In the weeks following Steve Spurrier's resignation from South Carolina, all signs seemed to be pointing to Houston head coach Tom Herman landing in Columbia, S.C. to take things over. Things were so far along in fact, that Herman and South Carolina had reportedly reached an agreement. The deal, obviously, didn't fall through, and South Carolina went with what looks to be the next best option — former Florida head coach Will Muschamp was named the Gamecocks' next head coach in early December.
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According to a new report by the USA Today, Herman changed his mind about going to South Carolina after watching the Gamecocks lose to The Citadel 23-22 in November. Here's an excerpt from the report.
"South Carolina, in fact, first targeted Houston's Tom Herman and was so far down the road toward an agreement, according to two people familiar with the process, that the school's administration had essentially shut its search process down." USA Today's Dan Wolken writes.
"Those same people, who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity, said Herman's mind changed after South Carolina lost to The Citadel on Nov. 21 and it became clear the next coach would have a massive rebuilding job on his hands. Herman decided to stay at Houston for a deal worth nearly $3 million per year and, presumably, wait for a more high-profile situation."
Herman, meanwhile looks like he made the right decision — his Cougars beat the Florida State Seminoles in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl 38-24 on New Year's Eve, and him getting fitted for grills by rappers and smashing fax machines after National Signing Day are certainly winning him over with young players. For South Carolina, they'll just have to wonder 'what if' depending on how Muschamp does with his second try as head coach.
[H/T: USA Today]
