Willie Fritz will become the next head coach at Houston, which the team announced on Sunday.
Fritz has gone 23-4 in the past two seasons with Tulane. Slade Nagle, the Green Wave’s offensive coordinator, will serve as the team’s interim coach in Fritz’s departure.
Tulane is coming off a 26-14 loss to SMU in the AAC Championship game on Saturday, dashing its hopes of earning back-to-back appearances in a New Year’s Six bowl game. However, the Green Wave will earn a fifth postseason appearance over the past eight seasons under Fritz’s leadership.
Before Fritz became Tulane’s coach, the Green Wave had not earned consecutive bowl appearances since 1979 and ’80. Fritz’s arrival to Houston comes one week after the Cougars fired Dana Holgorsen following a loss to UCF and five seasons with the program. Under Holgorsen, Houston finished 4-8 and lost five of its last six games this season in the program’s first year in the Big 12.
Coaching veteran set to lead the Coogs.
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) December 3, 2023
Welcome, the 16th head coach in Houston history - Willie Fritz
🔗: https://t.co/iqVKy0dnPV@CoachWEFritz | #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/LAfdthEDi9
Houston athletic director Chris Pezman believes Fritz is the perfect person to lead Houston going forward in the Big 12.
“No one in the country has been better at leading and developing student-athletes than Pezman said in a statement. “Over his more than three-decades of head coaching experience, he has guided several football programs to historic success. We’re excited to welcome Willie, his wife, Susan, and their entire family, to Cougar Nation and look forward to putting our full support behind Coach Fritz as we look to take the next steps in the Big 12 Conference.”
Fritz recorded a 54-47 record with the Green Wave. Prior to Tulane, the 63-year-old served as the head coach at Central Missouri, Sam Houston and Georgia Southern.
