Texas now has less competition for Tom Herman after LSU hires Ed Orgeron

According to widespread media reports, including SB Nation, the LSU Tigers took the interim label off of head coach Ed Orgeron, opening the way for the Texas Longhorns to hire Houston Cougars head coach Tom Herman.

A meeting between current Longhorns coaching staff and athletic director Mike Perrin reportedly happened early Saturday morning.

LSU reportedly didn’t want to compete with Texas for Herman, opting to move on when the Houston head coach informed athletic director Joe Alleva that he was set to meet with the Longhorns on Saturday.

And despite all those reports on Thursday evening about the Tigers and Herman being close to a deal, LSU balked at Herman’s agent asking for $6 million per season, which is the early reported price to bring Herman to Austin.

That’s roughly one million more per season than Strong’s contract.

If it happens for Texas, perhaps as soon as Saturday or Sunday with an introductory press conference on Monday, expect Herman to aggressively pursue top recruiters for his staff, including longtime Longhorns assistant Tim Brewster, currently with the Seminoles.