Texas may want Urban Meyer, but it can’t do another Nick Saban
An era born out of necessity — a loss at Kansas — moves along at the same rate of success since Tom Herman arrived.
Tom Herman is not bad. Tom Herman is not good.
That’s the problem.
After losing at home to Iowa State, the only point of discussion about Texas Longhorns football is whether our Tommy Boy will return for a fifth season.
He did not address it specifically on Monday, because with at least three games remaining (we think, thanks COVID), he can’t.
There is one person who should replace him; if Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte can bag Urban Meyer with one Zoom, or socially-distanced lunch, do it.
If it’s a negotiation that is played out over Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, and MakeTomHermanLeaveNow.com, pass. The last thing Texas can do is another Nick Saban dance.
Meyer, the former Utah, Florida and Ohio State coach would come to Texas. This is at least according to some of my friends who work in the Columbus, Ohio, sports media, and covered and know Meyer from his seven-year tenure at Ohio State, which ended after the 2018 season.
There is already speculation and “reports” that Meyer’s wife has been seen scouting potential real estate in the Austin area, at least that’s per Austonia.com. When it comes to college football coaching speculation, believing all of the “news” requires a fifth of vodka.
The now Fox college football analyst would only go to a place where he can win a national title, which Texas is one of the few schools in the modern era to have achieved.
Money will not be an issue. Even in a pandemic, Texas has as much money as any athletic department in the nation.
College presidents and college football coaches at the nation’s largest schools are not feeling the pandemic, unless they contract COVID themselves. The wealthiest will always manage to pay themselves the most. Funny how that works.
Despite furloughs and job cuts at Texas, UT President Jay Hartzell is scheduled to make $1.25 million this year.
According to the latest USA Today rankings of college football coaches’ salaries, Saban’s $9.1 million is tops. Herman ranks 11th at $6 million.
Meyer is not coming to Texas for anything less than a top-five salary.
He’s only 56. Meyer has another job in him if he thinks he can handle it. He notoriously burns himself out, and there is the question of whether he can physically do the job without harming his well being.
If he can, and he wants to do it, Texas should take him immediately.
Even if it means he’s gone in five years.
What Texas can’t do is a repeat of The Saban Fiasco.
If you don’t remember, late in 2012 some influential Texas boosters reached out to Saban’s agent, the powerful Jimmy Sexton, to see if his client may want to leave Alabama for Austin.
News/rumor slowly and painfully leaked. At least according to UT booster, former Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks, he approached then coach Mack Brown about stepping down to bring in Saban.
Brown wanted no part of it, and the arranged marriage died.
All of the talk allowed Sexton to get a raise for his client, and himself; it also gave Saban deniability. Because he was never the one having the conversations with UT. He was likely never going to leave Tuscaloosa in the first place.
The speculation damaged Mack’s attempts to rebuild Texas, which at the time were going sideways with his inability to find a high-level quarterback, and to develop NFL caliber offensive linemen.
Brown lasted one more season, where he was pushed out after an 8-5 year. Since Mack left, Texas has had two seasons with eight or more wins.
What Texas can’t afford is a protracted conversation, followed by a “Thanks, but no,” from Meyer.
As much as all of this “Fire Herman” chatter may bother Herman (it does), he had to know this was coming if he didn’t win.
Texas is 30-18 under Herman, has one top-10 finish, and remains as far behind Oklahoma today as the day when he was introduced as Charlie Strong’s replacement.
There is no reason why Texas is not on the same plane as Oklahoma.
Herman is 1-4 against Oklahoma, 2-2 against Iowa State, and 1-3 against TCU.
Now players are opting out rather than finish the season; safety Caden Stearns and left tackle Sam Cosmi announced this week they are done to prepare for the NFL.
Herman’s resume would fly at other places, but it crashes at Texas.
In his fourth year in Austin, the best Texas can finish this season is 8-3. Not good. Not bad.
And that’s the problem.
This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
