Matt Campbell, Luke Fickell, Brent Venables, and Marcus Freeman are among the most-discussed potential candidates to fill the voids currently open at Notre Dame and Oklahoma, not to mention the holes those will potentially create when they’re filled.
One candidate whose name has been thrown out there a bit but might not be as obvious is Tom Herman.
Herman is currently an offensive analyst and special projects coach for the Chicago Bears but before that, he was an accomplished college football coach. He went 22-4 in two seasons with the Houston Cougars, leading them to two bowl games. He then got the big call-up to be the head coach of the Texas Longhorns, where he went 32-18 in four seasons, which included a Sugar Bowl and 4-0 bowl record. That wasn’t enough to keep him employed, however.
Herman was contacted by The Athletic’s Andy Staples in regards to the rumors surrounding his name and it sounds like he’s happy to stand pat in the NFL.
Talked to Tom Herman today regarding rumors surrounding his name being mentioned for possible college head coaching and/or coordinator positions. He told me that he’s happy in the NFL and that his preference is to remain in that league.
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) December 1, 2021
“Talked to Tom Herman today regarding rumors surrounding his name being mentioned for possible college head coaching and/or coordinator positions,” wrote Staples. “He told me that he’s happy in the NFL and that his preference is to remain in that league.”
Many football fans on social media were quick to point out that Herman’s role as an offensive analyst for the Bears, whose offense has been noticeably bad at many moments this season, doesn’t exactly make him a prime candidate anyway.
Considering the way the Bears offense has been playing this season he might want to be more open to any calls he may get 😂 https://t.co/Y4NzkI883H
— Sammy (@TXBucknut) December 1, 2021
Tom Herman is obviously doing wonders with the Bears offense… https://t.co/abkU68XyXb
— Walk-On Redshirts (@walkonredshirts) December 1, 2021
Even working for the Bears is better than recruiting https://t.co/N8e8LaEjCk
— Richard🇬🇾Johnson (@RJ_Writes) December 1, 2021
Spending a year out of recruiting does wonders for the soul (and mental health). https://t.co/K9FuMoGxSb
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) December 1, 2021
It’s probably worth noting that, along with whatever the Bears are paying him, Herman is also hanging onto a buyout of approximately $15.4 million from Texas when they fired him. So if he’s not super-excited to get back into the world of college football, deal with the media, or hit the recruiting trail, it’s not entirely sure why anything else would motivate him to go.