The Houston Cougars could not keep Tom Herman. The lure of coaching at the University of Texas was too strong and too powerful for the 41-year-old coach to resist. The Cougars must now find a replacement, and many options exist. Among the ones that have been floated, these are the more high-visibility options, all of which seem realistic. One example of an option which is not realistic: Art Briles, the former Houston coach who then went to Baylor. Briles has a very tainted reputation after all the Baylor scandals. Houston, which would love to be in the Big 12 if the conference ever had a change of mind and renewed a push to expand, could never enter the Big 12 if Briles was its coach. That’s not a plausible option, but these next four are:
Lincoln Riley
The offensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma would fit Houston on a number of levels. First, he would have experience recruiting in the states of Texas and Oklahoma, where Houston would need to pull its talent. Second, Riley is an innovative offensive coach, which is what Houston has had the past several years. Briles went to UH, and then Kevin Sumlin, and then came Herman. Receivers and quarterbacks would enjoy playing for Riley. Houston would not have to overhaul its approach to offense. As long as Riley could hire a strong defensive coordinator, the Cougars would wind up stabilizing their program and getting the kind of continuity they need.
Todd Orlando
There is something the other candidates on this list have that Orlando doesn’t, and that’s an identity as an offensive coach. Houston likes to bring in offensive wizards, so is being a defensive coordinator a disqualifying element or something the Cougars would welcome? Does Houston want the change of pace or does it fear it? Orlando has been a coach on Herman’s staff. Keeping him would provide a certain level of familiarity with players. Young athletes are certainly upset to an extent that Herman left, but Orlando staying on to carry them forward might be a very popular move with Houston’s players. What would be interesting if Orlando is hired is if Houston offensive coordinator Major Applewhite would stay on at his post with Orlando.
Phillip Montgomery
When Houston struggled in October, one team it barely defeated at home was Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane pushed the Cougars in a game which was decided on the last play at the goal line. Tulsa was tackled at the 1-yard line, and Houston won, 38-31. Tulsa had a 9-3 record and proved it was a force in the AAC. Montgomery is the man responsible for this turnaround. He is his own offensive coordinator, so he would bring expertise in scheming and strategy to Houston. The Cougars wouldn’t lose much relative to Herman’s intelligence.
Dana Holgorsen
This is the move that would shake up college football and create a stir. Holgorsen was on the staff of Kevin Sumlin at Houston several years ago. Sumlin took Houston within one win of the Sugar Bowl in the 2011 season. Herman was able to take Houston that next step, but Sumlin sustained the program and put Herman in position to succeed. If Holgorsen left West Virginia to return to UH, it would say a lot about the value of Houston as a program. West Virginia would feel bitterly betrayed. This isn’t a likely move, but Houston really wants Holgorsen and might find a way to successfully pull him away.
Art Briles
How big of a shocker would this be? The Houston Cougars love their offensive-minded head coaches and Briles knows how to recruit in the area. Could you imagine if they ended up bringing him in? Briles was fired from Baylor last offseason after it was discovered that the program was covering up some sexual assaults. However, was it really Briles fault? Or what did he know about it? Far worse head coaches have gotten a second chance, which means Briles is surely in line to get a second shot somewhere. The only question is whether or not Houston wants to be the team to do it. He’d be bringing a lot of baggage in with him but there’s no question that he’d elevate the quality of football on the field.
