UH, Herman Agree "In Principle" on New Deal

Tom Herman, the hottest name in the sport of "College Coaching Musical Chairs," has apparently decided to sit this dance out.

Herman, the first year coach at Houston, with a glittering 11-1 record and a spot in the American Athletic Conference's Championship game, said Monday that he and his UH bosses have agreed, in principle, on a new contract. Herman has been the hot name bandied about as many as 15 D-1 programs are already looking for a new football coach.

As expected, Herman left a little wiggle room, stating,

"These things take twists and turns along the way as sometimes (things) do, but I don't anticipate that happening," Herman said.

It looks like the two elite programs currently open are on the fast track to wrap up their searches. USC took the interim tag off of Clay Helton earlier Monday.

Georgia said goodbye to Mark Richt over the weekend, and seemingly have their sights set on Alabama DC Kirby Smart.

Smart, a former player and assistant for the Bulldogs, was the running backs coach under Richt at Georgia in 2005 before joining Nick Saban at the Miami Dolphins. Smart moved to Alabama with Saban and has produced a top 5 defense every year except one (2014) since getting to Tuscaloosa.