HOUSTON – It's the first season for Tom Herman as a head coach at the University of Houston.
But he said his 16 years as an assistant has prepared him for what's to come with the Cougars.
"I told our guys heading into summer training that this was the most important, maybe the most pivotal offseason in the history of University of Houston football," Herman said. "This is a different team than we inherited seven months ago."
The second Herman's responsibilities ended at Ohio State, he was setting his vision his vision into motion -- the H-Town Takeover.
"This is our town, this is our city," Herman said. "We embrace it with every fiber of our being. "We plan to make sure that we defend this city too from, to be quite honest with you, from people coming in and trying to recruit our city like they have in the past. It's not going to be as easy as it was before."
So far Herman has grabbed commitments from several high-profile local recruits with long lists of offers.
The H-Town Takeover will be put to the test for the Cougars on Sept. 5 against Tennessee Tech. UH visits Louisville in Week 2 for its second game of the season.