Speculation Over UT Austin Head Coach Runs Rampant Following Shocking Kansas Loss

AUSTIN, TX — After a unexpected — some are calling it downright shocking — loss to the University of Kansas on Saturday, the dominating topic of discussion over the weekend throughout the city was whether or not Charlie Strong will be fired as the University of Texas at Austin head coach.

The loss on Saturday to Kansas — one of the worst teams in major college football with a 1-9 record heading into the game — heightened talk that Strong's days are numbered. Even before the Kansas loss, many have predicted Strong would be fired as he heads into a 16-20 record at Friday's season finale, making him the only other Longhorns coach ever to have more games than he won after coach Jack Chevigny who went 13.14-2 way back in the 1934-36 season.

Citing a single source, the Austin American-Statesman wrote thatUniversity of Texas officials already have decided to let Strong go after Saturday's loss. However, an official announcement wouldn't be made until Monday, the Statesman reported on the basis of information from a "high-ranking university source."

By Sunday, speculation was all over social media as to Strong's future sparked partly by that report. The rampant discourse prompted the University of Texas Men's Athletic Director Mike Perrin to issue a statement, perhaps as a way of quelling the rumors until the issue is definitively resolved — not on Monday, as some have reported, but on Friday after a scheduled away game against Texas Christian University, Perrin suggested.

"There are a number of rumors out there about the status of Coach Strong," Perrin wrote. "I've said it all along, we will evaluate the body of work after the regular season. We have a game to ger ready for against TCU on Friday, and I hope our fans will come out and support our team. We'll discuss where things stand after that."

Strong arrived at UT Austin three years ago. The Houston Chronicle noted that after this season, the university still owes him $10.7 million of a five-year, $26 million contract he signed in 2014.

>>> Image via WikiMedia Commons