Steve Sarkisian to replace Tom Herman as Texas head coach

The Texas Longhorns stunned the college football world Saturday morning with a bombshell coaching change.

The school announced the firing of Tom Herman on Saturday with little warning, and it appeared that there was already a candidate lined up to replace him. According to Chip Brown of Horns247, Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is expected to replace Herman.

This is a shocker, as the Longhorns had said they’d be sticking with Herman for 2021 less than a month ago. At the time, that was thought to be largely because the school could not find a good enough replacement to justify firing Herman. Clearly, that either changed or the athletic department reassessed and felt that someone like Sarkisian was worth the risk.

Firing Herman won’t come cheap, as Texas will pay roughly $24 million to buy out both him and his staff.

Sarkisian has a 46-35 record as a college head coach between Washington and USC. He’s been Alabama’s offensive coordinator for the last two seasons, where his stock has risen significantly.