10 reasons Tom Herman is a hot candidate
A closer look at the Houston head coach, who has been mentioned as a candidate for coaching jobs at South Carolina, Missouri, Virginia Tech, Southern Cal, Miami and Maryland, among others.
1. He’s undefeated
Houston is 10-0, with wins against Louisville, Cincinnati and Memphis. They beat Vanderbilt 34-0.
2. He can beat Alabama
As offensive coordinatorat Ohio State last season, the Buckeyes put up 42 points and 537 yards against the vaunted Alabama defense in a semifinal playoffs victory.
3. He’s from Urban Meyer coaching tree
Meyer has three national titles (two at Florida and one at Ohio State).
4. He’s a QB whisperer
Houston rallied from a 34-14 deficit to beat Memphis 35-34 with its backup quarterback. He won at Ohio State with backups J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones.
5. He’s a quote machine
Like the HBC, he tells it like it is. On his offensive line, he has said: “They're gooey.”
6. He's a recruiter
He was named the 2013 Rivals.com Big Ten Recruiter of the Year and national Top 25 recruiter.
7. He's a salesman
He’s big on selling the program in the community. It’s a big reason Houston is trying so hard to keep him.
8. He's an offensive coach
Scoring is the name of the game nowadays. It’s what fans want.
9. He's young
He’s 40. He was born in Cincinnati and still has family there, though he was raised in Simi Valley, California.
10. He's smart
A member of Mensa International, Herman earned his B.S. in Business Administration graduating cum laude. He also has a Masters of Education.
This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 12:49 PM with the headline "10 reasons Tom Herman is a hot candidate."