Texas announced on Saturday that it has parted ways with football coach Tom Herman after four seasons, with sources telling ESPN’s Chris Low that the Longhorns have deployed offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian in Alabama as its replacement and hope to strike a deal with him soon.
Texas said in a statement that athletic director Chris Del Conte evaluated the program and recommended a change to college president Jay Hartzell. Herman went 32-18 in Texas last season and 7-3, culminating in a victory over Colorado in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Tuesday.
“Decisions like this are very, very difficult and certainly not something I take lightly,” Del Conte said in a statement. “As I have said before, my philosophy is to wait until the end of the season to consider all factors when evaluating all of our programs.
“ After much deliberation, as I look back at the entirety of where our football program is and discuss its future, it became clear that it was in the best interest of the University of Texas to relocate to another country . direction. “
Hartzell and Kevin Eltife, the chairman of the UT Board of Regents, agreed with Del Conte’s recommendation and approved the change, according to a statement from the university.
Sarkisian, the former coach at USC and Washington, won the 2020 Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant. Alabama will face Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on January 11.
Sarkisian, who earns $ 2.5 million per season on Nick Saban’s staff at the Crimson Tide, last month turned down Auburn’s overtures in his quest for head coaching and turned down the job as head coach in Colorado last year.
He would be the first assistant coach hired by Texas to run the program since 1951, when the Longhorns promoted Ed Price to the role.
45-year-old Herman led Texas to the Big 12 Championship Game, a Sugar Bowl Championship and 10 wins in 2018, but the program has been unable to reach that level for the past two seasons. He overhauled his coaching staff after 2019, replacing both dispatchers and several other assistants, but Texas started slow, finishing behind Oklahoma and Iowa State in the Big 12 race.
Herman went 4-0 in bowl games in Texas, but never won the Big 12, going 1-4 against rival Oklahoma.
“I am grateful to Coach Herman for all he has done and for the hard work and dedication he and his staff have put in on behalf of our program and the student athletes,” said Del Conte in his statement. “I think of him for all his efforts and service to our institution, and I wish him the best in the future.”
Herman was under contract until the 2024 season.
Texas owes Herman about $ 15 million to buy off the last three years of his contract. The Longhorns will still owe about $ 10 million to buy out the remaining contracts for its assistants, which are guaranteed multi-year deals. In May 2019, the university’s regents approved a two-year extension for Herman that will run through 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 contributed to this report.