Houston fired coach Dana Holgorsen on Sunday, according to the Houston Chronicle. Holgorsen posted a 31-28 record during his tenure but stumbled to a 4-8 mark as the Cougars transitioned into the Big 12 this season.
The Cougars sat at 4-5 with an opportunity to reach a bowl game after beating Baylor 25-24 in overtime on Nov. 4. Unfortunately for Holgorsen, Houston lost three straight games to end the year with all three losses coming by double-digits. The capper was a 27-13 loss against UCF where the Coogs were outgained 476-259 in total yards, including 223-94 on the ground.
Landing Holgorsen was seen as a coup in 2018 as Houston attempted to make its case for Big 12 membership. He left West Virginia after eight seasons to sign a contract that paid him $4 million per season on average, one of the richest contracts in the Group of Five. The contract had a kicker that immediately paid Holgorsen an extra $1 million bonus if Houston reached power conference membership.
In 2021, Holgorsen led Houston to a 12-2 record and appearance in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game and No. 17 AP Top 25 finish. However, the Coogs fell to 8-5 one year later despite returning quarterback Clayton Tune before bottoming out in 2023.
Holgorsen signed a contract extension in 2022 that upped his pay to $4.5 million per season. With his termination, he is now owed a buyout of nearly $15 million as Houston embarks on its first coaching search of the Big 12 era.
CBS Sports will have takeaways shortly as Houston has parted with Holgorsen.
