Tom Herman garnered plenty of success throughout his stints as a football head coach at the University of Houston and the University of Texas. Now, he will look to carry that over to Florida Atlantic University.

Two years after leaving Texas, Herman accepted FAU’s offer after the university fired Willie Taggart following the season-ending defeat to Western Kentucky on Nov. 26.

FAU formally introduced Herman as the eighth head coach in the football program’s history in a press conference at the Schmidt Family Complex on Friday afternoon, starting with President John Kelly and Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian White. 

Kelly looked at Herman’s accomplishments at Houston and Texas, which ended with an overall record of 54-22, including a 5-0 performance in bowl games.

“Herman is a winner; he wins at everything he does,” Kelly said. “He is going to transform FAU into something that the whole country is going to know about.”

Kelly also talked about FAU preparing for the American Athletic Conference in 2023, which will allow the university to showcase itself in the national spotlight. 

“You want a leader in place that’s doing that and doing it with the best of ethics, that’s Tom Herman,” Kelly said. “His ability as a coach, his ability to win young minds over, [and] his ability to help young people find their full potential, there’s nobody like him.”

White went to the podium next, explaining that Herman was the first and only candidate FAU offered the head coaching job to.

“Every box we could have possibly thought that needed to be checked for our next coach, Herman checked every single one of those boxes,” White said. “We were ecstatic and zoned in on him as soon as we realized we had a chance to get him here in paradise.”

Herman lastly took the stage, thanking Kelly and White for presenting him the opportunity to coach at FAU.

“The foundation that has been laid by President Kelly and the leadership crew here at Florida Atlantic University is second to none, and it has made this job such an attractive place,” Herman said. “I knew right away when I talked to Brian [White], that the leadership team here was truly aligned, and one that I would be extremely excited to work with.”

Herman also thanked FAU students and fans for creating a “vibrant atmosphere” in the football program, and the players for energizing him as he gets set to take the team to new heights in 2023.

“I cannot wait to get into all of the local high schools here in South Florida and throughout the state of Florida, and spread the good news of what’s to come for FAU football,” Herman said. “This is a dream come true. I can’t wait to win and win a whole lot in paradise. Go Owls.”

Richard Pereira is the News Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @Rich26Pereira.