Tom Herman was formally introduced as the Texas Longhorns next coach at a press conference on Sunday evening and promised to return Texas to the top of the college football ranks.
"We'll win championships. We'll build men of character. We'll graduate our players. And we will do it all with integrity and class," Herman said.
Herman also noted that he was thrilled to be back "home" in Austin, where he served as a graduate assistant under Mack Brown. As for the pressure of coaching Texas and the expectations that come with it, Herman said he wasn't worried about it because he's prepared for the challenge.
"We're prepared for this job," said Herman. "We're prepared for success in this job. We're prepared for adversity in this job. I'm not feeling any sense of pressure at all."
The former Houston coach and Ohio State assistant will take over a Texas team that finished on a three-game losing streak to end the 2016 season with a 5-7 record. Herman spent two years as Houston's coach, compiling a 22-4 record with the Cougars, including a 38-24 win over Florida State in the 2015 Peach Bowl.
Herman said the hardest thing he's ever had to do was stand in front of his Houston team on Saturday and tell them he was leaving. "I cried in front of them, and I cried when I left," said Herman.
Texas fired Charlie Strong on Saturday after he went 16-21 in three seasons with the Longhorns. Herman will be tasked with the challenge of getting Texas to compete for Big 12 and national titles again, something the Longhorns have not done since they last won the Big 12 in 2009.
