(Photo by WVU Athletics)
When he was brought to Houston in 2019, Dana Holgorsen came with a lot of expectations. The former Mountaineer head coach was thought to be a home run hire for the Cougars following a somewhat successful tenure in Morgantown.
If he could consistently have winning records at the Power Five level, he could certainly find success in the American Athletic Conference, right?
As Lee Corso would say, “not so fast, my friend.”
Following the conclusion of his fourth season, Holgorsen now sits with a 26-20 record. His Cougars dropped their season finale to a 5-7 Tulsa team, 37-30, and finished with a 7-5 record. On top of that, his players are now having a complete meltdown.
Sam Brown, a former WVU receiver who joined Holgorsen in Houston, was caught slapping a Tulsa player following the game last night.
Camera shows Houston’s Sam Brown slap a Tulsa player after the game pic.twitter.com/BvRLxRj5Rz
— Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) November 27, 2022
Things are quickly beginning to derail for Holgorsen, and many Houston fans are calling for his job now.
Here are some of the reactions on Twitter following Houston’s loss:
The Dana Holgorsen experience at Houston has been….something https://t.co/geK6cv6q0O
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) November 27, 2022
Dana Holgorsen wasted Houston’s best QB tandem in years with Clayton Tune and Tank Dell. Absolutely disappointing and underwhelming season to say the least.
— Noah 🌧 🦇 🎃 (@NGLP124) November 27, 2022
Dana Holgorsen and Mario Cristobal should face off in the “Doing the Least with Most” Bowl.
— BeatinTheBookie.com®️ (@BeatinTheBookie) November 27, 2022
I’m serious when I say this Houston needs to fire Dana Holgorsen and rehire Tom Herman
— Noah 🌧 🦇 🎃 (@NGLP124) November 27, 2022
Dana Holgorsen is such a dumb coach it’s unreal
— Noah 🌧 🦇 🎃 (@NGLP124) November 27, 2022
Not only fans are realizing Holgorsen’s failure in Houston, but even national reporters are noticing things just aren’t right with the program.
Dan Wolken, a columnist for USA Today Sports, also shared his thoughts on Dana Holgorsen and Houston – even going as far to call the hire a “flop.”
It won't get much attention because Houston just isn't in the spotlight but it's hard to characterize what a massive flop Dana Holgorsen has been. Just lost to Tulsa to finish 7-5. He's 26-20 in four seasons and their schedule is about to get a whole lot tougher.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) November 27, 2022
“It won’t get much attention because Houston just isn’t in the spotlight but it’s hard to characterize what a massive flop Dana Holgorsen has been. Just lost to Tulsa to finish 7-5. He’s 26-20 in four seasons and their schedule is about to get a lot tougher.”
Those are some harsh words coming from a national columnist.
So don’t think that things are all doom and gloom in Morgantown. Don’t believe that the Mountaineers should have kept Holgorsen, either. He had a 12-win season last year, yes, but he is doing the least with the most in Houston. Just like he did in Morgantown.
Could the Cougars make a change with the program about to go into the Big 12? Quite possibly. However, there have been no reports or hints at a move coming.
Houston, you certainly have a problem now.
