Why was Dana Holgorsen fired? Exploring potential reasons behind former Houston HC's dismissal 

It is being reported that coach Dana Holgorsen is being fired after five seasons with the Houston Cougars. This was Houston's inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference and after going 4-8 and missing a bowl game entirely, the athletic department decided to let him go, as per ESPN.

So, what led up to this decision and why was it taken now? Let's take a deeper dive into his tenure.

Why did Houston fire Dana Holgorsen?

Dana Holgorsen was an excellent coach in a Group of Five program as he began to turn things around at Houston after winning seven games in his first two seasons. 2021 saw the team go 12-2 and 2022 saw the Cougars finish 8-5, each year ending with wins in bowl games.

However, there is a huge jump in talent between a Group of Five program and a Power Five program that the Houston Cougars soon realized.

The game speeds up and coaches improve so things get more difficult. Not to mention the recruiting has to improve as the players on the other side greatly improved as well. Unfortunately, Dana Holgorsen was not able to get off on the right foot.

Another reason is wanting a coach with some more experience in these types of programs that are competing at a Power Five level. There were three other programs (BYU Cougars, Baylor Bears, UCF Knights) that also joined in 2023 and each were in the bottom half of the conference standings.

Getting an experienced coach will open the door to better recruits, something it appears like Holgoersen was not able to do to stay competitive.

The team struggled on both sides of the football as they were ranked 90th in points per game (23.7) and 108th in points allowed per game (31.5), and coaching plays a part in that. Getting someone with experience at the Power Five level is going to do wonders for the Houston Cougars going forward.

That opens the door to more talented coaches and coaching staffs taking the reigns at the University of Houston.

When did Dana Holgorsen join Houston?

Holgorsen originally was with the Houston Cougars for two seasons back in 2008-09 as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. However, he left following the 2009 season, but returned to take over as the head coach in 2019 after resigning from West Virginia as their coach.