And that's just the off-the-field stuff.

On the field, he inherits a team mired in mediocrity with a 30-21 record over the last four years, but still talented enough to come within 30 minutes of winning a share of the 2013 Big 12 title.

Strong will be introduced as the Texas football coach Monday. In a statement released by the school Sunday, Strong said he was excited to be taking over one of the "premier programs" in the country.

"Texas is one of those places that is always on your radar and a program anyone would dream of being a part of because you have a chance to compete on a national level every year," Strong said. "It's special because it has such great history, pride, tradition and passion for football."

In the 53-year-old Strong — the first black head coach of a men's program at Texas — new athletic director Steve Patterson landed a coach whose teams went 23-3 the last two years, including a BCS bowl win over Florida and a blowout of Miami to end the 2013 season in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, who has the No. 1 Seminoles in Monday night's national title game, praised the hire. Fisher was previously considered a possible target for Texas and would have faced Strong in the ACC when Louisville moves to that league next season.

"I think he's done a tremendous job at Louisville, turning those guys around," Fisher said Sunday. "I think Charlie's an excellent coach."

Strong succeeded at a school that had to fight its way onto the national radar even in the good years. At Texas, the bad years draw just as much attention as the good ones, and college football will be watching to see how well he can unite a powerhouse program with a discontented fan base aching to return to the national elite.

And how quickly he can win a lot of games.

Strong's predecessor did that. Over 16 years, Mack Brown had 158 victories, and in 2005 he won Texas' first undisputed national title in 36 years. From 2000-09, Texas averaged more than 10 wins a season and played in four BCS bowls, winning three.

That success helped spur unprecedented financial growth. Texas ranks as the wealthiest athletic program in the country. A partnership with ESPN created the Longhorn Network, a 20-year deal worth at least $300 million to the university.

But for all its wealth, Texas has struggled to deliver a championship legacy that lives up its sense of grandeur.

Brown won just two Big 12 titles, while his archrival across his northern border, Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, won eight. Texas' lone national championship in 44 years pales in comparison to Alabama's three from 2009-12.

And the recent drop-off that started with a 5-7 record in 2010 got ugly by the end. When Texas started last season 1-2, some Texas fans even booed a public service announcement from Brown encouraging donations to charities.

The turmoil also exposed on a national level the political fighting that embroiled the university and attempts by some school officials and prominent supporters to push Brown out a year ago.

For more than two years, university regents have been fighting over whether to fire school President Bill Powers, who had been a key ally of Brown. Some of the same regents also were involved in talks with Alabama coach Nick Saban's agent in January 2013 in efforts to coax Saban into coming to Austin.

That Strong will be the first African-American head coach of a men's program at Texas is significant at a school that resisted integration in the 1950s and '60s and had college football's last all-white national champion in 1969.

"This is a historic day for The University of Texas and a historic hire for our football team," Powers said.


GOLDEN STAYING AT MIAMI


Miami coach Al Golden won’t be the next coach at Penn State.

Golden, who played at Penn State from 1987-91 and spent a season there as an assistant, said Sunday that he is not a candidate.

“There has been much speculation concerning my future at the University of Miami,” Golden said in a statement. “While I am flattered that our progress at The U during an extremely difficult period of time is recognized, I am also appreciative of just what we have here at UM and I am not a candidate for another position. We are eager to welcome our student athletes back to campus next week and visit with prospective student-athletes and their families beginning January 15.”

Golden’s statement confirms what Miami AD Blake James told the Sun-Sentinel on Saturday.

“Al and I are in regular communication,” James said. “He is our football coach and I believe he will be our coach going forward.”

With Golden out of the running, Penn State reportedly interviewed Tennessee Titans coach Mike Munchak on Sunday. Also, Nittany Lions interim coach Larry Johnson has expressed interest in the job.


HUNDLEY RETURNING TO UCLA


Quarterback Brett Hundley is returning for his junior season at UCLA, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday.

Hundley had a big season as a redshirt sophomore in 2013, throwing for 3,071 yards and 24 TDs and rushing for a team-best 748 yards and 11 scores.

In two seasons as the starting quarterback for the Bruins, the 6-3, 220-pound Hundley has passed for 6,811 yards, 53 TDs with 20 interceptions. He’s rushed for 1,103 yards and 20 scores.

He was considered a possible first-round pick.

On Friday, Bruins head coach Jim Mora dismissed reports that he was a candidate for the Texas job and that he was returning to UCLA.


ONE MORE YEAR FOR MILLER, TOO


Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller will return for his senior season, according to multiple reports.

Miller was considered a Heisman frontrunner entering the 2013 season, but a minor knee injury sidelined him long enough to fall out of contention.

Still, he threw for a career-high 2,094 yards and 24 TDs for the Buckeyes with seven interceptions while completing a career-best 63.5 percent of his passes.

He topped 1,000 yards rushing for the second consecutive season, running for 1,068 and 12 scores and averaging 6.2 yards per carry.

In the Orange Bowl loss to Clemson — the Buckeyes’ second consecutive loss after winning the previous 24 games — Miller was 16 of 24 passing for 234 yards, two TDs and two interceptions and gained 35 yards on 18 carries with TD runs of 33 and 3 yards.

For his career, Miller has 5,292 yards passing and 52 TDs and 3,054 rushing yards and 32 scores.

Contributors: Ken Bradley, The Associated Press