The Houston Cougars are busy preparing for a showdown against Pittsburgh in the Armed Forces Bowl. And while that may be important for this year’s Coogs, the focus of Houston football is squarely on the future.
You can’t blame fans, or even players, for looking ahead. The Tony Levine era is over. Tom Herman is the new “Cougar-in-Chief,” and even though he’s still busy in his old job helping Ohio State get ready for the playoffs, Herman has put in some hard work for Houston.
Taking off from Houston back to CBus. Had a blast. Lots of work to do. @belletjh @priyaherman @torilynm pic.twitter.com/AyLLFhtAEX
— Tom Herman (@CoachTomHerman) December 20, 2014
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It has helped this is a “dead period” for recruiting right now, so Herman doesn’t have to go through all of the “month’s supply of No Doze and Red Bull” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer joked he would give Herman while be balanced two jobs. He may not have to be in a recruit’s living room, but Herman can’t escape the fact he chose this path. In fact, during a Sugar Bowl news conference Herman told reporters: “Not being disrespectful but I would prefer we kept the questions on the game and the kids who have earned the right to be here.”
I’m sure Herman did get a little heartburn when Houston lost a top recruit shortly after the coaching change. Ben Hicks out of Waco, Texas, was all in on the Cougars way back in August. In fact, he was expected to be on campus next month. When Levine was fired, the rumors started flying. Then this appeared on Twitter from Hicks:
— Ben Hicks (@8Hicks) December 19, 2014
Not only did Hicks decide to de-commit from Houston, he’s going to SMU… a conference rival. I get that Hicks signed up to play for a certain coach, but look at the new guy coming in. Tom Herman is known as “the quarterback whisperer” for the work he’s done molding QBs.
Look at what happened this year at Ohio State. The year started with Heisman candidate Braxton Miller at the helm. When Miller went down with a season-ending injury, in stepped freshman J.T. Barrett. All that 19-year old did was set all sorts of school and Big Ten records on the way to his own Heisman push. That all ended with an injury in the Michigan game. What did the Buckeyes and Herman do? They turned to third string quarterback Cardale Jones. No way he does well, right? Wrong. Jones led the Buckeyes to a 59-0 shellacking of Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game. What quarterback wouldn’t want to play for a guy with that kind of reputation and success?
That brings us to the current Cougars and what the arrival of Herman could mean for their future.
On one side you have Greg Ward, Jr. Ward is a converted wide receiver who is very mobile and very consistent in short-to-medium range passing game. Ward has a lot of talent but also needs a lot of work if he is going to be a star QB in Herman’s system.
Then you have John O’Korn. The sophomore was the starter at the beginning of the season after having an amazing freshman campaign. O’Korn certainly seemed to suffer from the “sophomore slump,” throwing bad interceptions and often looking uncomfortable in the pocket. Some of that could be blamed on the offensive line, but O’Korn is also not the most mobile guy back there.
There are three other quarterbacks currently on the roster, but we’ve never seen Mason McClendon, Hunter McCoy, or Bear Fenimore in action. Plus, if any of those guys were ready to set the world on fire, would the Cougars have been in such a hurry to give the ball to a converted wideout?
So does Tom Herman have a type? It doesn’t appear so. Look at the three OSU quarterbacks mentioned above. Miller and Barrett are very mobile. Jones is much more of a pocket-passer and would much rather run over you than around you. That being said, if you had to venture a guess, there’s a better chance a guy who can take off from the line of scrimmage will better fit the mold. In the wake of Hicks’ departure it will be interesting to see if Herman will try to bring someone in right away. There is also the rumor floating out there that Braxton Miller will follow Herman to Houston even though Miller said he’s staying in Columbus.
With a steady defense and running game already in place, the quarterback position will be the center of attention. The QBs will get a chance to meet with Herman each of the next two months, meetings Herman calls “crucial” in developing quarterbacks in the off-season. So you can’t blame these guys if they are sneaking a peak past the bowl game and into what appears to be a bright future in Houston.
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