Florida State’s paperwork for Tom Herman paints a very specific picture of how the Seminoles plan to use him.
According to onboarding documents obtained by Noles247 through a public records request, Herman signed on as an OPS employee, the university’s hourly staff classification, at $25 per hour for a 40-hour week. The form lists a tentative start date of July 15, and Herman electronically acknowledged and accepted the offer on July 13.
The job description is short and to the point: “Assist Coaching staff with game analysis.”
That matches the role Noles247 has previously reported Herman is expected to fill. Sources told the outlet he should spend significant time working with Tony White as an “offensive sounding board for the DC,” helping pressure-test defensive ideas from an offensive viewpoint before opponents can exploit them.
The financial setup is a major departure from Herman’s last two stops. At FAU in 2023-24, he was on a five-year deal that started at a $750,000 base salary and was scheduled to reach $1.5 million in year five. FAU dismissed him in November 2024 after a 4-8 finish in his second season, and he was reportedly owed close to $4 million from the remaining contract.
Before that, Herman spent four seasons at Texas, where he was fired in January 2021 with a buyout of roughly $15.4 million, which was one of the biggest in the sport at the time.
Herman is 51 and has a 60-36 career record as a head coach across Houston, Texas and FAU.
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