South Florida found their new head man this past weekend, and it was a man who has been unemployed for a little over a week. The school agreed to hire former Texas head coach, Charlie Strong, to the same position. The deal is reportedly over five years, which was announced on Sunday morning.
The two sides reportedly met Friday and Saturday, and sources say they were having phone conversations earlier in the week. Strong will replace Willie Taggart, who left to become the head coach at Oregon this past week.
Strong is now the fourth coach in the school's 20-year history. He was fired by the Texas Longhorns at the conclusion of the regular season after going 16-21 in three years there. Most recently, he led Texas to a dismal 5-7 record this season, as they missed out on a bowl opportunity. The 56-year-old did have success at Louisville, going 37-15 in four seasons with the Cardinals, including two bowl victories.
The veteran coach becomes the first coach in USF history who had recently coached at a power-5 school. It is his fifth coaching stint in the state of Florida, as he also has coaching stops with Ole Miss, Southern Illinois, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, and South Carolina.
The two sides reportedly met Friday and Saturday, and sources say they were having phone conversations earlier in the week. Strong will replace Willie Taggart, who left to become the head coach at Oregon this past week.
Strong is now the fourth coach in the school's 20-year history. He was fired by the Texas Longhorns at the conclusion of the regular season after going 16-21 in three years there. Most recently, he led Texas to a dismal 5-7 record this season, as they missed out on a bowl opportunity. The 56-year-old did have success at Louisville, going 37-15 in four seasons with the Cardinals, including two bowl victories.
The veteran coach becomes the first coach in USF history who had recently coached at a power-5 school. It is his fifth coaching stint in the state of Florida, as he also has coaching stops with Ole Miss, Southern Illinois, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, and South Carolina.
