Tom Herman Hired as Texas' Head Coach: Latest Contract Details, Reaction

Texas has won the Tom Herman sweepstakes, announcing the former Houston head coach as the new leader of their program on Saturday.

Heather Dinich of ESPN.com first reported the news Saturday morning. Mark Berman of Fox 26 confirmed the agreement. 

Herman's contract is a five-year deal worth more than $5 million per year with escalators that will make the final year worth over $6 million, per Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman. 

Herman spoke about joining Texas in the team's release:

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The opportunity to come back to Texas is a dream come true for me and my family, and I can't thank President Fenves and Mike Perrin enough for providing me with this incredible opportunity. Longhorn football has been – and always will be – a national power, winning and playing for national championships with great pride and passion, supported by an unbelievable fan base.

When President Fenves, Mike and I met late last night and into the morning, I came away very impressed with their unified vision and commitment to football, and I'm excited to be the head coach at the flagship university of the greatest state in the union. I am eager to get to Austin as soon as possible, to spend time with our student-athletes and to get to work.

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On Sunday, Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated reported on the staffers that will be joining Herman at Texas:

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The coordinator positions aren’t set yet and won't be expected to for a while. Sources said Herman is waiting on Houston to hire a head coach before engaging with interim Houston coach Todd Orlando (defensive coordinator) and Cougar offensive coordinator Major Applewhite. Both are considered prime candidates for the Houston head coaching job. 

Sources also said that Herman’s support staff is taking shape. The two linchpins of Herman’s off-field staff Houston – strength coach Yancy McKnight and director of football operations Fernando Lovo – will be joining him there. Both were among his original staff hires at Houston. Director of Player Personnel Derek Chang, who worked for a year at Houston, will also make the move to Austin. 

The rest of Herman’s staff will fill out over the upcoming days and weeks. Houston receivers coach Darrell Wyatt, running backs coach Kenith Pope and other support staff remain a possibility but couldn’t be confirmed.  

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After his first season with the Houston Cougars, Herman became a hot commodity. In November 2015, 247Sports' Josh Newberg linked him with the vacancy at Georgia. USA Today's Dan Wolken wrote in February that the 41-year-old strongly considered South Carolina prior to the Gamecocks' defeat to The Citadel on Nov. 21, 2015.

Ultimately, Herman signed a five-year extension with Houston that paid him $3 million per year, according to USA Today.

Few expected Herman to see out the life of the deal. All the money in the world can't make up for the structural challenges any coach at Houston faces, especially after the Big 12 declined to expand, which would have opened a door for the Cougars into a Power Five conference.

Houston effectively has to run the table to have any hope of qualifying for the College Football Playoff, and even that wouldn't guarantee the school a semifinal berth. The Cougars could eventually break that glass ceiling, but nobody can blame Herman for wanting to take a step up in prestige.

For Texas, this is the best hire the school could have made. Although Herman doesn't have a lengthy track record, particularly as a head coach, he has proved himself to be a great offensive mind.

Texas' last 10-win season was in 2009. Nebraska, Notre Dame, Michigan and Florida are evidence of how quickly a traditional college football power can be mired in mediocrity, which was happening for Texas. The Wolverines, though, illustrate how the right head coach can arrest that slide, with Jim Harbaugh's impact felt almost overnight.

It's not a stretch to say Herman could have a similar effect on the Longhorns. He brings a level of attention and excitement to the program that was absent under Charlie Strong.

Strong can at least take credit for assembling a young roster Herman will use to devastating effect in 2017. 

Quarterback Shane Buechele and wide receiver Devin Duvernay will be sophomores, making up a promising core for the passing game. On defense, the top three leading tacklers, linebackers Malik Jefferson and Anthony Wheeler and defensive end Breckyn Hager, will be juniors in 2017.

Herman's first big break in FBS came in 2007 when he took over as Rice's offensive coordinator. After two years with the Owls, he spent three years apiece with Iowa State and Ohio State in the same position before heading to Houston.

Below is a look at where Herman's offenses have ranked since 2007 in both traditional metrics and Football Outsiders' S&P+ rating:

Year	School	Scoring	Pass Offense	Rush Offense	S&P+ Overall	S&P+ Passing	S&P+ Rushing
2007	Rice	31.4 (41st)	293.1 (15th)	110.9 (104th)	86.2 (106th)	87.9 (95th)	94.1 (83rd)
2008	Rice	41.3 (8th)	327.2 (5th)	143.7 (62nd)	116.4 (23rd)	113.8 (26th)	110.0 (40th)
2009	Iowa State	20.5 (102nd)	184.7 (94th)	180.0 (35th)	111.0 (42nd)	106.8 (51st)	105.4 (48th)
2010	Iowa State	22.2 (93rd)	174.3 (95th)	143.2 (72nd)	92.1 (83rd)	91.7 (91st)	100.5 (64th)
2011	Iowa State	22.7 (90th)	212.3 (73rd)	174.2 (39th)	87.1 (101st)	84.1 (103rd)	104.7 (51st)
2012	Ohio State	34.8 (29th)	181.5 (105th)	242.3 (10th)	119.5 (16th)	115.6 (33rd)	125.7 (6th)
2013	Ohio State	45.5 (3rd)	203.3 (91st)	308.6 (5th)	140.8 (2nd)	121.6 (17th)	161.6 (1st)
2014	Ohio State	44.8 (5th)	247.1 (52nd)	264.5 (9th)	47.6 (1st)	149.6 (2nd)	143.8 (1st)
2015	Houston	40.4 (10th)	248.4 (44th)	235.8 (13th)	34.7 (33rd)	106.0 (48th)	108.2 (41st)
2016	Houston	37.5 (21st)	285.1 (24th)	159.1 (88th)	30.8 (57th)	112.9 (35th)	97.8 (88th)

Herman's reputation rose by leaps and bounds based on his success with Ohio State. Despite injuries to quarterbacks Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett, he helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2014.

Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post explained why Herman's choice to join Texas was an easy one:

Writing for Grantland, Chris B. Brown explained how Herman left his identity on the Buckeyes offense:

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Specifically, Herman has shifted the Buckeyes away from the single-wing-esque QB power runs that Meyer preferred during the Tebow years and that since-injured QB Braxton Miller leaned on while leading the Buckeyes in rushing in 2012. At Florida, Meyer preferred “gap blocking” schemes: running plays designed to grind out a few years at a time, with “down” blocks from linemen to the side the play was directed, backside linemen pulling to lead the way, and Tebow often lowering his shoulder behind them.

In contrast, Herman has based Ohio State’s offense around the inside zone: an inside, downhill running play that uses zone blocking to automatically adapt to the defense, a crucial trait when used with the no-huddle, another tactic now featured far more in Columbus than it ever was in Gainesville.

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Running his own team in Houston, Herman showed his ability as a defensive coach as well, sparked in part by his work on the recruiting trail.

Ed Oliver was the No. 3 defensive tackle and No. 6 player overall in the 2016 recruiting class, according to Scout.com. With Oliver wreaking havoc along the line, the Cougars rank ninth in sacks with 37. In Houston's upset of No. 3 Louisville, the defense had 11 sacks on Heisman Trophy hopeful Lamar Jackson.

Ultimately, Texas was able to fend off LSU and a host of other schools that were potential suitors for Herman's services. The new coach brings the total package, and his arrival should bring immediate returns. Bringing him aboard also comes at an important moment for the program in general.

Hiring Herman sets the Longhorns up for big things a year from now, and he should be a coach who ensures that level of performance carries through into the future as well.