Football moves fast. One minute you're the smartest guy in the room, holding a crystal ball and a Mensa membership card, and the next, you’re looking for a headset in a booth. Tom Herman lived that trajectory in high definition. If you followed college football in the late 2010s, he wasn't just a coach; he was a brand. The "innovator." The "giant slayer."
But honestly, where is he now? After a rocky 2024 season that saw him fired from Florida Atlantic University, the man who once had the keys to the University of Texas is back at a crossroads. It’s a wild story of how someone with a $15 million buyout can end up struggling to find a win in the AAC.
The Rise of the Mensa Mastermind
You can’t talk about Tom Herman without talking about 2014. He was the offensive coordinator at Ohio State under Urban Meyer. When J.T. Barrett went down, and then Cardale Jones had to step in, Herman didn't blink. He orchestrated a masterpiece. That national championship run won him the Broyles Award.
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He was the "Quarterback Whisperer." Basically, he could take a backup and make him look like a Heisman finalist.
When he took the Houston job in 2015, the hype was real. He went 13-1. He beat Florida State in the Peach Bowl. People in Houston weren't just fans; they were believers. He had this "H-Town Takeover" energy that felt unstoppable. He was aggressive. He kissed his players on the cheek. He head-butted them in pre-game. It was weird, it was intense, and it worked.
Then came the Texas call.
What Went Wrong in Austin?
Texas is a different beast. You don't just coach football there; you manage a small country. Herman arrived in 2017 with all the "1-0" mantras and the sledgehammers. For a while, it looked like Texas was actually back. That 2018 season was a dream—beating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, Sam Ehlinger shouting into the microphone.
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But the cracks were there.
- Playing down to competition: This was the Herman hallmark. He’d beat a Top-5 team one week and then sweat out a one-possession game against a cellar-dweller the next.
- The "Culture" friction: Herman’s style was high-friction. He mocked opposing quarterbacks (remember the Drew Lock incident?). He got into it with Mike Gundy on the field.
- Staffing issues: Critics often pointed out that he hired "his guys" rather than the best guys.
The weirdest part? He never actually had a losing season at Texas. He went 32-18. He was 4-0 in bowl games. Most coaches would give their left arm for that record. But at Texas, if you aren't winning Big 12 titles and competing for the CFP, you're just taking up space. They fired him in early 2021 and paid him millions just to go away.
The FAU Reality Check
After a stint as an analyst with the Chicago Bears, Herman resurfaced at Florida Atlantic in 2023. This was supposed to be the "reset." Go back to the G5 level, dominate, and get back to the big leagues.
It didn't happen.
His tenure at FAU was, frankly, a disaster. He went 6-16 overall. In 2024, the wheels fell off completely. The Owls started 0-6 in conference play. He was firing coordinators in the middle of the season, a move that usually signals a coach who knows the end is near. On November 18, 2024, FAU pulled the plug.
It’s a sobering reminder that "scheme" only gets you so far. In the NIL and Transfer Portal era, the intense, drill-sergeant-meets-Mensa-member vibe might not resonate like it did in 2015.
Why Tom Herman Still Matters to Football
Despite the recent struggles, you can’t scrub Herman’s influence off the game. His power-spread evolution influenced how a generation of coordinators think about the RPO (Run-Pass Option).
- Quarterback Development: From Braxton Miller to Sam Ehlinger, his track record of getting production out of the QB position is elite.
- Big Game Preparation: The man is a tactical wizard when he has three weeks to prepare. His 5-1 bowl record at major programs isn't a fluke.
- The Urban Meyer Tree: He remains one of the most successful branches of that coaching tree, for better or worse.
What’s Next for Coach Herman?
As of early 2026, Herman is in that "waiting period." He’s still young for a coach—barely 50. Most experts think he’ll end up as a high-level Offensive Coordinator again. Sometimes, a "failed" head coach makes the best assistant because they’ve seen the fire and know how to avoid it.
If you're a fan of a team with a struggling offense, don't be surprised if his name pops up on the rumor mill this December. He knows how to score points. He just needs to find a place where the culture doesn't catch fire before the kickoff.
Actionable Takeaways for Football Fans
- Watch the coaching carousel: Herman is a prime candidate for a "reclamation project" as an OC at a Power 4 school.
- Study the 2014 Ohio State film: If you want to see Herman at his absolute peak, that's the blueprint for modern college offense.
- Evaluate "Culture" vs. "X's and O's": The Herman saga is a case study in how technical brilliance can be overshadowed by leadership friction.