Florida Atlantic Fires Head Football Coach Tom Herman After 22 Games

Kevin Barral | Nov 18, 2024

Nov 1, 2024; Boca Raton, Florida, USA; Florida Atlantic Owls head coach Tom Herman walks on the field before the game against the South Florida Bulls at FAU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

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Not even two seasons into his time with Florida Atlantic, head coach Tom Herman has been fired, the school announced Monday.

The former Texas and Houston head coach will finish his time in Boca Raton with a 6-16 record. FAU will owe a $4.1 million buyout to Herman.

Owls' Special teams coordinator Chad Lunsford will take over as the interim head coach.

FAU practiced this morning, met with the team and then Herman was informed of his firing. He was two seasons into a five-year deal, and his first year came after FAU transitioned to AAC from CUSA. https://t.co/OXhl3Rleph
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 18, 2024

FAU Athletic Director Brian White said the following in a statement:

"I extend my appreciation to Tom Herman for his dedication to our university and our student-athletes. I informed Tom of my decision this morning and then met with the staff and team. We firmly believe in our ability to win championships and compete for bowl games, and that remains our standard."

Per On3's Pete Nakos, Herman has already been searching for a coordinator job at Power Conference schools in recent weeks.

Before Herman's time with the Owls, he was an offensive analyst for the Chicago Bears and in the collegiate ranks, was previously the head coach at Houston and Texas. He has also previously served as offensive coordinator at Ohio State, Iowa State, Rice, Texas State and a wide receivers coach at Sam Houston State.

Herman was hired prior to the 2023 season. His big win that season was against the University of South Florida by a final score of 56-14. This season, Herman's big win was against the FIU Panthers in the Shula Bowl by a final score of 38-20. The win against the Panthers was his only FBS win in 2024.

Florida Atlantic is set to face Charlotte and Tulsa to wrap up the regular season. The best case scenario for the Owls is looking at a 4-8 season once again, the same marker Herman led them to in 2023.

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