Coaching Connections: Everett Withers and Tom Herman

By James Jordan II
Sports Reporter

With the highly anticipated home game between Texas State and the University of Houston just a few days away, let’s take a brief look at the history between coach Everett Withers and coach Tom Herman.

Their first encounter was when Withers was a defensive back coach at the University of Texas at Austin, from 1998-2001. In 1999, Herman joined the staff as a graduate assistant, coaching the offensive lineman until 2001. Later on in their coaching careers, they would both end up spending time on the Ohio State Buckeyes coaching staff led by coach Urban Meyer.

“Tom was a bright, young, up-and-coming, inspiring, wanting to be a coach, G.A at Texas,” Withers said, when asked on his impression of Herman. “I thought he was one of those guys you knew would be a really good coach one day. You could tell…”

But with this being game week, coach Withers has put all communication with coach Herman aside in search of a potentially historic win for the Texas State Bobcats.

“Our wives are really close, we’re really close. We talk, but we don’t talk this week.” Withers said.

Even when asked if the two coaches wives would be getting together sometime this week, Withers quickly responded “Probably not.”

The Houston Cougars finished their 2015 season with a record of 13-1 in coach Herman’s first year as head coach. The Cougars are sitting with a perfect 3-0 record and are now currently the No. 6 team in the country. The Texas State Bobcats are 1-1 on the season and will now be taking on their second Top 25 team within two weeks.

Maybe post-game dinner arrangements will be made by the coaches after the dust has settled, but this Saturday night the two old friends will be looking to top one another in a Lone-Star State showdown.

Kickoff is set for Sept. 24, at 6:00 P.M at Bobcat Stadium and will be televised on ESPNU.