Tom Herman’s recent struggles got me thinking about what kind of experience is needed to be a successful coach at a high-profile, power five football program with a rich tradition and a demanding fan base. 

Herman’s resume was similar to Charlie Strong’s.  They both came to Texas after successful stints at mid-major programs.  Strong was the head coach at Louisville for four years. Herman came to Texas with only two years’ experience at Houston.

This week Herman comes up against Matt Rhule who was the head coach at Temple for four years before arriving at Baylor three years ago, at the same time that Herman arrived in Austin. Right now at 16-7, Rhule has a slightly better record for 2018 and 2019 than Herman’s 16-8.

Mack Brown’s first head coaching experience came at Tulane for three seasons before he went to North Carolina for 10 seasons.  Hmmn . . . Texas’ last successful coach had 13 years’ head coaching experience—three at a mid-major and 10 at a power five program—before taking center stage at Texas.

Food for thought if Herman ultimately fails in Austin.

Hook “Em,

W.E.

Willie Earl’s Texas-Baylor Game Model

This week Texas came out on the short end of a 39-31 score according to the unbiased model.