Texas AD: Tom Herman will be back as head coach
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte announced Saturday that Tom Herman will remain head coach of the Longhorns.
"I want to reiterate Tom Herman is our coach," Del Conte said in a statement obtained by Brett McMurphy of Stadium.
Tom Herman returning to Texas next season pic.twitter.com/8WGoE6JInT
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 12, 2020
The Longhorns were rumored to be pursuing three-time national championship-winning head coach Urban Meyer. But the current Fox Studio host told officials he's not pursuing any coaching jobs due to health, according Brian Dahls and Kirk Bohls of Hook'em.com.
The 45-year-old head coach has struggled to meet the expectations of Texas supporters; the Horns are currently 6-3 this season after finishing with an 8-5 record in 2019. Herman has produced a 31-18 record in four seasons in Austin.
The Longhorns have not produced a losing season under Herman, but have made only one appearance in the Big 12 title game. Texas has not won the conference championship since 2009.
The sideline boss hired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and defensive coordinator Chris Ash this past offseason. Herman cited the difficult transition of installing a new scheme in a pandemic-shortened offseason as a reason why Texas wasn’t successful in 2020, according to ESPN’s Sam Khan Jr.
Herman has three years remaining on a guaranteed contract that pays him $6 million per season.
The Longhorns are waiting to learn about their bowl game destination after their regular-season finale against Kansas was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak on the roster.