Tom Herman of the FAU Owls
Once a coach at arguably the most interesting college football jobs in the country, Tom Herman’s career went a little sideways when he left the Houston Cougars and the Bayou City in search of greener pastures with the Texas Longhorns. And while he was pretty successful with Texas, Herman’s best years were at Houston and as the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.
A very solid recruiter and someone who was able to work with Major Applewhite and get the Cougars to score points by the dozen, Herman has displayed the sort of talent as a coach to warrant big jobs.
His first year at UH included a 13-1 season in which the Cougars ended the year by handing No. 9 Florida State a 38-24 beating in the Peach Bowl. The Cougars also beat ranked Memphis, Navy, and Temple teams.
Herman’s second season at Houston? Well, he beat Oklahoma to start the year and later thumped the Louisville Cardinals and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.
And while Texas fans are unhappy with how Herman performed in Austin, the Longhorns managed to win four consecutive bowl games under his leadership. They went 32-18 with Herman at the helm.
Now, post Texas, Herman is trying to rebuild the Florida Atlantic Owls football program. He’s on his third head coaching gig and has amassed a win-loss record of 58-27. While I think there are potentially better fits for MSU (shoutout to Rhett Lashlee and GJ Kinne), someone like Herman shouldn’t be ignored if he’s even remotely interested in this job.
Especially if he can find a great OC to work with (shoutout to Major Applewhite or Bryan Ellis).