Texas Football: What’s next with the Urban Meyer pursuit over
What is the next step for the Texas football program and head coach Tom Herman now that the pursuit of Urban Meyer is behind them?
Where does the Texas football program go from here? That is the question that a lot of Texas fans are asking at this point with the news dropping over the weekend that administration was to stop their pursuit of Urban Meyer as a potential replacement for fourth-year head coach Tom Herman.
Herman and the Longhorns seemed like a match made in heaven at times, and one that was doomed over long stretches of games for others. The Longhorns currently hold a record of 6-3 (5-3 Big 12) after demolishing head coach Chris Klieman and the Kansas State Wildcats by the final score of 69-31 over the weekend.
The win over Kansas State on the road back on Dec. 5 makes it four wins in the Longhorns last five games. They originally had a three-game winning streak coming into their Black Friday/Senior Day showdown (specifically back on Nov. 27 at home) against then No. 13 ranked Iowa State. But Iowa State held on to get the 23-20 win over Texas, effectively dooming the Longhorns chances to make it to the Big 12 Championship Game, come Dec. 19.
Between losing to the TCU Horned Frogs, Oklahoma Sooners, and Iowa State the way they did, and missing out on the Big 12 Championship Game this fall, Herman is not in a good spot right now. The win over Kansas State could help him for a little while, but it likely won’t make a huge impact in his job security over the long haul.
The other big reasoning for Herman being on the hot seat in the first place is the inconsistent, and largely absent, results on the recruiting trail of late. Texas lost a commitment from the elite five-star Southlake Carroll pro-style quarterback Quinn Ewers back on Oct. 28, which led to a flurry of other negative events on the recruiting trail in the weeks and months since for Herman.
The 2022 recruiting class once looked like it had the potential to contend for the top spot in the national class rankings. It is now down to just one commitment, with four-star Memorial cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau.
With all of this in mind, it is easier to see why there is still a looming discussion of Herman’s hot seat, that could come to a head next offseason. There is likely to be no decision made on Herman’s fate until the offseason arrives, especially now that the Meyer pursuit appears to be behind us.
For Texas athletic director Chris del Conte to actually want to part ways with Herman next offseason, it would take a good candidate to push the envelope. Two that come to mind of late are the Florida Gators second-year head coach Dan Mullen and Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell.
It is very likely that Campbell is to land a job in the near future at a top tier program. Maybe that will be Texas, Michigan, or Penn State. He’s looking to lead Iowa State to their first ever Big 12 Championship Game appearance.
Meanwhile, Mullen took the Gators from already decent heights to one of a College Football Playoff contender. Mullen had a proven track record from his time with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, which he held prior to taking the Florida job more than two years ago.
There is also the possibility that the Longhorns wait until a few months into next offseason to find a potential candidate if they do want to replace Herman. That is likely to be the path for Texas if they find traction with a solid candidate from the NFL.
A few other candidates worth noting includes Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers head coach Jamey Chadwell, Penn State head coach James Franklin, and Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal. Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports reported over the weekend that Texas did have two backup candidates in line if Meyer wasn’t interested (which he’s not) in Cristobal and Franklin.
Assuming CDC does have a solid coaching candidate in mind and there’s not a complete boom on the recruiting trail in the very near future for Herman and the Longhorns, the search could still be on for next offseason. Pursuing Meyer felt a bit like the Texas candidacy of Alabama head coach Nick Saban back in 2014 did. Texas landed former Louisville head coach Charlie Strong that offseason.
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Missing out on Meyer, while it is not positive news by any means, is not worth panicking over for Longhorns fans. In all likelihood, hiring Meyer was not too much of a realistic pursuit in the first place.