AUSTIN, TX - AUGUST 30: Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong looks on during warmups before kickoff against the North Texas Mean Green on August 30, 2014 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Texas is reportedly "guaranteed" to hire this coach if they fire Charlie Strong

Charlie Strong may not be out at Texas, but if he is, they apparently have a plan to replace him.

Tom Herman is in a position to become the most wanted man in college football after the 2016 season and it appears that the Texas Longhorns could be in pole position... if they want to be.

Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports, as part of a podcast with colleague Stewart Mandel, weighed in on the possibility that Texas could lure Houston's increasingly popular head coach and, well, he was pretty definitive. Here is a quick transcript, courtesy of The Spun:

"Mandel: So if you're a Texas fan right now, how many do you think are just now rooting for them to start losing more so that they can get him? Of course, it's not a guarantee that you'd get him.

Feldman: I think it's a guarantee you'd get him, or close to a guarantee you'd get him... I think it's close to a guarantee if Charlie Strong is not the head coach that Texas will go get Tom Herman.

SM: Well, LSU fans aren't going to want to hear that.

BF: Sorry LSU, your job isn't quite as good as Texas."

This is a very strong statement from Feldman, even with the caveat that he backed off a touch by saying it was "close" to a guarantee and couched things by saying that Charlie Strong could still be in the mix despite being on the hot seat. At this stage, Herman is almost assured of receiving multiple offers that are quite lucrative from the likes of Texas, LSU and other high-end programs with potential openings, but if Texas comes calling, very few people say no.

Here is the full audio from Feldman and Mandel, where the discussion begins near the 19-minute mark of the podcast.