Bears hire former Texas head coach Tom Herman as offensive analyst

Another big name is joining the Bears’ coaching staff.

The team announced Monday that former Texas head coach Tom Herman is signing on as an offensive analyst/special projects coach. Herman coached the Longhorns for the past four seasons, compiling a 32-18 record in Austin.

His firing in January was one of the more surprising firings of the college football coaching carousel. The Longhorns never had a losing season under Herman, went 10-4 in 2018 with a win in the Sugar Bowl and went 4-0 in bowl games.

The Longhorns hired former Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian within hours of firing Herman in January.

This will be Herman’s first NFL coaching position. Before Texas, he spent two seasons as the head coach at Houston in 2015 and 2016, including Houston’s 13-1 season in 2015. Herman previously was an offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach under Urban Meyer at Ohio State. He held the same role in stints at Texas State (2005 to ’06), Rice (2007 to ’08) and Iowa State (2009 to ’11). In 2014, he helped Ohio State win the national championship and earned the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach.

This is the second high-profile coach that the Bears have added to their staff in an advisory role. While Herman will help with the offense, former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine will serve as senior defensive assistant.

Adding strength: The Bears also announced the hiring of Anthony Hibbert as assistant strength coach. Hibbert served in the same role at Oklahoma State for the past six years.

Hibbert previously worked for the Carolina Panthers’ strength staff between 2009 and 2011. He also previously worked in the New York Mets’ minor league system.