Texas announced Saturday that it has split from football coach Tom Herman after four seasons, with sources telling ESPN’s Chris Low that the Longhorns have zeroed in on Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, as his replacement and hope to end a deal with him soon.
Texas said in a statement that athletic director Chris Del Conte evaluated the program and recommended a change to university president Jay Hartzell. Herman won 32-18 in Texas and 7-3 last season, culminating in a win over Colorado in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Tuesday.
“These decisions are very, very difficult and they are certainly not something I take lightly,” Del Conte said in a statement. “As I said before, my philosophy is to wait until the end of the season to examine all the factors that evaluate any of our programs.
“After much deliberation and much reflection, as I looked back over the entirety of where our football program is located and as we discussed its future, it became clear that it was in the best interest of the University of Texas to move. in the direction. “
Hartzell and Kevin Eltife, chairman of the UT regent board, agreed with Del Conte’s recommendation and approved the change, according to a university statement.
Sarkisian, who compiled a 47-35 record as head coach at USC and Washington, won the Broyles 2020 award as the nation’s top assistant. Alabama faces Ohio State in the January 11 National College Football Playoff Championship game.
Sarkisian, who earns $ 2.5 million a season on Nick Saban’s staff with the Crimson Tide, turned down Auburn’s openings in his search for head coach last month and turned the job of head coach. Colorado last year.
He would be the first assistant coach hired by Texas to lead his program since 1951, when the Longhorns promoted Ed Price to the role.
Herman, 45, led Texas to the Big 12 Championship Game and 10 wins in 2018, culminating in a Sugar Bowl victory, but the program has not been able to return to that level for the past two seasons. He revised his coaching staff after 2019, replacing coordinators and several more assistants, but Texas started slowly and finished behind Oklahoma and Iowa State in the Big 12 race.
“I think the standard should be what I’ve always expressed, which is to be in the conversation and compete for conference championships in November and December,” Herman said on Nov. 30 when asked about his employment situation. “We were there this year. We were there two years ago. We did very good things, and we fell short in a four-overtime game. We got three short points and two short points and two more games.”
Herman went 4-0 in bowling in Texas, but never won the Big 12 and won 1-4 against rival Oklahoma. It also had seven losses as a ranked team to unclassified teams, tied for the most in the FBS since 2017, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Del Conte issued a statement last month that Herman “is our coach” after Texas finished its regular season.
“I am grateful for all that Coach Herman has done and the work and dedication that he and his staff have done on behalf of our program and the student-athletes,” Del Conte said in Saturday’s statement. “I thank you for all your effort and service to our institution and wish you all the best in the future.”
Herman had been hired during the 2024 season.
Texas will owe Herman about $ 15 million to buy the last three years of his contract. The Longhorns will owe about $ 10 million more to buy the remaining contracts for their aides, who are guaranteed multi-year deals. In May 2019, the university’s regents approved a two-year extension for Herman that will be extended during the 2023 season. The last two years of the deal would have paid Herman $ 6.5 million in 2022 and $ 6.75 million in 2023.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Dave Wilson contributed to this report.