The University of South Florida has hired former Texas coach Charlie Strong to become their new head coach, replacing Willie Taggart, who left for Oregon.

Strong is clearly ready to quickly move on from his disappointing stint in Austin, where he was fired after three seasons on the job and a 16-21 overall record, while going 12-15 in Big 12 play.

Not only is Strong heading to Tampa, but he reportedly wants to take a bunch of his former coaches from Austin with him.

Charlie Strong would like to take most of his staff from Texas with him to South Florida, including offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert.

— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) December 11, 2016

There was a reason Texas had issues hiring an offensive coordinator last offseason (most notably, TCU’s Sonny Cumbie). Many felt that this exact scenario could happen where Strong gets canned and the new offensive coordinator is out of work after 1 season in Austin. But, as expected, Strong is loyal to his guys.

It’s believed to be a 5-year deal and and if Strong can last 4 years, we can look forward to September 5th, 2020 when the Bulls take on the Longhorns in Austin.

Strong has great recruiting ties to the Sunshine State, as he had four different coaching stints at the University of Florida.

Strong made a name for himself as head coach at Louisville, where he spent four seasons, compiling a 37-15 record and winning a share of two Big East Conference titles. His 2012 team went 11-2 and ended with a 33-23 win over Florida in the Sugar Bowl.

I thought Strong might take a year off and relax after feeling possible burn out from his stint at Texas. But, apparently he’s ready to move on ASAP and hit the ground running with the Bulls. I’m happy for him and hope he has great success in Tampa.