Mississippi State football coaching search hot board: Tom Herman

As the Mississippi State football program searches for its next head coach after Zach Arnett’s firing, could Tom Herman revitalize the Mississippi State Bulldogs?

Following the recent firing of Zach Arnett, Mississippi State Bulldogs athletics director Zac Selmon is now searching for the new head coach of the Mississippi State football team. And as the Bulldogs look for a new head coach, they should take a gander at Tom Herman, who is currently in Florida.

While he didn’t get the Texas Longhorns back to championship shape as quickly as Texas boosters wanted, Herman has a proven track record as an innovative offensive mind and strong recruiter, which could make him a good fit for the Bulldogs.

He made a name for himself as an offensive coordinator at Ohio State with Urban Meyer and then became the head coach of the Houston Cougars. In his first season at UH, Herman led the Cougars to a 13-1 record and a Peach Bowl victory against the Florida State Seminoles.

His teams regularly beat highly-ranked and incredible talented compettion, recording wins against the Oklahoma Sooners and Lamar Jackson-led Louisville Cardinals along with that victory over FSU. Herman’s Houston teams demonstrated that he could win big games and develop exciting offenses, something the Bulldogs have struggled with.

Mississippi State football coaching search hot board: Could Tom Herman thrive in Starkville?

His success at UH launched Herman over to Austin, Texas and the University of Texas. Many flat out look at Herman’s time at UT as a failure, but it’s simply that Longhorn fans grew frustrated with Herman’s inability to meet lofty expectations.

Herman stabilized the program, won 64 percent of his games, and captured four consecutive bowl victories, including a Sugar Bowl win.

For a team that has lacked positive momentum and offensive firepower recently, someone like Herman could bring an exciting brand of football to Starkville. His coaching pedigree and history of lighting up scoreboards would be fun to see in Maroon and White.

On top of that, Herman recruited well at Texas (not surprising) and Houston (a little surprising). His recruiting connections in a talent-rich state like Texas (there’s a lot of remarkable players in the Houston area, just ask Seth Davis) could open up pipelines to prospects the Bulldogs don’t typically pursue.

And strengthening recruiting will be critical as MSU tries to reload its roster.

But some are going to understandably focus on how Herman likely underachieved with Texas. Longhorn fans expected him to win championships and that just didn’t happen.

Herman isn’t the perfect candidate for this sort of job, but he’s better than a lot of folks are going to give him credit for. His blend of offensive innovation and ability to court talent from Texas (and now possibly Florida as well) could help the Bulldogs a lot.