After Charlie Strong was officially fired, Tom Herman was hired to serve as the new coach of the Texas Longhorns. The decision to terminate Strong's employment was the direct result of the team's recent losses.
Strong has been with the Longhorns since 2014. However, after coaching for three seasons, university officials felt that it was time to release him due to the football team's disappointing performance.
During Strong's first season, the University of Texas finished with a 6-7 record. Then, in 2015 and 2016, the team missed a bowl due to a 5-7 record in both years.
"After thorough evaluation, the body of work over three seasons has not shown the improvement we were hoping for," athletics director Mike Perrin said in a statement. "This was an important year for our program to take the next step, and the results simply aren't there, so we've decided to make a change."
"We appreciate coach Strong so much, are grateful for all he has done with our program and wish him the best in the future," he added.
Before Strong was fired, the Longhorns suffered a disappointing 31-9 home loss against TCU. Before that, they were also beaten by Kansas, marking the first time since 2014 that the school's football team won a conference game.
Following these losses, there have already been rumors about Texas firing Strong.
Officially replacing Strong is Herman, the former coach of the Houston Cougars. During Herman's debut year with the team, he led the Cougars to its first conference championship since 2006. He also helped the team end the year with a near-perfect record of 12-1.
Given his new contract with Texas, the Longhorns are certainly expecting Herman to bring the same program he utilized when he was still with the Cougars, according to Fox Sports.
As for Strong, he still believes he had a positive impact to the university despite the reasons that led to his firing.
"It's a very difficult day for me, my family and all of the people affected by this decision," he said. "I'm most disappointed for these kids and our staff who have poured so much of their lives into this program for the last three years," he said.
"I do understand that it comes down to wins and losses, and we have not done our job in that area yet," he added. "I accept full responsibility for that, but know in my heart that we accomplished our primary goal, which is the development of young men."
