Texas football coach Tom Herman confident he won’t be fired (and he may be right)
By John Buhler
Texas football coach Tom Herman will not be playing in a Big 12 Championship game this season, but he feels confident he will not be fired.
Tom Herman‘s Texas Longhorns are not playing in the Big 12 Championship game this season.
After falling at home to Matt Campbell’s Iowa State Cyclones, the ‘Horns will have to watch the conference title in Arlington, Texas from home. Texas has three loses on the season to the TCU Horned Frogs, the Oklahoma Sooners and now to Iowa State. With one game left vs. the Kansas State Wildcats, Herman does not feel the pressure of being terminated after a fourth defeat saying, “I am absolutely and completely focused on getting our team ready to play Kansas State.”
Herman asked point-blank if he feels like he'll be here next season: "I am absolutely and completely focused on getting our team ready to play Kansas State."
— Brian Davis (@BDavisUT) November 30, 2020
The AD’s support and a hefty buyout will keep him around through 2021
Even though Herman does not appear to be the right coach for Texas football, it would take a cataclysmically bad performance vs. K-State for Herman and his staff to get whacked. His buyout is a massive one, as it would take between $23-30 million to get rid of Herman and his entire staff, as well as hire another one. Everything may be bigger in Texas, but not in this economy.
Important that Texas keeps recruiting class as strong as it can, but CDC's role here is interesting. Heard today a total coaching transaction for #Texas -- firing coach/staff, hiring new coach/staff -- would be in $23-30 million range. A huge sum, even for Texas amid pandemic. https://t.co/03XzUhUe5Z
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) November 30, 2020
If the Longhorns were to fire Herman after four seasons, where would they turn anyway? Do they try their luck with Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines or James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions, who have both had bad years up in the Big Ten? Is Texas enticing enough to pry Urban Meyer out of retirement? Is Campbell out of Iowa State truly the best they can do here?
Regardless of what happens, Herman feels confident he has the support of his athletic director Chris Del Conte. Even if Texas loses four conference games this year, that may not be enough for Del Conte to pull the trigger and commence yet another Texas coaching search.
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