PITTSBURGH — Syracuse head coach Dino Babers is a preliminary candidate for Houston’s head coach opening, per the Houston Chronicle.

Former Houston head coach Tom Herman will be the next coach at Texas, where he was a graduate assistant under former Longhorns coach Mack Brown from 1999 to 2000.

Babers was listed alongside former Baylor coach Art Briles, former Baylor offensive coordinator and current Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery and Cal head coach Sonny Dykes. Houston offensive coordinator Major Applewhite and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando are also considered candidates to take over for Herman. (Orlando has been named interim head coach.)

Herman led Houston to a 22-4 record over two seasons. UH won an American Athletic Conference championship and a New Year’s Six bowl over Florida State last season.

Briles, who created Babers’ offense, coached at Houston from 2003 to 2007. He turned around the program during his tenure there, his first time as a college football head coach. Shortly after, Briles was hired at Baylor where he hired Babers as his wide receivers coach. Babers left the program in 2011 to become Eastern Illinois’ head coach. Briles was recently ousted at BU when it was reported he had knowledge of sexual assaults by football players and didn’t report them.

“First of all, I’m only going to talk about the job I’ve got. The job I have is at Syracuse University, and it’s a heck of a job. And I’m totally, 100 percent locked in on Syracuse.”

Asked if he’d be at Syracuse next year no matter what, Babers said, “I already answered the question, I’m locked in on Syracuse. That’s my job.”