The University of Houston (UH) Board of Regents approved a raise for the school's head football coach, Tom Herman, with two games still left to play in his first season.
Herman's raise, formally announced Thursday in a news release, more doubles his annual salary from $1.35 million to $3 million annually. UH also increased the coach's payouts for various performance incentives.
"This board is 100 percent committed to Coach Herman, and our actions today reflect our desire to retain him," UH System Chairman Tilman Fertitta said in the release. "The board will help raise these funds and much of it has already been raised.
"Our Tier One University has a nationally relevant football program, and we will keep it that way. We have seen how students respond to a nationally competitive football program. We understand the link between academics and athletics. Our actions are designed to help the academic mission by increasing our exposure to the entire country."
Herman served as an offensive coordinator on head coach Urban Meyer's staff at Ohio State from 2012 to 2014. In his final season with Ohio State, Herman won the Broyles Award, which is given to the nation's top assistant coach. ESPN noted Herman will be considered for various head coaching vacancies at Power 5 programs.
In his first season at Houston, the Cougars are 10-0, ranked 19th overall in the nation, and tied atop the AAC West with 16th-ranked Navy. Houston is scheduled to play UConn on the road this weekend before hosting Navy for their season finale. Winning out, or at least beating Navy, would allow them to play for the AAC Championship and a New Years Six bowl game.
