Texas football coach Tom Herman gets it.
Yes, I know that sounds simplistic and vague, but it is the best way to describe a man who has held this position for two weeks. Herman comes across as a coach with a plan, even if we do not know what he intends to do at every moment right now. He has fully embraced his role at Texas, which means being the unofficial mayor of Austin by being active on campus and in the community. This week, Herman gave out pizzas on campus for nearly an hour, visited the Texas High School Coaches Association, supported UT’s volleyball team with his attendance – in the midst of recruiting – and there are probably more things we are unaware of.
“I remember what it was like taking finals, and any chance you had an opportunity to get free food, that was always good,” Herman said during the pizza giveaway. “I wanted them to know that I’m a bit old school. I still believe a college football team is an extension of the student body. We exist solely for the purpose to bring them a rallying point, to bring them school spirit and bring them a form of entertainment. I want them to know we play for them. We take that job very seriously.”
Shaking hands and kissing babies is not something former coach Charlie Strong enjoyed doing. Oh, Strong made appearances when required, but you could always tell he felt more comfortable in the football office than making public appearances. Few people can become the face of a program like Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, but if Texas is successful, it appears Herman will become a well-known name among average sports fans.
So far, I find Herman’s transition fascinating to watch. Herman passes every eye test to this point, which is a good thing. Obviously, it is just a matter of time before the honeymoon phase is over and his coaching decisions are questioned.
For now, here are a few areas of concern Herman needs to address this offseason:
Defensive coordinator hire – This is arguably Herman’s most important staff hire this offseason. Everyone expects Todd Orlando to get the job, and if he does, his task is to improve a unit that often struggled to tackle, or consistently generate a pass rush. This defense improved after Strong became the play-caller, but did not play like an elite unit loaded with talent throughout his tenure. Texas was defeated by at least 18-points 10 times during the past three seasons.
We know Malik Jefferson, Breckyn Hager and Malcolm Roach are talented, but the new defensive coordinator faces the challenge of getting everyone in his room to play better. There are still players who have not lived up to their reputations coming out of high school, and Texas must play similar to the Houston squad that dominated Oklahoma and Louisville this season. Not only do we need to see that performance against ranked teams, but Texas cannot allow TCU to run up the score every year, or suffer letdowns against bad teams, such as Iowa State in 2015 and Kansas this year.
The QB room – From the moment Strong contemplated switching Tyrone Swoopes to tight end after the spring game in 2014, adding arms to the quarterback room should have been a priority. Texas never heavily pursued a transfer quarterback, Juco passer or grad transfer. Instead, the previous staff was determined to make Jerrod Heard and Swoopes into consistent starters, while relying on a true freshman this season. Shane Buechele was solid, but seemingly played through injuries down the stretch, and had at least one turnover in Texas’ final three games.
Buechele was solid this season, but it is safe to wonder if he is athletic enough to play in Herman’s system, or can add weight to his frame to take hits. The addition of incoming freshman Sam Ehlinger will instantly improve the room. However, I want to see if Herman signs another quarterback in this class, or pursues a grad transfer. Herman may prefer to watch his young quarterbacks perform this offseason before making that decision, but it will be interesting to see how he adds bodies to that room.
A kicker, please? – Trent Domingue might be the only kicker who made Texas fans miss Nick Rose.
This is another position that was never properly addressed during the past three years. The Longhorns did not have a clear-cut kicker after the spring game until Domingue decided to transfer. At first, it was hard to understand why LSU allowed him to leave. After Domingue missed seven field goals and four extra points, it was clear why he was no longer at LSU. The inability to find a consistent kicker resulted in more than one loss during the past three seasons.
Chris Naggar begged to join the team, but was never used. I do not know if he is the answer, but finding a good kicker will be a task Herman cannot take lightly.
Recruiting close – I jokingly told Jason Suchomel that I can no longer wait until January to start reading his recruiting articles since that is usually when the previous regime kicked things into high gear. That being said, Herman does have a different recruiting approach, and we will see how he and his staff close before signing day.
Herman told me he expects to finish strong in recruiting this year, and we will see what happens when he has a full staff hitting the road in January. Texas is in the midst of a recruiting weekend before the dead period begins, but Herman made several in-home visits this past week, including a stop by the home of Houston Episcopal offensive tackle Walker Little on Wednesday evening. Texas does not have any offensive lineman currently committed, so it will be interesting to see if Herman finishes with at least a top 15 class.
Back to the players – Herman has vowed to put these players through hell when he finally has a chance to work with them. His goal is to push them to become mentally tougher during the season. Herman promises to come at them a like a spider monkey. Like any coaching change, players will be hesitant at first, eventually get used to the coaching staff, and most will end up liking the coaches. Some will transfer, but that decision is usually based on a lack of playing time instead of friendship with coaches.
It will be fascinating to see how Herman eventually wins over the room. Maybe it will take Jefferson, Hager and Roach to get everyone to buy in right away. It might take a few practices for players to be sold. Maybe it takes winning games for everyone to believe. I do not know how it will occur, but it will eventually happen. The transition will be fun to watch.
Those are a few potential hiccups, but it is easy to believe Herman has a plan to attack every potential problem.
Why?
Herman appears like a man who gets it.
Funniest Thing You Will See This Week
I have been in a slump, but hopefully this redeems me:
Sports On A Dime
1. Props to D’Onta Foreman for winning the Doak Walker Award. Now focus on your 40-yard dash time for the combine so you can become a first-round pick.
2. Speaking of props, it is about time the women’s volleyball team gets their props in my column. This bad ass team earned a fifth consecutive Final Four appearance with a win against Creighton on Saturday. Props to Jerritt Elliott for doing one hell of a job with his program.
3. Herman probably had no clue who Michael Dickson was prior to taking this job, but I guarantee you he will save the biggest kiss before games for the Big 12 Special Teams Player of The Year.
4. Is there any reason why Strong flew into Tampa and did not leave as the University of South Florida’s next football coach? This should be a no-brainer for everyone involved. Get it done.
5. Not even sure why Houston considered Lane Kiffin. Seems like whenever Kiffin leaves a program, he is hated. Major Applewhite was a great hire for the program. Let us see if Herman pursues Rutgers offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer as a backup plan.
6. I do not profess to know much about Nevada’s football program, but I hope former Texas play-caller Jay Norvell does a great job out there. He was thrown into a rough situation with the Longhorns, but finally has a chance to build his own program:
7. It was also good to see Brick Haley land on his feet at Missouri. I am curious to see where the other members of Strong’s final staff at Texas lands.
8. At first, I thought it was good thing to see Lamar Jackson win the Heisman. However, after seeing he decided to hang out with Johnny Manziel on Saturday night, I wish the poor guy never won it.
9. When you finish in first place in one fantasy league, second place in another, and have a first-round bye in both this week (not so humble brag):
10. This is my favorite story every year. Cannot say enough good things about Andre Johnson:
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