Houston Cougars sign Tony Levine to 5-year contract

So Houston Cougar fans, worried that head coach Tony Levine is going to follow his predecessors to a bigger program? Allay those fears a little, as the school has ‘locked’ him up to a 5-year contract with $125,000 dollar pay raise per season.

Prior to Levine’s hiring, both Art Briles (Baylor) and Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M) moved to then-BCS conferences, and both have had success at their new schools.

After finishing 5-7 in his first season, thanks in no small part due to the graduation of star quarterback Case Keenum the previous season, Levine led the Cougars to a turnaround season in 2013, finishing 8-5 and coming fourth in their new conference, the American Athletic, despite starting a true freshman at quarterback.

Houston has regularly done a solid job recruiting, rarely feeling the urge to step outside the Texas state borders, and the move to the AAC should raise the recruiting profile of the school even higher. The opening of a brand new on-campus stadium, plus the school’s  success over the last 8 years should ensure good talent keeps rolling in.

Therein lies the problem though. If Levine can continue to build the school into a conference contender (very probably considering the AAC’s recent changes), it may not be long before a bigger school comes up with an offer that’s too good to refuse.