Tom Herman's Journey from OSU's Magical Title Run to New Challenges at Houston

The sun overpowered the Dallas horizon, and Tom Herman, still drenched in emotion from the previous evening, let the light wash over him. This was a moment he was hoping for—a fitting bit of symbolism for a man stuck between day and night, for a coach saying goodbye to one tremendous opportunity and saying hello to another.

It was the culmination of something spectacular. It was the start of a magnificent journey that was too terrifyingly incredible to pass up. As the sun overtook the world in front of him, Herman readied for the biggest transition of his life. But before he did, he finally enjoyed a few moments of euphoric calm.

Hours earlier, the former Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator helped guide Ohio State to a national championship with a third-string quarterback—a triumph that has yet to truly sink in long after the confetti has been swept away. Hours later, he would embark on his new life as Houston’s head coach with the blessings, wisdom and encouragement of Urban Meyer, his old boss and grand ambassador.

Before they said their goodbyes, Meyer passed along the following words of wisdom.

“He told me to hire people you trust and let them do their job, but always understand that it’s your name on the scorecard at the end of the day,” Herman told Bleacher Report. “Make sure everybody is in alignment—speaking the same language, delivering the same message. For the four hours we have them in our facility, the message needs to be very succinct.”

After Ohio State beat Oregon in the national championship, Herman didn’t sleep. He took his family to breakfast the next morning, dropped them off at the Ohio State charter home and hit the road—where he finally rested as the car chugged toward Houston.

When he arrived that night, he briefly greeted the new staff. It was less than 24 hours after his old team won a national title.

The next day, this staff met for 14 hours to outline a plan for the program and the mad dash to national signing day. The following morning, he was in a Texas high school before 7 a.m. to recruit.

The celebration was over. In reality, it had lasted just a few magnificent hours.

“It has been like trying to take a sip of water out of a fire hose,” Herman said. “As coaches we are not averse to work or long hours, but the added hours a day coupled with the mental responsibilities of holding down both jobs took its toll. But it was an opportunity I wouldn’t trade for the world, especially with what we did at Ohio State.”

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Having known Cardale Jones since his days at military school, Herman gave the third-string quarterback a crash course leading up to and after the team’s Big Ten Championship Game demolition of Wisconsin. At the same time, Herman and the coaching staff had to manage a new timeline and an entirely new postseason structure—something unfamiliar to everyone involved.

When Houston became a realistic opportunity in early December, Herman couldn’t wait for Ohio State’s season to finish. In the midst of one of the most exciting and unprecedented runs in the history of the sport, Herman approached Meyer with the news that he had been offered the job.

The conversation, according to Herman, went something like this:

Meyer: “Houston?”

Herman: “Yes, sir.”

Meyer: “Oh, well that’s a real one, isn’t it?”

Herman: “Yes, sir. That’s a pretty good one.”

That was the extent of it. With coaching roots in Texas—he started off as a wide receivers coach at Texas Lutheran in 1998—this was a natural fit. Even after he exited the state and moved to Iowa State and then Ohio State, Herman recruited in Texas.

When the Cougars administration rolled out the red carpet, ensuring extreme flexibility during the national championship run, the decision became even easier.

Meyer supported his soon-to-be-former OC at the time, asking him if he could help in any capacity. At the same time, with so much on the line, he also reminded Herman that he still had a job to finish. By the middle of December, the exhaustion of working two time-demanding jobs started to show.

"He looks like someone hit him with a bat—a good bat, though," Meyer joked in the middle of December to Zach Braziller of the New York Post. "But he's a pro. I really admire him." 

Image via Houston Athletics

While Herman had a wonderful situation in Columbus—and a handful of inviting offers that had surfaced along the way—he was immediately attracted to the new opportunity. The message delivered his way was precisely what he wanted to hear.

"I saw the commitment to winning and upgrading their lot in life, spearheaded by the new stadium and the coaches’ pool they gave me to pay my assistants," Herman said.

"Also, let’s not forget we’re in the best high school football-playing city in America in the best high school football-playing state in America. It’s not like you can handpick your recruits and they come, but the numbers are there in the city of Houston."

Image via Houston Athletics

After Herman was introduced, he did everything he could for Houston while navigating Ohio State’s offense. He worked a few hours per day, mainly on the phones, setting a solid recruiting foundation for when he arrived.

More than six months later, Herman has done more than lay the groundwork for success. A string of successful recruiting grabs has shocked the expected timeline of the program. As of the middle of August, Houston had the nation’s No. 29 recruiting class and the No. 1 class in the American Athletic Conference, according to 247Sports. Last season the Cougars finished with the No. 91-ranked class; they were No. 76 the year before.

There is still a long time before any of this becomes official, although securing verbal commitments from elite players has altered the way the program has been perceived, especially from an outsider’s perspective.

Inside Houston’s walls, the players who are adjusting to their new head coach can feel a pulse distinct from recent history. They haven’t held back from sharing their excitement.

"When you’re able to make some of the splashes that we have early on, it enhances your brand," Herman said. "One of the things I’m noticing is that our own players are looking at us and telling us we’re doing a great job recruiting. Well, yeah. What did you think we were, a bunch of slappies?"

As part of his recruiting pitch, Herman has refused to put his past behind him. In fact, in many cases, he’ll quite literally throw it right in the faces of anyone willing to listen. His championship rings from Ohio State are featured prominently in his office.

Take a step into Herman’s quarters and you’ll likely find yourself at the coffee table not long after you survey the room. Placed strategically in the center of the coffee table is the buffet of Ohio State bling Herman acquired over the past few seasons, headlined by his national championship ring.

"Whenever a recruit comes in and sits down, it’s literally the first thing they see," Herman said. "Trust me, their eyes gravitate toward it."

Image via Houston Athletics

The prestige that traveled with him isn’t the only Ohio State influence to come along. Herman believes that the offense you watched power past Alabama and Oregon late last year will be similar to the one he runs in Houston.

It will take time to get all the necessary pieces in place to accomplish this goal, but he does not plan to veer away from what helped land him the job in the first place.

"We’re not going to stray from our core values or beliefs," Herman said about the offense while cycling through the uniqueness of some of the Ohio State teams he led during his tenure. "It will be very similar. I don’t know what it will look like at the end, but we’ll put our guys in the best position to succeed."

The next part is perhaps the most important. It’s finding a way to bottle everything he helped build at his last job and bringing it over. It’s igniting the indefinable—team camaraderie that is difficult to find even in the most successful places.

It’s unreasonable to expect Houston to consistently attract the type of talent the Buckeyes had to work with. And yet, perhaps more significant than any star power is the way a coach can get his players to buy into one another.

"One of the neatest things I saw with the team at Ohio State—and we preach about it all the time as coaches—is that the team genuinely played for the happiness, success and rings on the finger for the guy next to them," Herman said. "The results speak for themselves. When you play for the guy next to you, that’s when you win championships."

Adam Kramer is the College Football National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Unless noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.