Former Texas RB Says The Tom Herman Era Was Worse Than Fans Realize

The Tom Herman era at Texas had some memorable moments on the field, highlighted by the Sugar Bowl win over Georgia to close out the 2018 season.

Though he didn't bring the Longhorns back in national title contention after picking up the pieces from the Charlie Strong era, Herman won four bowl games across four years at Texas and never had a losing season. It marked a positive step in the right direction after three straight losing seasons under Strong.

However, any of the above-average success Herman had on the field at Texas was somewhat overshadowed by locker room issues and an occasional lack of professionalism, but it might have been even worse than fans realize.

Former Texas RB Chris Warren Pulls Back Curtain on Tom Herman Era

Texas Longhorns running back Chris Warren III (25) reacts against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas Tech beat Texas 48-45. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Former Texas running back Chris Warren III played just one season under Herman in 2017 but that was all he needed in order to see some of the issues that the former head coach had while with the Longhorns.

Warren recently took to social media to pull back the curtain, saying it's crazy that Texas even managed to finish with a 7-6 record that year despite all of the stuff that went on behind the scenes.

"Man if you only knew half the s*** that was going on in 2017 man yall would be surprised we even won games," Warren wrote on X.

Man if you only knew half the shit that was going on in 2017 man yall would be surprised we even won games https://t.co/5ywdSGBtpI
— Chris Warren III (@ScorealldayCW25) August 12, 2026

Tom Herman's Most Notable Mistakes at Texas

While there were likely some issues in the locker room that Texas fans might never know the details of, Herman still made mistakes right in the public eye.

This included his heated postgame interaction with Mike Gundy after a loss to Oklahoma State in Stillwater during the 2018 season. Herman lost his cool and tried to go after Gundy before being held back.

On top of that, he showed a lack of professionalism during the Texas Bowl against Missouri in 2017 while mocking a celebration from Tigers quarterback Drew Lock. Certainly not as bad as the Gundy scuffle, but still something that showed why Herman just wasn't meant to be the head coach at Texas.

Players can celebrate and talk trash, but that kind of stuff is typically above the head coach. It's simply not something that you'd see Steve Sarkisian do.

That said, Herman still managed to secure the aforementioned four bowl wins and recruited a load of future NFL talent out of high school, highlighted by names like Bijan Robinson, Joseph Ossai, DeMarvion Overshown, Moro Ojomo, Cameron Dicker, T'Vondre Sweat, Alfred Collins, Jahdae Barron and many more.

Chris Warren III's Texas Career

As for Warren, he became a fan favorite during the end of the Strong era at Texas when he burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2015.

He had one of the best individual rushing games in program history that season when he finished with 25 carries for 276 yards and four touchdowns against Texas Tech.

During the 2017 season under Herman, Warren posted 71 carries for 314 yards and six touchdowns. This was highlighted by his game-winning touchdown in double overtime to beat Kansas State along with a strong performance against San Jose State with 16 carries for 166 yards and two touchdowns.

Warren's legendary performance against Texas Tech remains the seventh-most rushing yards in a single game by a Texas player in program history, only trailing names like Ricky Williams, D'Onta Foreman, Jamaal Charles and Cedric Benson.

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