The Tom Herman Years Feel Like a Fever Dream Now

You know what’s wild? Houston was GOOD like eight years ago.

Tom Herman took over in 2015. The Cougars went 13-1. They beat Florida State in the Peach Bowl. They were ranked in the top 10. Greg Ward Jr. was a star. The defense was nasty. Everything was working.

Then Herman left for Texas and everything fell apart.

That’s oversimplifying it, but not by much. Houston hired Major Applewhite, who was fine but not Herman. Then they hired Dana Holgorsen, who was supposed to be the big-name return to glory. Holgorsen’s tenure started okay and then collapsed spectacularly.

And now they’re 4-8 in the Big 12, looking up at everyone, wondering how they got here.

The Herman years feel like a different universe. I was in college when Houston beat FSU. I remember thinking “this program is going places.” They were on the cusp of getting into a Power Five conference. They had momentum. They had credibility.

Where did it go?

Part of it is just bad luck. Coaches left. The AAC wasn’t stable. The pandemic screwed everyone. By the time the Big 12 came calling, Houston was already trending down.

Part of it is decisions. Holgorsen was the wrong hire. The roster management wasn’t good. The recruiting didn’t keep pace with the competition.

Mike’s note: Houston is a cautionary tale about what happens when you lose your coach at the wrong time and don’t replace them effectively. Herman built something real. Nobody since has been able to sustain it.

The frustrating thing for Houston fans is that the potential is still there. The city is huge. The recruiting base is right there. The history proves they can win.

They just… haven’t. For a while now.

Willie Fritz might be the guy to turn it around. Might not. 4-8 doesn’t inspire confidence. But someone, eventually, is going to figure out Houston again. The ingredients are too good to stay down forever.

Until then, Houston fans are stuck watching old Tom Herman highlights and wondering what could’ve been.

— Jake