Houston Hot Board: Candidates to replace Dana Holgorsen as head coach

Houston has fired coach Dana Holgorsen after five seasons, proving once again that no buyout is too high when a billionaire wants to win. Houston megadonor Tilman Fertitta has said repeatedly that the Cougars will not accept mediocrity, so it’s not surprising that Houston made a change despite what Holgorsen told The Athletic is a “[bleeping] impossible buyout” of around $15 million.

Houston went 4-8 overall and 2-7 in conference play in its first season in the Big 12. The Cougars will need to find someone who can quickly use Houston’s natural geographical recruiting advantages to build a roster that can compete in the Cougars’ new league. Fortunately, there are some uniquely qualified candidates.

Most of these lists contain more names. This one has only three, because the Cougars don’t really need to look any farther.

Jeff Traylor, UTSA head coach

Traylor is 38-14 in four seasons as the Roadrunners’ head coach and just went 7-1 in conference play in the team’s first season in the American Athletic Conference. He’s a four time Texas Class 4A high school coach of the year, and he grasps the dynamics of recruiting in the Lone Star State better than almost anyone.

Traylor probably should have been a serious candidate for Texas A&M, but moving to the Big 12 in the heart of one of America’s most talent-rich cities would give him a chance to show how good he can make a program.

Willie Fritz, Tulane head coach

Fritz has the Green Wave in the American title game for the second consecutive season, and a win against SMU on Saturday all but guarantees Tulane will play in a New Year’s Six bowl for the second consecutive season.

Fritz has won everywhere he’s been from Division II to the FBS, but the experience that might be most relevant in this case is his 40-15 record in the four seasons at Sam Houston State. Fritz led the Bearkats to three FCS playoff appearances and two national title game appearances. He understands the neighborhood.

Gary Patterson, former TCU head coach

Patterson will need to demonstrate that he understands how to manage players in the NIL era, but he’s already proven time and again that he knows how to build a winner in the state of Texas.

There aren’t many better evaluators and developers of talent in the country. So if Patterson can show that he’s evolved enough since his departure from TCU to make sure that he can deal with today’s players, then he absolutely merits serious consideration.