Texas announced Saturday it has parted ways with football coach Tom Herman after four seasons, with sources telling ESPN’s Chris Low that the Longhorns have zeroed in on Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian as his replacement and hope to finalize a deal with him soon.
Texas said in a statement that athletic director Chris Del Conte evaluated the program and recommended a change to university president Jay Hartzell. Herman went 32-18 at Texas and 7-3 this past season, which culminated with a win over Colorado in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Tuesday.
“Decisions like this are very, very difficult and certainly not something I take lightly,” Del Conte said in a statement. “As I’ve said before, my philosophy is to wait until the end of the season to look at all of the factors in evaluating any of our programs.
“After much deliberation and a great deal of thought, as I looked back at the totality of where our football program is and in discussing its future, it became apparent that it was in the best interest of The University of Texas to move in a different direction.”
Hartzell and Kevin Eltife, the chair of the UT Board of Regents, agreed with Del Conte’s recommendation and approved the change, according to a statement from the university.
Texas will owe Herman about $15 million to buy out the last three years of his contract. The Longhorns will owe about another $10 million to buy out the remaining contracts for his assistants, which are guaranteed, multi-year deals. In May 2019, the university’s regents approved a two-year extension for Herman that runs through the 2023 season. The last two years of the deal would have paid Herman $6.5 million in 2022 and $6.75 million in 2023.
“I’m grateful for all Coach Herman has done and the hard work and dedication he and his staff have put in on behalf of our program and student-athletes,” Del Conte said in his statement. “I think him for all of his efforts and his service to our institution, and I wish him the best in the future.”