Charlie Strong to be announced as Texas coach Sunday

Texas expects to complete a deal with Charlie Strong to be its new football coach by Sunday, a senior University of Texas official told USA TODAY Sports on Saturday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said Texas is very confident the hire will be completed Sunday. The official announcement would be followed by an introductory news conference on Monday.

Strong, who is 37-15 at Louisville, interviewed with Texas last week. Before accepting Texas' offer, he told Texas officials he wanted to meet in person with Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich. But Jurich was out of town on vacation in Colorado and has had difficulty because of bad weather in getting back to Louisville.

The Texas official said Strong felt obligated to Jurich, who gave him his first head-coaching job. "We've got to respect that," the official said. "We fully expect him to be here."

The Associated Press reported that the meeting between Strong and Jurich occurred later Saturday and that Strong informed the school that he is leaving for the Longhorns.

Per his contract, Strong will owe Louisville $4.375 million, with that amount due within 21 days of his final day of employment.

Mack Brown resigned last month after 16 seasons at Texas. The Longhorns finished 8-5 with a 30-7 loss Monday to Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. Although the Longhorns won a BCS national championship and played for another, the program slipped precipitously in the last four seasons. They were 4-16 in their last 20 games against ranked opponents.

Strong, 53, a native of Batesville, Ark., made his reputation as a defensive coordinator at Florida. Last season, he coached Louisville to a victory over the Gators in the Sugar Bowl. This year, the Cardinals won 12 games including the Russell Athletic Bowl, a 36-9 win over Miami.

Sports Illustrated reported Strong had been offered a five-year contract worth $5 million a year.