We have all thought this at one point. Can Urban Meyer cure what ails the Texas Longhorns?
After teasing the idea or thinking about it in some capacity, it’s now our chance to do as Urban says and “check under the hood.” For this particular exercise, we won’t discuss Tom Herman’s buyout, the contract needed for Meyer or any other questions revolving around bringing him in. We will focus strictly on the football aspect of this type of decision. What would it mean for the culture of the program, recruiting and competing for a Big 12 Championship?
The Longhorns haven’t had a decade of football this bad (2010-19) since the 1930’s. Perhaps the bar is set too high, but when you look at the teams that have the highest level of success, they are achieving what Mack Brown was once able to do at Texas. The fans and administration believe they are on the level of the Ohio State’s, Alabama‘s, Clemson’s of the world. They need to prove it.
The biggest concern at this moment is the culture. The culture and for a lack of a better term — the environment — is set by the coaching staff and the head coach. After Friday’s game against Iowa State, Cyclones’ running back Breece Hall had quite the statement, “it’s five-star culture vs. five-star players.” The culture is what Matt Campbell has put in place in Ames.
Breece Hall: "It’s five-star culture vs. five-star players."
— Travis Hines (@TravisHines21) November 27, 2020
The culture for Texas feels more like a country club. Sure, they occassionally land top-level talent, but there is zero accountability in that locker room. Following multiple self-inflicted penalties by one of their seniors, Herman stated they would look into punishing players for their actions. Four years into his tenure and it took Herman that long to take action and hold players accountable for their bonehead mistakes? When he became the head coach in November of 2016, he should have established that culture. Herman shouldn’t have waited until October of 2020.
Can Urban Meyer change the culture or at the very least, establish one?