Houston firing head coach Tony Levine, according to multiple reports
Levine has compiled a 21-17 record in three seasons as head coach of the Houston Cougars.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Houston athletic director Mack Rhoades told SB Nation’s Steven Godfrey that he and Tony Levine plan on meeting Monday to discuss the head coach’s future.
Sunday, Football Scoop reported that Levine will be let go after three seasons and a 7-5 season in 2014. [Update: ESPN and others confirm the report.]
Levine, 42, originally joined Houston as a special teams coordinator under Kevin Sumlin in 2008. When Sumlin accepted the head coaching job at Texas A&M, Levine was named the team’s interim head coach for the 2011 Ticket City Bowl, which the Cougars won, 30-14, over Penn State to finish the year 13-1.
The interim title was dropped and Levine took over as head coach in 2012, but the drop-off for the Cougars was significant following the departure of Sumlin, and the team finished 5-7 in Levine’s first full season as head coach. Following a transition to the American Athletic Conference in 2013, Houston improved to 8-5 and earned a trip to the BBVA Compass Bowl, thanks in part to a tenacious focus on forcing turnovers.
Houston had a similar performance in the 2014 regular season, finishing 7-5 and earning bowl eligibility.
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