AUSTIN (KXAN) – Tom Herman has been fired after four seasons as head coach of the Texas Longhorns, Texas Athletics Director Chris Del Conte announced in a statement on Saturday.
Del Conte said he recommended a coaching change “to get us on track to achieving our ambitious goals.”
“While we have made measured progress during the past several years under Tom Herman’s leadership, Chris has recommended to the university president, Jay Hartzell, that UT make a coaching change to get us on track to achieving our ambitious goals. President Hartzell and the chair of our Board of Regents, Kevin Eltife, concur with this recommendation and have approved the change. We thank Coach Herman for his service and dedication to our student-athletes, our program and our university,” a statement from the University of Texas at Austin reads.
Herman’s Longhorns failed to live up to the lofty expectations placed on the 2020 season. Texas defeated Colorado in the Alamo Bowl 55-23 on Tuesday night to finish the season with a 7-3 record.
The 2020 season was seen as a make or break year for the Longhorns with Herman’s recruiting classes fully immersed within the program. Senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger returned for his fourth season and new offensive and defensive coordinators were expected to get the most out of an experienced roster.
The expected success never materialized. The Longhorns dropped back-to-back games to TCU and Oklahoma, falling to .500 with a 2-2 record just a month into the regular season. Texas reentered the conference championship conversation with three straight wins but couldn’t beat Iowa State at home in a pivotal Black Friday showdown.
Texas missed the Big 12 championship game for the third time in four years after its 23-20 loss to Iowa State at home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. A blowout win in the Alamo Bowl and at Kansas State in the regular season finale didn’t do enough to sway university leaders to keep the fourth-year head coach. Herman ends his Texas head coaching tenure with a 32-18 overall record and a 22-13 conference record.
Every conference game went down to the wire for the Longhorns in 2020. Texas played in three overtime games and its average margin of victory was 7.25 points. The Longhorns’ biggest Big 12 win was a 27-16 victory at home against Baylor in October. Close games became a staple during Herman’s time at Texas with 27 games decided by one score or less. The Longhorns went 14-13 in those close contests.
Tom Herman smiles with his family at his introductory press conference at Texas. 
Tom Herman with former University of Texas leaders Mike Perrin and Greg Fenves 
FILE PHOTO — Sept. 8, 2018 (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) 
AUSTIN, TX – AUGUST 31: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns watches players warm up before the game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) 
AUSTIN, TX – AUGUST 31: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns arrives before the game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) 
Texas head coach Tom Herman speaks during Big 12 Conference NCAA college football media day Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David Kent) 
AUSTIN, TX – SEPTEMBER 07: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns reacts in the first quarter against the LSU Tigers at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 7, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) 
Texas head coach Tom Herman, center, works with his team before an NCAA college football game against Louisiana Tech , Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) 
AUSTIN, TX – SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns watches players warm up before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) 
Texas head coach Tom Herman, center, takes the field with his team before an NCAA college football game against Rice Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) 
Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, left, talks with head coach Tom Herman before an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas) 
Tom Herman and Lincoln Riley 
Texas head coach Tom Herman meets with the media upon arrival for Alamo Bowl. (Todd Bynum/KXAN) 
SAN ANTONIO, TX – DECEMBER 31: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns arrives prior to the Valero Alamo Bowl game against the Utah Utes at the Alamodome on December 31, 2019 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) 
Texas coach Tom Herman, right, watches a replay during the second half of the team’s NCAA college football game against Kansas in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) 
Texas head coach Tom Herman, center, and Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger (11) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma State Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) 
Texas head coach Tom Herman gives instructions to Texas tight end Malcolm Epps (19) during overtime of an NCAA college football game in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. Oklahoma defeated Texas 53-45 in overtime.(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth) 
Texas head coach Tom Herman shouts to his team during the first half of an NCAA college football game against UTEP in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) 
AUSTIN, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 07: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns watches players warm up before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 07, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) 
Texas head coach Tom Herman, right, following an NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
When the Longhorns hired Herman in November 2016, he was seen as a can’t-miss coaching name, quickly rising up the ranks after successful stints as the head coach at the University of Houston and the offensive coordinator for Ohio State’s 2014 national championship team. Herman called Texas his “dream job” after working as a graduate assistant with the Longhorns under former head coach Mack Brown.
Herman led Houston to a New Year’s Six Peach Bowl victory over Florida State in his first season as a head coach, finishing the year as the No. 8 team in the Associated Press poll. In 2016, Herman’s final season with the Cougars, Houston started the season ranked in the top 10.
It appeared Herman’s tactics were well on their way to working with the Longhorns after the 2018 season ended with a surprising Sugar Bowl upset of Georgia. Texas (10-4) finished with a 10-win season for the first time since 2009. The Longhorns finished No. 9 in the final AP poll.
However, Texas never reached that level of success again going 15-8 in Herman’s final two seasons.
This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available.
