There was the grill fitted against his teeth by Paul Wall after the Cougars won the AAC Championship. There's his fondness for kissing his players before the game, displaying affection for the risks they take on the gridiron for their school. We’ve seen the celebrity pictures of him displaying the Cougar Sign with Waka Flocka Flame.
For all of his shenanigans, coach Tom Herman is already proving that he belongs in the Texas system, embarking on a recruiting frenzy that’s had an immediate impact on the program. There’s already talks of a Big 12 championship run among the Longhorn fanbase, and even more farfetched murmurs of a potential CFP landing spot – an accomplishments that’s eluded Herman in his two years at Houston. The former Cougar coach’s transfer to the state capital has been the talk of the college football community. Already, his personality has proved crucial in recruitment; since joining the Longhorns, seven student athletes have joined the 2017 Texas class, and more will flock to Austin come National Signing Day. Additionally, since his departure, six athletes have decommitted from Houston – proving that the head coach is the primary bargaining chip for recruitment, not the program’s history.
It’s a phenomenon currently seen throughout the Power Five: Baylor, a program embroiled in scandal, claimed one meager recruit for 2017 commits – the smallest class in the FBS. Coaching changes – including the hiring of coach Matt Rhule and a Texas high school approved staff headlined by Cedar Hill head coach Joey MacGuire as a Waco assistant – prompted seven recruits to join the fray within the last month, opening the floodgates for eight total recruits this season. Another program dealing with controversy at the University of Minnesota had new coach PJ Fleck flip eight Western Michigan recruits, bringing their total class to 21 total commits. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is already a renowned HC and has developed a close-knit relationship with local HS coaches; usually getting his pick of the states’ recruits before anyone else, Michigan currently has a class of 27 athletes – fourth best in the country.
Herman’s resume proves his qualifications: 5-0 against Power Five teams; a 22-5 record in two seasons with Houston, with offensive and defensive statistics dramatically surpassing all fellow competitors in the AAC; his ability to extract the best talents from such former players as J.T. Barrett, Ed Oliver, Greg Ward, and Marcus Baugh – which bodes well for quarterback prospect Shane Buechele.
The blessings have already rained down upon Herman without seeing a snap with the Burnt Orange.
Coach Nick Saban said to the Associated Press, “I think he’s one of the finest coaches in college football right now. Very good mind and great personality.”
Red McCombs – who was immediately critical of former coach Charlie Strong’s “meek” leadership qualifications – gave his blessing to Herman to the Austin-American Statesman: “We got the right man. I know Tom by reputation, and spoke to him this morning. This guy is the real deal. If you list his 10 greatest qualities, coaching might be No. 7 or 8. His greatest is recognizing talent. The second one is recognizing the enemy and what it takes to beat him. There are some guys out there we know are winners because we’ve played them and gotten our ass beat the last two years.”
What characteristics does a coach possess to be liked? It could be a charming smile and an aura of confidence; Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury admitted to flirting with mothers to persuade commits. After all, mothers know best. Perhaps it’s an element of fun mixed in with the pressures of performance; Dabo Sweeney has his dance moves down, freely celebrating in the midst of a crowd of his players. For coach Tom Herman, it's faith in the process, exuding with leadership qualifications and proving that he knows what he’s doing; his first step as a Texas college coach was stressing the importance of recruiting locally in the Lone Star state – a positive first action that was met with acceptance by Texas high school coaches.
“I also want the high school coaches of the great state of Texas to know that this is their football program,” he said during his introductory press conference in November.
“We’re the flagship university of the best high school football-playing state in America. I want to continue to do a great job in recruiting the fine student-athletes that are produced by our Texas high school football coaches.”
According to Dale Carnegie’s “How to Make Friends and Influence People”, Herman abides by this philosophy: “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.”
A coaches job is to recruit – expressing to potential commits how much a program would value their services. Already, Herman has implemented a three point plan to renovate football facilities, employed a healthy stable of coaching personnel, and visited high school football games every weekend since his hiring. With Herman at the helm, UT can only improve as a football program, despite the shenanigans he’ll commit while in a city that prides itself on the strange.
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