Report: Dana Holgorsen Fired as Houston Football HC; Contract Buyout 'About $15M'

The University of Houston reportedly fired head football coach Dana Holgorsen after five seasons Sunday.

Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle reported the news, while Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports noted Holgorsen's buyout is around $15 million.

Holgorsen went 31-28 in five seasons at Houston. The Cougars were 4-8 in 2023, their first year in the Big 12.

Holgorsen left West Virginia for Houston ahead of the 2019 season and landed a contract extension in 2022 after he led the Cougars to a 12-2 record. However, Houston's 2021 season turned out to be the anomaly in Holgorsen's tenure. The Cougars had a losing record in three of his five seasons and finished ranked only once.

The decision likely came as a surprise to Holgorsen, who was defiant during the offseason when asked about potentially being on the hot seat.

"We won 20 games in two years," Holgorsen told reporters. "We won bowl games in back-to-back years. I have five years on my contract with a f--king-impossible buyout. … So there ain't no f--king hot seat in my mind. There just ain't."

Pete Thamel of ESPN reported Tulane's Willie Fritz and UTSA's Jeff Traylor are among Houston's top targets for the vacancy.

Houston had only two losing seasons in the previous 13 years before Holgorsen's arrival.