Why Tom Herman could be a candidate at virtually any school in the country

By foxsports
Published

Simply put, Houston coach Tom Herman is the most fascinating guy in the college football job market. He's a man with a near-impeccable resume, which includes a national championship as a coordinator and a 13-1 record in his first year as a head coach. Basically, he is just a guy who seems destined to eventually lead one of the biggest programs in college football.

That heat ramped up following his first season at Houston last year, and even after deciding to return, it still feels like "when" and not "if" he will leave H-Town.

It's been presumed forever that if either Texas or Texas A&M were to let go of their head coach this offseason, Herman would be the primary candidate to take over. There's also Baylor, as new Bears AD Mack Rhoades spent six years in the same job at Houston and is actually the guy who hired Herman for his first head coaching job.

But it's not just those three programs -- actually any school could be a fit for Herman.

It was a season to remember for the Cougars, after upsetting Florida State in the Peach Bowl.

On a recent episode of The Audible, Bruce Feldman explained why Herman might be the most unique coaching candidate in college football.

That is fascinating and frankly something that hasn't really been considered before. Virtually every coach in every job (with the rare exception of Urban Meyer or Nick Saban) seems to be geographically tied to somewhere specific. Brian Kelly is a Midwest guy through and through, so it seems weird for him to take a job, in say, the SEC. Chris Petersen is a West Coast guy and has never seemed really interested in coaching anywhere but there. But Herman? He's a total wild card. He could end up anywhere.

At the same time, there is another crazy alternative altogether: Maybe Herman doesn't go anywhere.

Things could be even better in 2016, thanks to QB Greg Ward Jr. Could the Cougars make the playoff? 

It seems crazy, since the nature of college football is for coaches to try to get the biggest jobs as quickly as they can. But that might not be the case for Herman at Houston.

Independent of the fact that Big 12 expansion is apparently now once again a possibility, there is another simple fact too: The Cougars are built to win and win big for a long time.

Again, this is a simply fascinating conversation about one of the most fascinating men in coaching, and it's definitely worth taking a few minutes to check out.

Wherever ends up in the long run -- whether it's a Power 5 job or back at Houston -- Herman's name is going to continue to get thrown around in coaching rumors, just about every time a big-time job opens up. 

Last season produced an AAC championship. Could this year produce a playoff berth for the Cougars?

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