Tom Herman broke the silence after being fired on Sunday, completing four years in command of Texas. In a statement, Herman shared this message.
“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have been the head coach of the University of Texas,” Herman said, according to a tweet with the attached statement via Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel. “It has been a great honor, and as a former student, Texas will always have a special place in my heart.
“I also want to thank the players that I was blessed as a coach. You represented the University with dignity and did everything you could to make your program better.
“And to the coaches and staff who put their heart and soul into this program, my thanks are boundless. Their efforts have been the backbone of our success.
“Finally, my family and I wish for nothing but success and happiness for the Longhorn nation in the future.”
The Longhorns hired Alabama’s offensive coordinator in the second year Steve Sarkisian, a rapid move first reported by Horns247 moments after Texas announced Herman’s resignation. Herman’s acquisition was $ 15 million, and a removal of all personnel would increase the Longhorns’ total payout to $ 24 million.
Herman, 45, was 32-18 (22-13 Big 12) in Texas from 2017-20. The Longhorns have won all four games in the bowl, including a 55-23 rout over Colorado at the Alamo Bowl last Tuesday.
“I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to reflect on that yet,” said Herman last Tuesday, when asked what advice he would have to move on. “I think this was unfamiliar territory to everyone. I hope I never have to do that again. But, as I said before, the time for reflection is after the season, when you are not in the middle of preparation, you are not in the middle of a game or 10 minutes after the game is over.
“We will have a lot of time to reflect on things we have done well and things we need to improve.”
Texas came around the corner with a 10-4 (7-2) result in 2018, Herman’s second season, but the Longhorns took a few steps back by going 8-5 (5-4) and 7-3 ( 2019-20.
Texas took aim at Herman after he first became the head coach in Houston from 2015-16, going 22-4 (12-4 AAC) with the Cougars. Herman was the offensive coordinator of the state of Ohio and the coach of defenders from 2012 to 2014, including the last season that led to the inaugural national championship of the College Football Playoff.
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Prior to his rise at Ohio State, Herman held the same positions at Iowa State (2009-11), Rice (2007-08) and Texas State (2005-06). Early in his coaching career, he was a senior assistant to the Longhorns from 1999 to 00.