Texas Football: Sporting News ranks Herman amid two best Big 12 coaches

The fourth-year head coach of the Texas football program, Tom Herman, still gets high regard from a few national media outlets.

The battle to stake claim as to who is the top head coach in the Big 12 in this day and age tends to be constantly changing. And the Texas football program didn’t have many years where their head coaches were at the top of the list in the Big 12 over the course of the last decade. Former head coach Mack Brown is clearly one of the best in the Power Five since 2000. But the tenure with fellow former Texas head coach Charlie Strong was a roller coaster ride that definitely didn’t end on a high note.

Current head coach Tom Herman has to be hoping that the Longhorns are on the up and up heading into the 2020 season. This might be the last chance he gets from Texas athletic director Chris del Conte, since the checkbook was really opened up to find the right coaching staff around him at the outset of this offseason.

Consensus could have it at this point that Herman ranks outside the three or four head coaches in the Big 12. The likes of Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, TCU’s Gary Patterson, and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, could all be logistically considered ahead of Herman.

However, the ups and downs of the head coaching tenure for Herman could see the 2020 season take a turn for the better. Texas didn’t have their best showing last season, but they return a lot more production and proven experience this year than they did last.

But there is a media outlet that disagree with the slotting of Herman outside the top three or four head coaches in the Big 12 during this offseason. According to a definitive ranking released from Sporting News earlier this month, Herman actually received a rather favorable slotting among all FBS head coaches. Herman ranked at No. 16 in the FBS. He was just one spot above Patterson and a handful more above Gundy.

Here’s what Sporting News had to say about their placement of Herman on the list.

"The Longhorns didn’t meet expectations last season, and Herman faces the pressure of managing one of college football’s biggest programs. The recruiting has picked up, but the same big-game challenges remain. Texas is getting closer, but it’s on Herman to bring them back once and for all."

Sporting News is also including the work that Herman did during his years with the Houston Cougars to figure out his placement in the ranking. He registered a record of 47-19 during college football head coaching career. Of that record, 25 wins came during his three previous years at Texas.

The only head coached that placed above Herman in the Big 12 rankings was Riley. Patterson, Gundy, and Campbell were the next three Big 12 head coaches up, in that order.

Texas finished up with a record of 8-5 (5-4 Big 12) last season after beating the Utah Utes in the Alamo Bowl. They at least finished the season on a high note, and can hopefully carry that momentum into the 2020 campaign.