Regents approve Herman raise to $3 million
The University of Houston fired the first salvo in what is likely to be the Tom Herman Sweepstakes.
The university’s board of regents Thursday unanimously approved a recommendation to offer Herman a raise to $3 million annually — a pre-emptive strike with several major-conference schools expected to make a run at the highly successful first-year football coach.
“It was important to make a statement that the University of Houston does not need to be a steppingstone for coaches but rather a destination,” said Hunter Yurachek, UH’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics.
UH made another statement that it intends to be a player at the Power Five table, approving a $60 million renovation plan for Hofheinz Pavilion.
Regents chairman Tilman Fertitta said the $3 million offer — which has yet to be presented to Herman and his representative — is a “starting point” to what the school hopes is a long-term contract agreement.
“We’ll take [the salary] up every year,” Fertitta said. “We want to lock him into a long-term contract.”
UH took the unusual step of sweetening a deal for Herman, 40, in his first season because of the Cougars’ rapid rise and rampant speculation he could be a candidate for openings at South Carolina, Maryland, Missouri, Miami and Southern Cal.
UH is off to only the second 10-0 start in school history, has a No. 13 national ranking and is in position for the American Athletic Conference title and spot in a New Year’s Six bowl.
“We’re going to make it really hard for him to choose to go to another institution,” Yurachek said.
The proposed raise would more than double Herman’s current salary of $1.35 million, already a school record for any coach, and put him on par with coaching salaries at some Power Five schools.
“We wanted to get it out there to the world and let everybody know we are
committed to Tom Herman being at the University of Houston,” Fertitta said.
Fertitta and UH system chancellor Renu Khator were delegated authority to negotiate a long-term contract with Herman. Funding for Herman’s salary increase will come from donors and auxiliary revenue. No state appropriations will be used, Fertitta said.
“The board will help raise these funds, and much of it has already been raised,” Fertitta said.
When it comes time to negotiate, Yurachek said Herman “will get our best offer.”
In the past decade, UH has seen Art Briles (Baylor) and Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M) parlay success with the Cougars into richer deals elsewhere.
“Coach Herman is one of the hottest coaches in the country,” Yurachek said. “He is a hot commodity. We want to retain him at the University of Houston. We want him to be our hot commodity.”
Herman, who won a national title as offensive coor- dinator and quarterbacks coach at Ohio State last season, said he is “flattered and appreciative of the commitment UH has shown.
“But as has been my stance this entire season, I’ve got a singular purpose right now, which is to beat UConn (on Saturday) and take one step closer to winning a conference championship,” he said.
Any talks with UH, or any school, won’t occur until the season is over, Herman said.
Also Thursday, regents gave the OK to begin the process of renovating the school’s basketball arena.
“That’s another gamechanger for our university and fans,” Yurachek said.
The school has received an anonymous $20 million lead gift that will facilitate a name change of the 46-yearold venue.
“We’re not sure how the name will unfold, but it will no longer be called Hofheinz Pavilion,” Yurachek said.
The design process is scheduled to begin in March 2016 with construction starting a year later. The renovated facility is expected to be completed for the start of the 2018-19 season.