Houston tasks Fritz to lead Big 12 turnaround

• Pete Thamel, ESPNDec 3, 2023, 11:38 AM ET

Houston has hired Tulane’s Willie Fritz to be the Cougars’ next football coach, the school revealed Sunday.Fritz led Tulane to

among the very best stretches in school history, as the Green Wave have reached a championship game in five of the previous six seasons and have gone 23-4 the previous 2 years. Prior to his arrival, Tulane went to one bowl game from 2003 to 2015.”Nobody in the nation has been better at leading and developing student-athletes than Willie Fritz,”Houston athletic director Chris Pezman said in a statement.”Over his more than three-decades of head coaching experience, he has assisted numerous football programs to historical success. “Editor’s Picks 2 Related Offending planner Slade Nagle is set to function as Tulane’s interim coach, sources informed ESPN.Fritz led Tulane to the American Athletic Conference title in 2015, and the Green Wave lost to SMU in the title game Saturday. His signature win at Tulane was available in the Cotton Bowl after the 2022 season, a scintillating 46-45 triumph over quarterback Caleb Williams and USC.Fritz will replace Dana Holgorsen, who was fired after 3 losing seasons in 5 years. Holgorsen ended up with a 31-28 record and is due a$14.8 million buyout, which goes through mitigation.Fritz stated in a declaration that he was “humbled and honored “for the chance to coach at Houston. “There is no ceiling for success, with the unbelievable fan support, exceptional centers, talented young men and a collective desire to compete for championships, “Fritz stated.

“We will construct a program that all Coogs can be proud of, and I can not wait to see the results.”Fritz has substantial experience training in Texas, as he worked at Sam Houston State in 3 different stints, in addition to in the high school ranks and as a junior college coach at Blinn.He has actually been a head coach since 1993 and has experienced success at every level. That includes two juco national titles at Blinn and postseason appearances at Central Missouri, Sam Houston State, Georgia Southern and Tulane.Houston is facing a steep climb after posting a 2-7 Big 12 record in its first season in the conference, with one win coming improbably in the final seconds versus West Virginia. The Cougars lost to crosstown competing Rice and dropped the final three games of the season versus

Cincinnati, Oklahoma State and UCF.Fritz’s launching will come against UNLV in 2024 before a Week 2 roadway game at new SEC member Oklahoma.