Former Texas head coach Tom Herman is back in the college game. According to a report from On3’s Pete Nakos, the long-time coach is joining the staff at Florida State.
Herman has previously served as the head coach at Houston, Texas and Florida Atlantic. He has also had a couple stints in the NFL, most recently with the Chicago Bears as an offensive analyst. Herman most recently spent time in the college ranks as the FAU head coach, where he was in charge from 2023-2024.
Tom Herman compiled a 6-16 record with the Owls, including a 3-9 mark in the American. Notably, he went 2-8 in his second season, with an 0-6 start to American play in 2024 before he was fired.
His stint at Texas proved a bit more successful, and Herman won 13 games at Houston in his first year as a head coach. That year, he won the Peach Bowl and reached 13-1 overall, playing in the American.
He would parlay a two-year run with a 22-4 record with the Cougars into the head coaching job for the Longhorns. He took over Texas in 2017 and would spend four years with the program.
His high-water mark came in Year 2, when Herman won 10 games and reached the Big 12 Championship Game against Oklahoma. The team then went on to win the Sugar Bowl.
Despite winning a bowl game in each of his four seasons in charge, Tom Herman was fired after the 2020 season as the fanbase soured on him for a handful of off-field reasons. He finished his Texas tenure with a 32-18 overall record and a 22-13 mark in Big 12 play.
Florida State undergoing some staff changes
While head coach Mike Norvell is back after a couple seasons that have not been up to the program’s standards, the Seminoles are dealing with some major staff changes. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn stepped away from coaching this offseason.
In his stead, assistant coach Tim Harris was promoted to the offensive coordinator role. He’ll be tasked with helping turn things around.
Tom Herman will undoubtedly be able to lend some valuable insight, though his exact role on the staff has not yet been specified. Herman has a wealth of knowledge from his various stops around the college game, and he was a former wide receiver at Cal Lutheran. He has previously had stints as an offensive coordinator at Texas State (2005-06), Rice (2007-08), Iowa State (2009-11) and Ohio State (2012-14), in addition to his work as a head coach.
Florida State has gone just 7-17 over the last two years after finishing at 13-1 overall in the 2023 campaign. Norvell, presumably, remains on the hot seat, though a hefty buyout offers some protection.