Texas fires Herman after four seasons
Longhorns don’t waste time, hire Alabama’s offensive coordinator as a replacement
Hours later, the Longhorns announce they hired Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian as their new football coach.
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas fired Tom Herman because it was tired of waiting for him to deliver a Big 12 title and turn the Longhorns back into national championship contenders.
Next up: Steve Sarkisian, the architect of the Alabama Crimson Tide’s offense and its tsunami of points this season.
Texas fired Herman on Saturday after four seasons, then hours later announced it was giving the job to the Alabama offensive coordinator.
It’s a quick move Texas expects will deliver quick results. The Longhorns are not known to be a patience bunch.
Sarkisian leads a Crimson Tide offense that has pummeled opponents and produced two Heisman Trophy finalists in quarterback Mac Jones and receiver DeVonta Smith heading into the Jan. 11 College Football Playoff championship game against Ohio State.
He recently won the Broyles Award given to college football’s top assistant coach.
He’s also been around. At 46, Sarkisian has previous head coaching stints at Washington and Southern California. He’s been Alabama’s offensive coordinator under Nick Saban since 2019, and has experience as an NFL assistant.
Sarkisian is expected to remain with Alabama for the championship game.
“This is a unique and compelling opportunity to lead this storied program to the next level, competing once again amongst the best in college football,” Sarkisian said in a statement released by Texas.
Texas wants him to not just win — Herman did that with a 32-18 record — but to knock rival Oklahoma off the top of the Big 12 while also making sure recruiting in their home state doesn’t get swamped by Texas A&M’s rise in the Southheastern Conference.
In other coaching news, Mississippi says it has reached agreement in principle with coach Lane Kiffin on a new contract.
The school made the announcement Saturday, hours before the Rebels (4-5) — in their first season with Kiffin as coach — beat Indiana 26-20 in the Outback Bowl.