It seemed like an inevitably, but it finally happened on Sunday morning. Houston has decided to move on from its head coach Dana Holgorsen after five seasons on the job. The Cougars went 4-8 in their first season in the Big 12. With big-pocketed boosters such as Houston Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta, it was only a matter of time before the underperforming Holgorsen was let go as head coach.
Holgorsen will find work immediately, as he had great success previously leading the West Virginia Mountaineers. His replacement Neal Brown is just now getting the WVU program back to what it was when he was calling the shots. However, Holgorsen may need to go be an offensive coordinator or do work as a television analyst before getting his next shot at leading a Power Five college football team.
In five years at the helm, Holgorsen went a combined 31-28 overall and 20-19 in conference play. While U of H had a great 2021 season by going 12-2, the Cougars won just two conference games upon joining the Big 12 this season. Of the four newcomers into this league, they have the highest ceiling, based on location and boosters. It is why Fertitta and others have decided to move on here.
Without further ado, here are three awesome potential replacements for Holgorsen at Houston.
Dana Holgorsen fired: 3 incredible replacements for Houston head coach
3. Gary Patterson could take Houston to levels he experienced at TCU
This may be a shot in the dark, but Gary Patterson is out there to be had. The former head coach at TCU spent last season on Steve Sarkisian's Texas Longhorns staff. While Texas has been better without him, as well as Sonny Dykes taking TCU to the national championship game a year ago in his first season at the helm, we know what Patterson is all about: Great defense and player development.
While he may be in his early-to-mid-60s, I think the Houston gig could be intriguing for a guy like Patterson. What you have to remember is that he not only won prolifically at TCU before going Power Five, but marvelously transitioned the Horned Frogs shortly upon joining the Big 12 over a decade ago. Houston is trying to do that, but has far greater financial resources than the Fort Worth school.
Truth be told, Patterson does not need to coach another down to cement his status as a coaching legend. Not to say anything he could do at Houston would unravel all that he did from a legacy perspective at TCU, but it would not be a bad time to quit coaching while he is ahead. Still, being able to help Houston go from Big 12 bottom-feeder to new league titan could certainly have his intrigue.
There are few coaches with as much experience of moving up a level and doing well than Patterson.
2. Willie Fritz could get that sweet Power Five opportunity he deserves
Willie Fritz may be a mainstay at Tulane, but he was nearly poached for the Georgia Tech vacancy an offseason ago. He opted to lead the Green Wave in the Cotton Bowl after winning the Group of Five. Georgia Tech decided to remove the interim tag on Brent Key in the wake of Fritz's decision. Truth be told, both programs have come out of this well. However, Houston could be what gets Fritz to leave.
Fritz is in his early-to-mid-60s and could stay at Tulane for as long as he wants. Unfortunately, the Greenies are going to be stuck in the Group of Five as one of the few American holdovers in the latest wave of conference realignment. Teams like Cincinnati, Houston and UCF have leveled up out of The American this past season. SMU will be joining the ACC next year alongside with Cal and Stanford.
Again, Fritz may be comfortable at Tulane and may like his chances of making the expanded College Football Playoff field next season. Unfortunately, he is a top target from the Group of Five teams like Houston will want to hire immediately. Fritz just got a huge bump in pay an offseason ago at Tulane. He might be due for another one, as the Greenies could win the Group of Five in back-to-back years.
All things equal, Houston will be able to outbid Tulane for their head coach, if they want to hire him.
1. Houston landing Jeff Traylor instead of Texas A&M would be hilarious
This would be a masterclass hire if Houston is able to pull this one off. Jeff Traylor has built the UTSA program out of nothing, helping give the Roadrunners a brand and a football team worth talking about. He is a former high school coach in the state of Texas with great connections and recruiting chops. Having been tied to both Mississippi State and Texas A&M, watch Houston go in for the kill.
In terms of what Houston needs and what Traylor could want, this is a perfect potential partnership. Houston needs a guy who can recruit and develop players. Harris County has more blue-chip talent than in any other metroplex in the country. Traylor has shown he can build a program from the ground up and sustain excellence there. Even seeing UTSA switch Group of Five leagues was not any issue.
While I think SEC jobs like the ones available at Mississippi State and Texas A&M could be too great of a leap for him, at least initially, Traylor could come in day one at U of H and make a huge impact. It would not be shocking to see Traylor leading the Cougars to the Big 12 title bout in year two at the helm. If he hits the transfer portal hard initially, Houston could be back ranked inside of the top 25.
If Houston is the Texas program to pry Traylor away from UTSA, that would be so incredibly hilarious.