As Charlie Strong prepares to head into a critically important off-season that could ultimately define how his tenure in Austin is remembered, the decision on a new offensive coordinator looms paramount.
If Strong has his way, it’s a decision that could be answered a week from today.
According to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, Strong has targeted TCU co-offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie as his No.1 candidate for the Texas offensive coordinator position, and the hope inside the Longhorn program is that a deal can be closed over the weekend and an announcement can be made as early as Monday, December 7, two days after the Longhorns complete their season in Waco.
The 34-year old Cumbie has been instrumental in the offensive turnaround at TCU over the course of the last two seasons as co-offensive coordinator, along with fellow co-offensive coordinator Doug Meacham, turning what was a sluggish offense prior to his arrival into one of the nation’s most explosive units.
Of special interest to Strong and those inside the Texas athletic department is Cumbie’s success in working with TCU senior quarterback Trevone Boykin, a player many thought would play the final two seasons of his career at wide receiver, but instead turned into a Heisman finalist at quarterback a year ago and now ranks among the greatest players in the history of the TCU program.
While the interest in Cumbie is absolute, it’s not a hire that will come without potential hurdles.
Multiple sources have indicated that if Meachum takes the vacant North Texas job, which some in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex believe he is the favorite to land, it could complicate the hiring process should the Horned Frogs attempt to retain Cumbie by offering him the offensive coordinator position in full, along with a hefty raise.
“This is something that we’d like to move fast on and I believe the only fly in the ointment would be Meacham taking the North Texas job,” one source told Orangebloods.com. “If all goes well, Cumbie will be the new OC and he’ll be announced on Monday.”
From a compensation standpoint, one high-level Texas official confirmed a couple weeks ago that the Longhorns are prepared to swing a mighty financial hammer, which might include spending more than a million dollars per season if that’s what it takes to get Strong’s preferred candidate. Heading into this season, only eight assistant coaches across the country make more than one million dollars per season and LSU’s Cam Cameron is the only offensive coordinator in that group. The highest paid assistant on Strong’s current staff is defensive coordinator Vance Bedford, who makes $775,000 per year.
If the Texas administration decides to put Cumbie into that type of company, it will almost double the amount of money TCU is currently paying both Meacham (reportedly $350,000) and Cumbie (reportedly $210,000) combined.
One source told Orangebloods two weeks ago that Cumbie’s work with Boykin as the TCU quarterback coach is a critical piece of UT’s interest in him, as current starter Jerrod Heard owns a similar skill set to the TCU record-setter and there’s thought that Heard is in a very similar situation to Boykin’s when Cumbie arrived as his quarterbacks coach in 2014.
A native of Snyder, Cumbie was a co-offensive coordinator at Texas Tech in 2013, while also serving as a GA and wide receiver coach for the Red Raiders from 2009-12. As a player at Texas Tech, Cumbie was a walk-on for Mike Leach and earned the starting position in 2004, throwing for 4,742 yards and 32 touchdowns on an 8-4 team that beat an Aaron Rodgers-led California squad in the Holiday Bowl.
The hiring of a new offensive coordinator is crucial to Strong’s tenure at Texas.
Joe Wickline was given the offensive coordinator title, but Shawn Watson seemingly called plays and definitely spoke to the media throughout the week and after games. Under Watson, Texas’ offense struggled during the 2014 season, which prompted the staff to install an up-tempo offense during the offseason. This year’s offense was supposed to produce more points, while generating excitement among recruits and fans.
However, Texas’ offense seemingly regressed during a 38-3 season-opening loss against Notre Dame. The futility motivated Strong to give receivers coach Jay Norvell play-calling duties and relegate Watson to coaching quarterbacks.
Norvell had an immediate impact in the following three games (Rice, Cal and Oklahoma State), but the offense began to struggle again under his guidance. Texas quarterback Jerrod Heard did not have over 100 passing yards in four consecutive games, and he was benched against TCU and Iowa State during that stretch. The Longhorn offense is currently ranked 104th in the nation.
