Editorial: Houston’s Amazing Recruiting Success Should Come with Caution on Tom Herman Status

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Somethings may be better left unsaid, or in this case, left unwritten, but a note of caution should be sent out to the world with the thought of protecting high school football players making life changing decisions built upon a relationship and a promise from a coaching staff.

After years of trying to find a foothold on the college football landscape, the Houston Cougars are making a statement under first-year head coach Tom Herman. The Cougars are one of the best teams in the nation completing a 12-1 season capturing an AAC West Division title and an American Athletic Conference Championship with a 24-13 win over then- No. 22 Temple.

The amazing season on the gridiron for Herman is not matched among his peers in terms of wins and losses and is the best first year in Houston since John Jenkins posted a 10-1 mark in 1990 riding on the coattails of Jack Pardee. After the Kim Helton and Dana Dimel eras, Cougar Nation has been long deserving of a reason for something to rally around, and now they have their man… for now.

The Houston brass has done a great job since the early 2000’s recognizing head coaching talent hiring Art Briles (Baylor) in 2003 and then Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M) in 2008. Houston’s status in Conference USA and now in the AAC unfortunately makes the Cougars a stepping stone for another Power Five Conference program; see Arkansas State for a fan base frustrated by similar problems.

Herman has planted roots all over some of the bigger recruiting grounds in the U.S. playing his college ball at California Lutheran (1994-1997) and getting his first coaching jobs with Texas Lutheran (1998), University of Texas as a graduate assistant (1999-2000), Sam Houston State (2001-2004), and then at Rice (2007-08). A rise to offensive coordinator at Iowa State (2009-11) then lead to an opportunity in the same position and a national championship with Ohio State (2012-14) before landing in Houston for the 2015 season.

After running through a great regular season, Herman was mentioned as a candidate for several head coaching jobs. As luck would have it for Cougar Nation, the right opportunity did not present itself and Houston retained their head coach for another season upping his salary base some $1.4 million.

Herman’s outstanding season has helped pull top recruits to Houston but even before he worked his magic against AAC opponents he was already making headway with recruits in his backyard about staying home. Of the 20 verbal commitments sided currently with the Cougars, all but three are from Texas. Of the 20, four recruits are considered 4-star players with another nine being ranked as 3-star recruits. The first eye opener was landing 4-star defensive tackle Ed Oliver out of Westfield. The latest was landing Oliver’s teammate, wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland, another 4-star recruit, on Thursday.

Recruits are always told to find a school that they like and feel comfortable around not putting an emphasis as much on the coaching staff. Reality is players lean towards signing their letter of intent based on relationships with a coaching staff. Trouble for recruits Herman pulled in during the 2015 roundup and coming up in the 2016 haul, how long will Herman and his staff be in Houston going forward? Herman could be there for any number of years becoming the face and true savior of the program but chances are Herman will be gone in the next two to three years, if not sooner, if the right job opens up. One job in Austin might be open at the end of the 2016 season if major improvement on the field is not seen after suffering through a 5-7 season in 2015.

The good news is the Houston athletic department has done a good job hiring coaches over the last decade but there is no guarantee that trend will continue. If Herman leaves for a better opportunity, real or imagined, no one can blame him but what happens to the players left behind? Due to NCAA transfer rules, the players cannot leave the program without sitting out a year. This is the roll of the dice all recruits must face with any given program because the head coach could change by the end of any given season, or like seen with USC, in the middle of the schedule.

Should recruits shy away from signing with Houston on National Signing Day, no, but a word of caution and an understanding about the high probability of not playing for the same head coach or guys on the coaching staff in the next couple of years is likely to happen. All choices for recruits are a gamble, just some have a better odds of a favorable turnout if all options are thoroughly thought out.

Greater achievements are left to be had for Herman and staff with a Peach Bowl showdown against No. 9 Florida State. A marquee win over the Seminoles along with pulling in a highly rated recruiting class will only add to the luster of Herman’s shine to Power Five Conference athletic directors in need at the end of the 2016 college football season.

Houston Cougars 2016 Verbal Commitment List

FS Patrick Rosette, 5’11”, 187 lbs, Foster HS, Richmond, TX

SS Collin Wilder, 5’11”, 185 lbs, Katy HS, Katy, TX

SS Terrell Williams, 6’3”, 210 lbs, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Miami, OK

CB JJ Dallas, 6’0”, 200 lbs, Blinn College, Brenham, TX

CB Nygel King, 6’1”, 175 lbs, Klein Oak HS, Spring, TX

CB Ka’Darian Smith, 5’11”, 170 lbs, Spring HS, Spring, TX

CB Javian Smith, 6’1”, 162 lbs, Bush HS, Richmond, TX

DE Hasaun Glasgow, 6’3”, 226 lbs, Manvel HS, Manvel, TX

DT Aymiel Fleming, 6’2”, 282 lbs, La Marque HS, La Marque, TX

DT Ed Oliver, 6’2”, 277 lbs, Westfield HS, Houston, TX

OG Braylon Jones, 6’3”, 278 lbs, John Tyler HS, Tyler, TX

OG Keenan Murphy, 6’2”, 295 lbs, Crosby HS, Crosby, TX

OG Dixie Wooten III, 6’3”, 312 lbs, Lamar HS, Houston, TX

OT Na’Ty Rodgers, 6’5”, 290 lbs, Iowa Western C.C., Council Bluffs, IA

QB Bowman Sells, 6’3”, 200 lbs, Lovejoy HS, Lucas, TX

RB Mulbah Car, 5’10”, 190 lbs, Reagan HS, Austin, TX

WR Tyrie Cleveland, 6’3”, 180 lbs, Westfield HS, Houston, TX

WR Keith Corbin, 6’2”, 175 lbs, West Brook HS, Beaumont, TX

WR Courtney Lark, 6’1”, 175 lbs, Bellaire HS, Bellaire, TX

WR Marquez Stevenson, 5’11”, 163 lbs, Northwood HS, Shreveport, LA

 

Photo credit: cbssports.com; Tom Herman on the Houston sidelines.