Following the Longhorns loss to the Texas Christian Horned Frogs, the Texas head coach Tom Herman has been a topic of conversation. TCU and Gary Patterson have owned the matchup since they joined the conference and have owned Herman when they face. The fanbase and media alike became restless with the loss. After the loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout, those whispers became much louder.
It isn’t just the water cooler talk in the office or even on social media platforms. In their two losses this year, the fans have become very vocal in booing the head coach when things aren’t going well. Sitting at 2-2 through the first four games, they are not looking great. This was supposed to be the year that the Longhorns took the next step. It just hasn’t been there.
Following the 2016 college football season the Longhorns needed to fill their head coaching vacancy. The school fired Charlie Strong after a 5-7 season in which they won just three conference games. He had two separate three loss skids that year. Strong’s undoing was the loss to Kansas in late November.
Mike Perrin who was acting as temporary athletic director is the one who pulled the trigger to hire Herman originally. Following the Sugar Bowl victory in year two, Chris Del Conte gave him an extension after just two seasons. Given that Herman improved the team to 7-6 with a Texas Bowl victory and followed that up with a 10-4 record and the Sugar Bowl victory, who could blame them? It was trending upwards.
That 2018 season marked the first time the Longhorns finished a season with less than five losses since 2012. It also gave the school their first double-digit win season since since 2009. However, after the 2019 campaign and the way 2020 has started, is there a bit of buyers remorse?
Big 12 coaches salary and record since 2017
| Head Coach | 2020 Salary | School | Wins | Losses |
| Lincoln Riley | $6.2 million | OU | 38 | 8 |
| Gary Patterson | $6.1 million | TCU | 24 | 18 |
| Tom Herman | $5.8 million | UT | 27 | 17 |
| Mike Gundy | $4.2 million | OSU | 28 | 14 |
| Matt Campbell | $3.5 million | ISU | 26 | 17 |
| Les Miles* | $3.3 million | KU | 3 | 12 |
| Neal Brown* | $2.95 million | WVU | 7 | 8 |
| Matt Wells* | $2.87 million | TTU | 5 | 11 |
| Chris Klieman* | $2.32 million | KSU | 11 | 6 |
| Dave Aranda* | – | BU | 1 | 1 |
*denotes being in their role less than three seasons
Currently Herman is the third highest paid coach in the Big 12 Conference and the one with the third most wins. Is the school getting a return on their investment? Could the University of Texas look to buyout Herman if the team isn’t able to get back on the right track and compete for a Big 12 Championship? According to the salary provided by USA TODAY Sports, the buyout is north of $15 million.
The exact number is $15,416, 667 as of Dec. 1, 2020. In a typical year that number wouldn’t prevent the school and boosters from coming up with the money. What about in a pandemic year? For most it would depend on how the team performs over the remaining six games on the schedule. The next three games could be a key indicator. The Longhorns have Baylor, Oklahoma State and West Virginia on the schedule before their last schedule bye week of the season.
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