Texas OC target Graham Harrell signs extension with USC

On Monday evening, the Texas Longhorns missed on the apparent top target for the open offensive coordinator position when Graham Harrell signed a multi-year contract extension with the USC Trojans.

The decision by Harrell ended several weeks of speculation about Harrell returning to Texas to search as the replacement for Tim Beck, who was reassigned to quarterbacks coach days after the regular-season finale against Texas Tech.

A Texas native who had a record-setting career as the quarterback for the Red Raiders, Harrell was one of the first names mentioned in connection with the job, resulting in a reported meeting between Harrell and head coach Tom Herman in Houston about 10 days ago.

For roughly that stretch, Harrell’s unsigned contract extension sat on his desk, preserving the possibility that he could still take the Texas job. However, Herman said last week that he hadn’t offered the offensive coordinator job to anyone.

Now the question is where Texas will turn now — LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady is the only other name floated publicly in connection with the opening, but he could well opt to remain in Baton Rouge by signing a contract extension of his own.

So right now, publicly at least, the Longhorns don’t seem any closer to finding the program’s next offensive coordinator than they were when Herman first made the move to reassign Beck.