Charlie Strong Rumored to Be the Next Texas Football Head Coach

Talk about a quick coaching decision—the Texas Longhorns are rumored to have offered Charlie Strong the head coaching job of the prestigious football program, and he is rumored to accept the position. This coming way before the Jan. 15 deadline set by athletic director Steve Patterson.

Bobby Burton of 247Sports.com, a football recruiting website in partnership with CBSSports.com, first reported the news via Twitter:

Burton was the first to report, but is he right? Chip Brown of Orangebloods.com tweeted, shortly after Burton, that a source has told him Strong will be the next football coach:

Brown has been covering the coaching search since former head coach Mack Brown stepped down. Brown also followed up by tweeting that Strong has indicated he will accept the job, via Twitter:

Strong was a finalist for the job with Vanderbilt's James Franklin, per Brown on Twitter. However, Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports tweeted that Strong has not accepted the job:

Forde does not cover Texas athletics like Burton or Brown, but certainly has credibility as a verified Twitter user and sportswriter. If the rumors are true on the part of the Texas media, then Strong would be Patterson's first major hire as the athletic director.

Finally in the mix, Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated reported on the Strong deal. He tweeted that Strong agreed to terms to be the next Texas head coach:

It appears to be a nice hefty contract for Strong, if the rumors are confirmed. Per USA Today salaries database, the coach made $2.3 million in 2012.

Strong started his head coaching career at Louisville in 2010. While at Louisville he won three bowl games, including the 2012 BCS Sugar Bowl. His recruiting ties are strong to the state of Florida, and there were 15 players from Miami on the 2013 Louisville football roster.

Before taking over for the Cardinals, Strong was a defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators and won two BCS National Championships with the program.

The next step for Strong, if the rumors hold true, is to appoint a worthy coaching staff to assist him with future goals for the Longhorns. Expect the University of Texas and Patterson to make a comment on the reports and for Patterson to hold a press conference announcing Strong.

Again, if the reports hold true, things should be moving quickly for Strong and the Longhorns. Finally for 'Horns fans, the search appears to be over.