Written by Max Olson at ABC7Chicago.com
Texas has decided to fire Charlie Strong as football coach, according to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy and multiple reports.
Strong is 16-20 overall and 12-14 in Big 12 play in three seasons with the Longhorns. If, as is expected, he coaches his final game at Texas on Friday against TCU, Strong will clinch either a bowl bid or his third seven-loss season.
The coach had a regularly scheduled meeting with the team Sunday night and has a regularly scheduled news conference Monday.
Strong told ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit on Sunday night that he had heard the reports that he was going to be fired but had not heard anything from the university. Strong added that he planned to attend his Monday news conference and talk about Friday’s opponent.
Texas athletic director Mike Perrin issued a statement earlier Sunday night addressing the reports and saying the university would continue to evaluate Strong.
“There are a number of rumors out there about the status of Coach Strong,” Perrin’s statement said. “I’ve said it all along: We will evaluate the body of work after the regular season. We have a game to get ready for against TCU on Friday, and I hope our fans will come out and support our team. We’ll discuss where things stand after that.”
Strong will be owed a $10.7 million buyout for the remaining two years on his contract, a fee that would be reduced if he takes another job.
The decision to part ways with Strong became inevitable Saturday night, after Texas (5-6, 3-5 Big 12) lost 24-21 in overtime to a Kansas team that was 1-9 and had lost its past 19 Big 12 games.
Texas began this season with a dramatic 50-47, double-overtime victory over a preseason top-10 Notre Dame team, a feat that moved the Longhorns from unranked to No. 11 in the Associated Press poll. But that game did not prove to be a turning point for the program; the Fighting Irish are struggling at 4-7.
After losses to Cal and Oklahoma State, Strong demoted his longtime defensive coordinator, Vance Bedford, and put himself in charge of Texas’ struggling defense. The Longhorns pulled off an upset victory over Baylor and had an opportunity to finish 8-4 and save Strong’s job. But after close losses to West Virginia and Kansas, they are 5-6.
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