Tom Herman Agrees to a New Contract with the University of Houston

As first reported by Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle, rising star head coach Tom Herman is expected to remain at the University of Houston despite being a leading candidate for practically every open job in the country.

The university's leadership moved aggressively to retain Herman in the face of a fury of overtures from other programs across the nation by authorizing the university's board of regents to directly negotiate a new contract with Herman, doubling his compensation to an impressive $3,000,000 per year before bonuses.

I believe this to be a wise move for both the University of Houston as well as Coach Herman. The marquee jobs that Herman likely had his eyes on (USC, LSU, UT) never materialized. A premature move to a middling Power Five program such as Mizzou or Illinois could have severely hurt the young coach's stock.

With the majority of his team returning in 2016, Herman's Cougars should be ranked for the majority of the season, making him a shoe-in if a can't-miss opportunity such as Texas or Texas A&M were to become open.

Houston's administration also finds themselves in a can't-lose situation. They've displayed their ability to generate resources on demand to protect their program while proving themselves to be a real destination job that stands equally with many Power Five programs. If Herman were to leave the program, whether it be this year or in the future, Houston will likely receive a hefty buyout sum from Herman's future employer. Kudos to the Cougars on handling this process with impressive aplomb.

The Cougars open their season in 2016 by hosting the Oklahoma Sooners at NRG Stadium. Think there might be some eyeballs on that game?