Houston coaching candidates to replace Dana Holgorsen: Jeff Traylor, Willie Fritz and more
Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen entered this fall having won 20 games over the previous two seasons, but he still got fired Sunday after the Cougars went 4-8 in their first season in a new conference, dropping five of their last six games. The worst-kept secret in the Big 12 is how volatile the UH leadership is when it comes to football decisions. The expectations are really high, and the patience afforded coaches has never been realistic. Ask Tony Levine or Major Applewhite — or now Holgorsen, who will at least walk away with a boatload of money .
Where now for the Cougars ?
We expect Tulane head coach Willie Fritz will get one of the first calls. He has done an amazing job with the Green Wave. In 2022, he led them to a 12-2 season that included a Cotton Bowl win over USC and a No. 9 finish. They’re 11-1 this season and have run unbeaten through the AAC. Fritz, 63, has had double-digit win seasons at every level of college football. His age might concern some folks, but he’s around the same age as a bunch of guys who are thriving at the helm of FBS programs.
UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor, 55, was a wildly successful Texas high school coach, and that definitely counts for something in this state. So does the fact that Traylor is 38-14 at UTSA. He does have a $7 million buyout, which might be a consideration given Houston is already paying a bunch to get rid of Holgorsen.
Former TCU coach Gary Patterson is a legend in the state. The 63-year-old spent almost a quarter century at TCU and did a lot of amazing things. He’s a brilliant defensive mind. He led the Horned Frogs to six top-10 seasons. He has told us he really wants to get back in. This is something Houston probably has to at least think about.
UNLV head coach Barry Odom has had a fantastic first season in Vegas . A program that had only one winning season since 2000 is now 9-3 and playing for a conference title. Odom, an Oklahoma native, has evolved a lot since his first stint as a head coach at Missouri and figures to be in the mix for a bunch of coaching vacancies this month.
Texas State ’s GJ Kinne has only been a head coach for two seasons and has taken over two different programs in that time, but he has had excellent first seasons at both. The 34-year-old Texan led FCS Incarnate Word to a 12-2 season in 2022 and this year has the Bobcats 7-5, quite an improvement for a program had been in the dumps for awhile. If Houston asks, Kinne probably can’t say no, but three schools in three years would be quite a whirlwind. Make no mistake about it: The former NFL QB is a really sharp dude.
Texas assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Jeff Banks has been Steve Sarkisian’s right-hand man as the Longhorns have re-emerged as a powerhouse. The 48-year-old Banks has long been regarded as one of football’s top special teams coaches as well as one of the best recruiters in the country. He has really deep ties in Texas. He spent almost a decade at UTEP before going to coach at Texas A&M and then helped Nick Saban land some studs at Alabama. We expect him to get some consideration for a program that really wants to upgrade its roster to compete in the Big 12.
Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein is another young up-and-comer. After serving as Traylor’s offensive coordinator at UTSA, he was brought to Eugene and has had a great debut season, with quarterback Bo Nix in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race. The 34-year-old former Louisville quarterback coached a few seasons of high school football in Texas after spending three seasons on the Texas staff. We think he’s a guy who will start getting consideration for some FBS head coaching jobs sooner than later.
(Photo: Mitchell Leff / )
