One month after leaving Texas, Strong was hired at South Florida where he led the Bulls to a 21–16 record before being fired in 2019.

His stifling defenses and charismatic personality created buzz that he would be possibly the first black head coach in the SEC, but job offers were slim.

In a January 2009 interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Strong expressed his belief that race played a large part in the reason that he hadn't been offered a head coaching job in 2009.

[6] In a telephone interview that day with ESPN.com columnist Pat Forde, former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy said of Strong, "When they see what he can do, you're probably going to have a lot of people disappointed they didn't hire him sooner."

Strong led Louisville to a victory in the 2013 Sugar Bowl over his former team, the Florida Gators, by a final score of 33–23.

"[12] In his first training camp as Longhorns coach, Strong suspended or dismissed a number of players for legal and disciplinary reasons.

Players went to training camp with blank white helmets and Strong said they would have to earn the right to have the Longhorn logo on them.

Texas under Strong started 2–4, which included a 20–17 nail-biter defeat to #12 UCLA and 31–26 close loss to #11 Oklahoma.

Strong's first upset win against a top 10 team at Texas was in the Red River Showdown in his second year, beating Oklahoma 24–17.

[13] Strong had begun the season 1–4, and coming into the game, the Longhorns program was noted by multiple national media outlets as being in trouble.

Both players (QB Jerrod Heard and RB D'Onta Foreman) were in their second years, signalling the success of Strong's recruiting at Texas.

[15] Texas would finish 5–7, not eligible for a bowl game, but ended the season on a high note upsetting No.

[21] In 2020, Strong was hired as a defensive analyst at the University of Alabama under head coach Nick Saban, following his termination from South Florida.

[22] As a defensive analyst, Strong helped the Crimson Tide win the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship.

On March 1, 2023, the University of Alabama under head coach Nick Saban announced that they had hired Strong as a defensive analyst for the 2023 season.