Update > Defensive coordinator David Gibbs will serve as interim head coach for the Armed Forces Bowl, Thayer Evans reports.
Tony Levine will not return as the head coach of the Cougars, according to sources in Houston.
Levine was named head coach of the Cougars 11 days before their TicketCity Bowl game in 2011 after Kevin Sumlin left for the head coaching job at Texas A&M. He was originally hired by Sumlin to serve as the specials teams coordinator in 2008. In three full seasons, and the bowl game as interim head coach, Levine was 21-17 overall, with a 14-10 mark in conference play in Conference USA and the American. This year the Cougars were 7-5 overall and 5-3 in conference play. His best season came in 2013 when the Cougars finished 8-5 overall and finished 4th in their first season in the American.
By all accounts, this will be an attractive job to a lot of coaches. The 2011 squad led by Sumlin finished #18 in the coaches poll with a 13-1 overall record, and serves as a benchmark of what the program is capable of.
With the move, Houston joins Michigan, Oregon State, Colorado State, Tulsa and UNLV among FBS programs with a vacant head coaching position.
Update> Athletic director Mack Rhoades will formally meet with Levine tomorrow.
We will update with more information as it becomes available. Stay tuned to The Scoop as the situation continues to develop.