Sterlin Gilbert Hired as Texas OC: Latest Details and Reaction

The Texas Longhorns have found their new offensive coordinator in Sterlin Gilbert, the team announced Saturday.

"I feel extremely blessed by this opportunity," Gilbert said, per Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports.

Feldman added Gilbert's contract is for three years and is worth $850,000 per year.

Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery noted Gilbert will not coach in the team's bowl game, per Kelly Hines of the Tulsa World.

Richardson added Gilbert was told head coach Charlie Strong would be retained past the 2016 season.

Jeff Howe of 247Sports reported the Tulsa offensive coordinator had accepted the job to run Texas' offense on Thursday, but on Friday, both Gerry Hamilton of ESPN and Nathan Thompson of Fox 23 reported Gilbert turned down the Longhorns' offer before it was eventually confirmed that he would in fact be coming to Austin.

Gilbert, the co-offensive coordinator at Tulsa, is just 37 years old and has learned the game under the likes of Syracuse head coach Dino Babers and Baylor head coach Art Briles, per 247Sports' Bobby Burton. 

The Tulsa offense under Gilbert was one of the nation's better units, averaging over 329 yards passing per game—11th-best in the country. His quarterback, Dane Evans, is the nation's seventh-ranked passer this season.   

But Gilbert, who spent just one season at the school, did not call the plays at Tulsa. Those duties belonged to Montgomery, per Ryan Autullo of the Austin American-Statesman. 

At Bowling Green in 2014, he was a co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach—another position where he didn't call the plays. Now he'll be responsible for Texas in an offensively stacked Big 12 that has high-powered teams such as Oklahoma, Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State. 

His challenge doesn't end there, either. According to Burton, Gilbert will be responsible for hiring at least two assistants, as quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson, offensive coordinator/line coach Joe Wickline and running backs coach Tommie Robinson will not return next season.

There will also be pressure on him to succeed since he was not the only option for the job's vacancy. According to Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman, Texas offered a three-year, $1.2 million deal to TCU co-offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie, who turned it down.

His performance could also affect the standing of Strong, according to ESPN The Magazine's Jim Weber:

Texas needs some help in the passing game, which ranked 118th in the nation with 145.9 yards per game. The Longhorns have a strong running game, with five rushers who recorded more than 450 yards in 2015, but it's the passing game that the conference covets. 

The nation's best teams—be it Oklahoma, Baylor or TCU—have quarterbacks who can produce, whether it's Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield, Baylor's Seth Russell and Jarrett Stidham or TCU's Trevone Boykin. Gilbert would have to maximize what he can get out of the quarterback position, whether it be Tyrone Swoopes or Jerrod Heard, if the Longhorns want to improve on a 5-7 2015 season. 

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.