When the Florida Atlantic Owls and Temple Owls squared off over the weekend in an American Athletic Conference showdown, the game was expected to be a real hoot.
Both teams have sputtered this year, but Temple came away with an 18-15 win in overtime. The result wasn’t enough to save head coach Stan Drayton, though. Temple announced Sunday he had been fired.
On Monday, Florida Atlantic announced a coaching change of their own, parting ways with head coach Tom Herman after the team fell to 0-6 in conference play with Saturday’s result.
“I extend my appreciation to Tom Herman for his dedication to our university and our student-athletes. I informed Tom of my decision this morning and then met with the staff and team. We firmly believe in our ability to win championships and compete for bowl games, and that remains our standard. A national search begins immediately. With the integrity of the search in mind, I will have no further public comment until the announcement of the Owls’ next head football coach,” Florida Atlantic athletic director Brian White said in a statement.
Herman was hired before the 2023 season to replace Willie Taggart and went a dismal 6-16 in his two seasons at the helm, including 2-8 in the 2024 season.
Herman gained prominence as the offensive coordinator of the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2012-14, which led to his becoming the head coach of the Houston Cougars before a stint as the head coach of the Texas Longhorns.
Chad Lunsford will be the interim head coach for the season’s final two games. Lunsford was the head coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles from 2017-21.
