NEWSLETTER
Tom Herman is a name that’s not been on my mind for a long time.
If you’ll recall, the Bears brought in Herman during the offseason and gave him an title of “Offensive Analyst” upon arrival. Herman came to town after being let go as the University of Texas’ football coach, but hasn’t really been front-and-center at any point this season. I suppose that comes with the territory of having the title Offensive Analyst/Special Projects.
But after a year away from the college game, it was only a matter of time until the former head coach’s name was thrown around as a candidate for any number of jobs. And for what it’s worth, The Opelika-Auburn News put Herman on its list of 10 candidates for the Auburn University opening.
It’s just that Herman doesn’t have much of an interest in going back to campus:
Talked to Tom Herman today regarding rumors surrounding his name being mentioned for possible college head coaching and/or coordinator positions. He told me that he’s happy in the NFL and that his preference is to remain in that league.
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) December 1, 2021
The Athletic’s Andy Staples tweets that, in a conversation with Herman, the Bears offensive analyst stated his preference to stay in the NFL and that he was happy in the pros. I’m not sure how happy I’d be as an offensive analyst for a team like the Bears. After all, the analysis can’t be good for an offense ranking 29th in scoring and 30th in yards. But I digress.
It is curious to see news that someone like Herman wouldn’t want to jump back into the college realm. After all, I can’t imagine job security feeling all that great with buzz surrounding GM Ryan Pace or Head Coach Matt Nagy. But maybe Herman feels his job will be safe in the event of a house cleaning. Or perhaps he has a good feeling that he’ll gain employment elsewhere if things bottom out in Chicago. Remember, Herman had a successful head-coaching stint at Houston (2015 AAC Coach of the Year). And he also won the Broyles Award (college football’s best assistant) at Ohio State in 2014. In other words, the résumé is good enough to garner interest.
I mean, he is reportedly getting interest from college programs right now. That’s impressive when you consider how things are going in Chicago (or how they came to an end in Texas).
Now, if Herman could only turn that expertise into points for a Justin Fields-led offense moving forward.
