All of the talk this year around Houston head coach Tom Herman has been pretty simply: where is he going to go at the end of the year, because several big name schools are going to be calling the head coach about opening at season's end.
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USC, Notre Dame, Texas, LSU, the NFL... all could come calling at the end of the year, but Herman could certainly throw a wrench into his coaching candidacy: what if he doesn't leave Houston?
Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle reported on Tuesday that the Cougars were doing their due diligence in attempting to keep Herman within "reasonable" parameters. Houston recently doubled Herman's salary to $3 million annually, so may be a reasonable cap for them isn't immediately known.
At least for now, Herman is playing it up like he would be on-board with staying at Houston.
This is the Tom Herman quote asked specifically about UH working on a new contract for him pic.twitter.com/RzbHDF8QMY
— Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) October 19, 2016
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"It's flattering to know that the administration believes in you," Herman said. "It gives you renewed energy to go out and coach hard and prepare to win football games, but we're a long ways away from any finalization."
Herman staying at Houston is an interesting scenario because Houston isn't like most mid-major schools. Houston has had on and off success in football and basketball over the years, they are in an attractive market, and they are in one of the hottest recruiting beds in the country. Houston may not be in a Power 5 conference — thanks, Big 12 — but they certainly have the resources to become a national power that mid-majors like Boise State don't have.
Herman is currently 19-2 in his year-plus tenure with the Cougars, boasting wins over Louisville, Florida State, and Oklahoma in that short period of time. Considering that those teams are doing quite well for themselves right now, it's no wonder that Herman is the hottest coaching candidate in football.
