# Tom Herman
**Tom Herman** (born 1982; age 51 as of July 2026) is an American college football coach who served as head coach at Houston (2015–2016), Texas (2017–2020), and Florida Atlantic (2023–2024), compiling a career record of 60 wins and 38 losses (.612) in eight seasons.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html) • [2](https://fieldlevelmedia.com/ncaaf/reports-former-texas-coach-tom-herman-joining-florida-state-staff/) He first gained prominence as Ohio State's offensive coordinator, winning the Broyles Award, given to the best assistant coach in college football, during the Buckeyes' 2014 national championship season.[2](https://fieldlevelmedia.com/ncaaf/reports-former-texas-coach-tom-herman-joining-florida-state-staff/) In July 2026, multiple media reports said he was joining Florida State's coaching staff in an unspecified role under head coach [Mike Norvell](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-norvell).[3](https://www.footballscoop.com/2026/07/13/former-texas-houston-fau-head-coach-tom-herman-reportedly-lands-role-at-florida-state)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Career head coaching record | 60–38 (.612) over 8 seasons, 2015–2024, at Houston, Texas, and Florida Atlantic[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html) |
| Houston (2015–2016) | 22–4 (.846), including a 13–1 debut season and a Peach Bowl win over No. 9 Florida State[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html) • [4](https://texastech.com/documents/download/2018/11/5/Texas.pdf) |
| Texas (2017–2020) | 32–18 (.640), 4–0 in bowl games, fired after four seasons[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html) • [2](https://fieldlevelmedia.com/ncaaf/reports-former-texas-coach-tom-herman-joining-florida-state-staff/) |
| Florida Atlantic (2023–2024) | 6–16 (.273), fired after two seasons[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html) • [2](https://fieldlevelmedia.com/ncaaf/reports-former-texas-coach-tom-herman-joining-florida-state-staff/) |
| Signature assistant honor | Broyles Award (2014) as Ohio State offensive coordinator in its national title campaign[2](https://fieldlevelmedia.com/ncaaf/reports-former-texas-coach-tom-herman-joining-florida-state-staff/) |
| Bowl record | 5–1 in games counted at major schools; he was 4–0 in bowls he coached through 2020, having left Houston before its 2016 bowl[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html) • [5](https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/download/2020/11/30/Texas_2020_Notes_9.pdf) |
| Education | Cal Lutheran (1997); master's degree in education from the University of Texas[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/download/2020/11/30/Texas_2020_Notes_9.pdf) |
## Houston (2015–2016)
Herman's first head coaching job came at Houston in 2015, where he went 13–1 in his debut season and closed it with a [Peach Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/peach-bowl) victory over No. 9 Florida State.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html) • [4](https://texastech.com/documents/download/2018/11/5/Texas.pdf) That win made him just the second coach in Houston history, alongside College Football Hall of Famer Bill Yeoman, with a victory in one of the [New Year's Six](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-years-six) bowls and the second with a bowl win over a top-10 opponent.[4](https://texastech.com/documents/download/2018/11/5/Texas.pdf) He was named the 2015 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html) In 2016 the Cougars went 9–3 in games he coached, with wins over ranked opponents, and finished the season 9–4 overall.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html) • [6](https://www.collegefootballratings.com/teams/houston) His two-year record of 22–4 was the fourth-best in the FBS in that span.[7](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/texassports_com/documents/2019/12/23/1_Notes.pdf)
## Texas (2017–2020)
Herman was named the 30th head football coach at the University of Texas in November 2016 and led the Longhorns for four seasons.[8](https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/download/2019/10/14/Texas_Week8_Notes.pdf) His first team went 7–6 and won the Texas Bowl over Missouri.[8](https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/download/2019/10/14/Texas_Week8_Notes.pdf) The 2018 team went 10–4 and beat No. 6 Georgia, 28–21, in the [Sugar Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/sugar-bowl), and the 2019 team went 8–5 and closed with a 38–10 win over No. 11 Utah in the Alamo Bowl.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html) • [5](https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/download/2020/11/30/Texas_2020_Notes_9.pdf) His 2020 team finished 7–3 and won a second Alamo Bowl.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html)
**Bowl success and ranked wins.** Through the 2020 season Herman was 4–0 in bowl games as a head coach, 3–0 at Texas, and he was the third UT head coach to reach a bowl in each of his first three seasons (after Fred Akers and [Mack Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/mack-brown)) and the only one of the three to go 3–0 in those games.[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/download/2020/11/30/Texas_2020_Notes_9.pdf) His teams held a 15–10 career mark against top-25 opponents through 2020, including wins over No. 5 Georgia, No. 7 Oklahoma, and No. 11 Utah.[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/download/2020/11/30/Texas_2020_Notes_9.pdf) His 30 wins in his first four seasons at Texas were the fourth-most by a UT coach in that span.[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/download/2020/11/30/Texas_2020_Notes_9.pdf)
Despite the bowl record, the program won more than eight games in only one of his four seasons, and Texas fired him after the 2020 campaign.[2](https://fieldlevelmedia.com/ncaaf/reports-former-texas-coach-tom-herman-joining-florida-state-staff/)
## Between head jobs and Florida Atlantic (2021–2024)
Herman's last assistant coaching position in this stretch was with the [Chicago Bears](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-bears) in 2021 as an offensive analyst.[2](https://fieldlevelmedia.com/ncaaf/reports-former-texas-coach-tom-herman-joining-florida-state-staff/) He returned to college football in 2023 as head coach at Florida Atlantic, where the Owls went 4–8 in 2023 and 2–8 in 2024, a two-year record of 6–16, and he was fired after the second season.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html) • [2](https://fieldlevelmedia.com/ncaaf/reports-former-texas-coach-tom-herman-joining-florida-state-staff/)
## Florida State (2026)
In July 2026, multiple reports said Herman was joining Florida State's staff in an unspecified role.[2](https://fieldlevelmedia.com/ncaaf/reports-former-texas-coach-tom-herman-joining-florida-state-staff/) • [3](https://www.footballscoop.com/2026/07/13/former-texas-houston-fau-head-coach-tom-herman-reportedly-lands-role-at-florida-state) FootballScoop, which noted he is a former Broyles Award winner and its own Coordinator of the Year honoree, described the move as giving Norvell an experienced play-caller and sounding board as the Seminoles sought a bounce-back season; Norvell entered 2026 with a 7–17 record over the two seasons since an undefeated 2023 Florida State team was left out of the [College Football Playoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff).[3](https://www.footballscoop.com/2026/07/13/former-texas-houston-fau-head-coach-tom-herman-reportedly-lands-role-at-florida-state)
## Early career and background
Herman received his coaching start in 1998 as a wide receivers coach at Texas Lutheran and worked four years (2001–2004) at Sam Houston State as special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach, helping the Bearkats to a pair of conference titles and trips to the FCS semifinals and quarterfinals.[9](https://baylorbears.com/documents/download/2019/11/18/Texas_Week13_Notes.pdf) He later served two seasons as [Urban Meyer](https://www.edgepedia.org/urban-meyer)'s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ohio State, helping the Buckeyes win the first College Football Playoff national championship after the 2014 season, before taking the Houston job.[3](https://www.footballscoop.com/2026/07/13/former-texas-houston-fau-head-coach-tom-herman-reportedly-lands-role-at-florida-state) A Texas Ex, he spent much of his coaching career in the state, with 17 of his first 23 seasons on the collegiate level spent there.[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/download/2020/11/30/Texas_2020_Notes_9.pdf)
## Career record by school
| School | Years | Record | Pct | Bowl record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 2015–2016 | 22–4 | .846 | 1–1 |
| Texas | 2017–2020 | 32–18 | .640 | 4–0 |
| Florida Atlantic | 2023–2024 | 6–16 | .273 | 0–0 |
| Overall | 8 seasons | 60–38 | .612 | 5–1 |
[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html)
## References
1. [Tom Herman College Coaching Records, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/tom-herman-1.html)
2. [Reports: Former Texas coach Tom Herman joining Florida State staff, Field Level Media](https://fieldlevelmedia.com/ncaaf/reports-former-texas-coach-tom-herman-joining-florida-state-staff/)
3. [Former Texas, Houston, FAU head coach Tom Herman reportedly lands role at Florida State, FootballScoop](https://www.footballscoop.com/2026/07/13/former-texas-houston-fau-head-coach-tom-herman-reportedly-lands-role-at-florida-state)
4. [Head Coach Tom Herman, Texas game notes (2018), texastech.com](https://texastech.com/documents/download/2018/11/5/Texas.pdf)
5. [Texas 2020 Football Game Notes, texaslonghorns.com](https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/download/2020/11/30/Texas_2020_Notes_9.pdf)
6. [Houston Program History, CollegeFootballRatings](https://www.collegefootballratings.com/teams/houston)
7. [Head Coach Tom Herman, Texas game notes (December 2019), texassports.com](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/texassports_com/documents/2019/12/23/1_Notes.pdf)
8. [Head Coach Tom Herman, Texas Week 8 notes (2019), texaslonghorns.com](https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/download/2019/10/14/Texas_Week8_Notes.pdf)
9. [Head Coach Tom Herman, Texas Week 13 notes (2019), baylorbears.com](https://baylorbears.com/documents/download/2019/11/18/Texas_Week13_Notes.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › NFL head coaches*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license