FRISCO, Texas (AP) – When Tom Herman first met with Texas players after becoming their coach, he asked who had been part of a winning season with the Longhorns. Only three raised their hands.
Then there are the high school players the Longhorns are recruiting now, 16- and 17-year-old kids that Herman points out have seen Texas put up twice as many losing seasons (four) as Big 12 titles in their lifetimes.
“The Texas they know is a lot different than the Texas that people in my generation know,” the 42-year-old Herman said Tuesday at Big 12 media days. “So it’s our job to show them what Texas is capable of, what Texas has been in the past, and what we’re planning on being again in the future.”
That is the starting point for Herman, who eight months ago took over a Texas program coming off three consecutive losing seasons for the first time since the 1930s.
Texas won the Big 12’s last national championship, but that was way back in 2005 with quarterback Vince Young. Since the Longhorns won their last conference title in 2009, Oklahoma has won four of its record 10 Big 12 titles.