The coaching search may have come to an end for Texas. Texas has hired Louisville head coach Charlie Strong to succeed Mack Brown. Horns 247 was the first to report the hire. Chip Brown of Orangebloods followed up by suggesting Texas made an offer and it is expected to be accepted.
On a day that saw multiple potential candidates for the job back out of the coaching search, the reported hiring of Strong may come as little surprise. With Art Briles and Jim Mora distancing themselves from the coaching search, Strong never had a public denial. Strong should bring a focus on defense to Texas. The former Florida defensive coordinator did a good job in turning Louisville around was no easy task, although he had plenty of support from the Louisville leadership headed up by athletics director Tom Jurich. At Texas funding and resources will be no concern at all for Strong.
What comes off as a weird twist is Strong is not exactly the most personable character with the media. At Texas, much as been made about the media pressure that comes with the head coaching position, between being in charge of a landmark program and the responsibilities tied to The Longhorn Network.
Of course, if Strong can build a winner in Austin, will that really be much of a concern? Strong owns a career coaching record of 37-16, including two straight bowl victories.
The timing of this coaching change comes at a difficult time for Louisville. The Cardinals are entering the ACC next fall, largely due to the work to improve the program overseen by Strong over the last few years. Louisville is already losing some key players from their roster, including quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Louisville is the textbook definition of a program in transition in 2014.
UPDATE (11:54 p.m. ET): According to Sports Illustrated, Texas and Strong have agreed to a five-year contract that is valued at $5 million per year.
