UT to fire Charlie Strong

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Texas coach Charlie Strong walked slowly off the turf at Memorial Stadium, swimming upstream against thousands of Kansas fans trying to join the jubilant celebration at midfield.

McConaughey’s message echoes what a lot of people have been saying and that Texas needs to do what’s best for the young men on the team. The proud Longhorns are now 5-6 and just 16-20 since Strong came aboard, and the writing on the wall seems to be in ink.

That sets up an awkward Monday for Strong when he addresses reporters on the Big 12 coaches conference call, and then later at his weekly campus news conference, which is televised by the Longhorn Network.

Texas sits in seventh place in the Big 12 standings, and were looking for a head coach to bring them back to the national stage when they hired Strong following his impressive four-year stint with Louisville.

As for his fate, Strong said Monday he was told a decision would be made after the Longhorns’ home game Friday.

But according Hookem, even that same pressure was on Strong and his players, who perhaps knew that this past Saturday’s game against Kansas (the Longhorns lost to 1-9 Kansas to drop them to 5-6) would perhaps be a make-or-break for the Texas officials. That can be a tricky situation especially when you have a team as young as the Longhorns are. A deflated Strong was asked postgame what he thought this loss meant for his job. Miles won the final regular-season game of 2015 and saved his job.

With top administrative support, Strong appeared relatively safe until Saturday’s 24-21 overtime loss at lowly Kansas. “It is important to play this game and important for our seniors”, Strong said. I dont know how they will be thinking, but winning that game would help.”.

UPDATE: Charlie Strong responded to reports that the players were threatening a boycott.

So, who should the Longhorns seek out to replace Strong and attempt to return the program to its former glory?

Strong emphasized his desire to win the game for the team’s seniors. My heart hurts for him because people don’t understand what we go through, what he got through. Strong added that he planned to attend his Monday news conference and talk about Friday’s opponent. Strong did emphasize his desire to stay on for the remaining two years of his contract.

Greg Vincent, Texas vice president for diversity and community engagement, stepped into the crowd of players to hug Strong.

Strong also cracked a joke about how – with all the reports circulating that he had already been fired – when he walked into Sunday’s team meeting, “I think half the team was surprised to see me”.