Houston Fires Coach Dana Holgorsen After Loss to UCF

His departure comes after five seasons with the program.

Houston has fired head coach Dana Holgorsen after five seasons with the program, the program announced Sunday afternoon.

Chris Pezman, the Cougars athletic director, released an official statement about the Houston’s decision to part ways with Holgorsen.

“Over the course of his five seasons with the Cougars, Dana [Holgorsen] made strides in our football program in many ways and laid the groundwork for our transition to the Big 12 Conference, Pezman said. “Ultimately, the results on the field fell below our standards of excellence.”

Corby Meekins, the Cougars’ assistant for tight ends and wide receivers, will serve as Houston's interim head coach as the program seeks to find Holgorsen's replacement. Holgorsen’s departure comes after the Cougars lost 27-13 to UCF on Saturday in their season finale and dropped five of their last six games to finish 4-8 this season in the program’s first year in the Big 12.

Holgorsen came to Houston in 2019 after eight seasons as head coach at West Virginia. In his first two seasons leading the Cougars, he finished 7-13. However, in ’21, the 52-year-old registered a 12-2 mark—his best with the program—and signed a six-year contract extension following that season.

Since the 12-win campaign, the Cougars finished 12-13 in the last two seasons. It appears that Holgorsen was not expecting his tenure to end in Houston after Saturday’s loss. When asked if he was certain about his future with the program, he stated he had a “four-year contract” remaining with the program.

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“Contracts mean something,” Holgorsen said after Saturday’s loss. “If they don’t want me to be the football coach, they have not expressed that to me. I want to be the football coach here.”

Sam Khan Jr. of The Athletic reported that UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor and Texas State coach GJ Kinne are possible targets to replace Holgorsen in Houston.