Winless in AAC play, FAU fires coach Herman

• Pete Thamel, ESPNNov 18, 2024, 01:55 PM ET

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  College Football Senior Writer for ESPN. Expert for College Gameday.Florida Atlantic

fired coach Tom Herman on Monday, the school announced, just 2 years into his tenure.FAU was 6-16 during Herman’s 2 seasons

and had gone 0-6 in the AAC this year. FAU is on a five-game losing streak.Herman took the task as FAU was transitioning from Conference

U.S.A. to the AAC and after the shooting of coach Willie Taggart, who existed 3 seasons. Chad Lunsford will be the FAU interim coach. He’s the previous head coach at Georgia Southern.Sources said that the choice was results-based, as the record didn’t match Herman’s track record from his previous stops at Texas and Houston. “I extend my appreciation to Tom Herman for his devotion to our university and our student-athletes,”athletic director Brian White said Monday.”I notified Tom of my choice this morning and after that met with the staff and team. We securely think in our capability to win championships and contend for bowl games, which remains our standard. “He’s the 4th AAC coach to get fired this year, as East Carolina, Temple and Rice have all fired their

coaches. A bulk of the 6 transitioning Conference U.S.A. teams have struggled with the adjustment to the AAC, as five of the seven schools at the bottom of the AAC are transitioning schools.The FAU shooting looms as the greatest surprise, as Herman had yet to finish his 2nd season.

He has 3 years remaining on his five-year deal.Herman, 49, pertained to FAU after a stint as head coach at Texas, where he went 32-18 with four bowl wins in four seasons. Prior to that, he went 22-4 in two seasons at Houston, dominating the AAC and beating Florida State in the Peach Bowl following the 2015 season.Following that perform at Texas, Herman worked for the Chicago Bears for a year and then another year in the media.

Herman must wind up involved in the offensive coordinator mix somewhere, as this looms as a busy year for planner openings and he turned up as a coordinator at Rice, Iowa State and called plays for Ohio State’s 2014 nationwide title team.FAU has actually won 3 conference championships in school history, including Conference USA in 2017 and 2019 under Lane Kiffin. Ever since, FAU has simply one winning season and has withstood four consecutive losing seasons.Florida Atlantic is also rehiring defensive organizer Roc Bellantoni, who was fired by Herman on Nov. 10. Lunsford desired Bellantoni back in his function, sources informed ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.

The sources added that the move isn’t a poor reflection on interim defensive organizer Brandon Harris, who prepared the defense well for Saturday’s game versus Temple. Harris serves as the group’s cornerbacks coach.