Despite the awkwardness with which Texas has handled Charlie Strong’s job status, industry sources continue to tell 247Sports that Houston coach Tom Herman’s interest in the school has not been deterred.

“It really is his dream job,” someone close to the 41-year-old Herman reiterated over the weekend.

Speculation regarding Strong was certain after the Longhorns’ loss Saturday at Kansas, the school’s first loss against KU since 1938. By Sunday afternoon, several reports had surfaced that Strong would be fired. Some outlets reported that an announcement would be made by Monday.

Instead, athletic director Mike Perrin’s office issued a release Sunday evening that stuck to Perrin’s stated plan all along: He would not evaluate the third-year coach and the program until the completion of the regular season.

With Friday’s game against TCU remaining, Strong is 16-20 — which is the worst win percentage by any coach in school history. Presuming he is dismissed in the next week, industry sources indicate that several candidates will be vetted, but Herman is expected to quickly rise to the top of the pool.

Herman, 22-3 in his second season at Houston, has been linked to the opening at LSU and the possible opening at Oregon. Sources told 247Sports last week that he was also Baylor’s top choice.

But Herman has told confidants for years - including this fall - that he covets the Texas job, regardless of the political context.

Industry sources say this weekend’s dose of conflicting reports and mixed messages is another example of Perrin’s inability to properly manage the department.

The Houston-based attorney was brought on board in 2015 when Steve Patterson was fired. He served initially as an interim before that tag was removed in December 2015. Even so, those close to the program indicated that Texas would eventually hire someone with an extensive athletic administration background. Perrin had none before this role.

“He’s a great guy, interacts well with donors, but he doesn’t need to be in charge of a search,” one industry source said, referencing the school’s clumsy baseball search in the spring.

Another source said the school had not yet replaced Perrin because it continues to woo NCAA official Oliver Luck, who was previously the West Virginia AD.

In addition to Luck, 247Sports has been told that Arizona’s Greg Byrne, Virginia Tech’s Whit Babcock, Oklahoma’s Joe Castiglione and Kansas State’s John Currie are on Texas’ AD short list.

Those close to Herman say he’s confident that Texas will make a quality AD hire, what’s said to be another calming element relative to the current tumult in Austin.

Herman does know the city and school, though it’s been a while. He was a graduate assistant at Texas in 1999-2000, earning a master’s degree in education. Altogether, Herman has worked as an assistant or head coach for 13 years in the state. That also includes time at Texas Lutheran, Sam Houston State, Texas State and Rice.

He was the offensive coordinator at Iowa State and Ohio State before returning to take his first head coaching job. At Houston, he’s won 22 of his first 25 games - including all 14 at home. That includes victories against then-No. 9 Florida State in last year’s Sugar Bowl, then-No. 3 Oklahoma in the opener this fall and last week’s 36-10 romp against then-No. 5 Louisville.

The Louisville win, paired with Texas’ stunning overtime loss at Kansas, opened the door for change when it felt uncertain a week ago. Sources at the school indicated that Texas’ administration preferred to retain Strong in the event the Horns finished the season 7-5. That ostensibly went out the window, however, after Kansas netted its first FBS win since 2014.