After spending two seasons out of college football, Tom Herman has a new job.
Herman is finalizing a deal with Florida Atlantic to become the school’s new coach, according to Cole Thompson of FanNation. Herman will replace Willie Taggart, who was fired after going 15-18 in three seasons.
It is not a surprise to see Florida Atlantic targeting a big name. The Owls were the school that gave Lane Kiffin his return to coaching in 2017, then brought in former Oregon and Florida State coach Taggart to replace him when he left. Herman is simply the latest example of the school giving the job to someone who fell short at a Power 5 school but has a record of success elsewhere.
Herman returns to the AAC, where he went 22-4 with Houston in 2015 and 2016, by taking the Florida Atlantic job. He parlayed the Houston gig into the Texas job, where he went 32-18 in four seasons, though that was not enough to save his job. He spent 2021 as an offensive analyst with the Chicago Bears but was not brought back for 2022.
Interestingly, Herman seemingly brushed off an arguably bigger job to take the Florida Atlantic position, albeit one in the same conference.
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