman at Texas

5. Urban Meyer

Even with health concerns taking him away from coaching twice, it still seems like a matter of when not if Meyer will be back on the sideline. The easily rumored spot for him is USC, as Clay Helton is perpetually on the hot seat.

For Meyer to leave his current job as an analyst for FOX Sports, it would surely have to be a unique opportunity. Herman was his offensive coordinator at Ohio State for three seasons (2012-14), so the idea of replacing Herman now as the head coach at Texas may be awkward for Meyer.

Meyer is becoming the dream candidate to replace Herman for Longhorns’ fans. Del Conte, if he wants one of the biggest coaching fish (and one that’s free to talk right now), may make Meyer turn him down to start off the search to replace Herman.

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