AUSTIN, Texas—After initially saying Tom Herman would remain coach of the Texas football program, the Longhorns on Saturday pulled an about face and fired Herman after four seasons with the team. Texas will hire Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian in Herman's place, a source close to the process tells CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd.
The decision to move on from Herman was made after evaluating the program's strengths and weaknesses, according to a statement released by Texas. Herman is owed a $15 million buyout with his assistants tallying an additional $10 million in buyouts for a total expenditure of nearly $25 million just to remove the football staff.
"With our football season coming to a close, our vice president and athletics director, Chris Del Conte, has evaluated the UT program's strengths and weaknesses and where the program is relative to our goals. While we have made measured progress during the past several years under Tom Herman's leadership, Chris has recommended to the university president, Jay Hartzell, that UT make a coaching change to get us on track to achieving our ambitious goals," Texas' statement read. "President Hartzell and the chair of our Board of Regents, Kevin Eltife, concur with this recommendation and have approved the change. We thank Coach Herman for his service and dedication to our student-athletes, our program and our university."
Herman was 54-22 in four seasons at Texas. Sarkisian will coach his final game for the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 11. 247Sports' Chip Brown first reported Sarkisian would replace Herman at Texas.