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Texas Longhorns Dealt Hard Pill to Swallow

Excoba Bayano
July 9, 2025
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Texas Longhorns’ Coaching Hire Ranked Among Worst of the 21st Century

A major misstep during the Texas Longhorns’ coaching search led to several challenging years for the program.

Under Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns have regained national prominence, making it to the College Football Playoff semifinals in both of the last two seasons. However, before his arrival, the program was stuck in a modern-day slump, and the coaches hired during that period faced heavy criticism from both fans and media.

The first of these coaches was Charlie Strong, who served as head coach from 2014 to 2016. Strong posted a disappointing 16-21 record, with just one bowl appearance and no winning seasons. At the time of his hiring, the decision made sense, as Strong had led Louisville to an impressive 23-3 record and two top-15 finishes in the two years prior. Unfortunately, his tenure at Texas turned out to be a massive failure.

Charlie Strong’s Texas Tenure Quickly Went South

When ranking the top 25 worst head coaching hires of the 21st century, CBS Sports’ John Taulty placed Strong’s appointment at No. 20, which highlights the scale of the disappointment.

“The hire seemed logical at first, after Strong led Louisville to a Sugar Bowl and back-to-back top-15 finishes,” Taulty noted. “But he couldn’t capitalize on what should have been the best job in college football, with endless resources at his disposal. Strong lost at least seven games in each of his three seasons at Texas, including an overtime loss to a 2-10 Kansas team that had lost 19 straight Big 12 games.”

Taulty added, “Given how well Steve Sarkisian is doing now, it’s hard to believe the program fell so far under Strong.”

Despite a few notable wins, such as upset victories over Oklahoma in 2015 and Notre Dame in 2016 (which led to the infamous “Texas is back” meme), Strong’s tenure was mostly a disappointment.

At 64, Strong bounced back with South Florida, where he led the Bulls to a strong 10-2 record in his first season. However, his success didn’t last, as the program struggled in the following years, culminating in a 4-8 record in 2019, after which he was let go. He is now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a defensive line coach.

While the Strong era was a low point for the Longhorns, the program has bounced back under Sarkisian, now a legitimate contender for national championships once again.

Last Update: July 9, 2025

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