Applewhite a man of action, not words
Major Applewhite is ready for all the talking to end.
For five months, he has been speaking to his players, recruits, alumni. He has spent weeks discussing plans with his staff. He has stressed the culture he hopes to instill as the head football coach of UH. Now he wants action. On Wednesday afternoon, Applewhite was speaking again, this time to UH supporters at the Touchdown Club of Houston.
Applewhite, who has never been as loud or energetic as predecessor Tom Herman, has really eased into the role.
He’s not brash, aggressive or in your face, but Applewhite can command a room with his calm and direct style.
When he was hired to replace Herman in December, Applewhite knew he was taking a leap. His duties would be a lot more than he was used to as offensive coordinator.
In addition to coaching, he would become the face of the football team.
Since taking over, he already has come a long way toward owning that position.
He has realized that people are constantly paying attention
to his moods and mannerisms.
He doesn’t show emotions, which has led people to think he’s mad or upset, when in reality he is perfectly fine.
He laughs at those times.
“I’m much more aware of that now,” he said.
Applewhite realizes now that he sets the tone for the program.
And the tone is crystal clear.
The Cougars are going to work.
Applewhite is the picture of what his team eventually will be.
He’s blue collar. He hangs his hat on his work ethic. He’s quiet, polite and extremely focused on the task at hand. More athletic at coach
He can take short escapes from that, like on Wednesday, when he traded in his coaching attire — shorts, a dri-fit shirt and sneakers — for a sport coat with a shiny UH pin attached to the lapel.
He’d probably rather be studying film, drawing up plays, checking out top players in the area, but he shakes every hand, remembers every name and smiles broadly upon meeting his supporters.
He kicked things off Wednesday with a joke poking fun at Herman — who will not have a Touchdown Club event for the University of Texas this summer.
“We won’t be nearly as athletic at quarterback,” he said. “But we will be a hell of a lot more athletic at head coach.”
He then got straight to business, talking about his team, his goals, the importance of winning games.
Applewhite didn’t need to make any more jokes or tell any long stories. It’s clear to anyone paying attention that his intentions to raise the bar at UH are real.
Whether he can do it remains to be seen.
The Cougars lost a lot last season in the way of coaching staff and players.
But there’s no doubt that Applewhite’s competitive nature — the kind that comes from being a quarterback at a premier college program like Texas — will shine through as he attempts to steer the ship in the right direction. Building connections
It starts with recruiting, and Applewhite has the potential to be great in that area.
He has been through the process as a player. He has worked under some of the best recruiters — Mack Brown and Nick Saban.
And he is committed to keeping the H-Town Takeover intact.
He might not be the type to push a hashtag on social media, but he is building relationships with local high school coaches and intends to keep an “open door” policy with them.
With only a few months to go until the football season gets started, plenty of questions remain about how UH will look.
“It’s always a work in progress,” Applewhite said. “That doesn’t stop.”
The Astros are as exciting as it gets for this area right now. The Rockets are showing steady improvement and progress, and the Texans turned over a new leaf and boast high expectations.
The city would love to see the Cougars succeed as well.
Applewhite and the culture he brings — that gritty, let’s-get-to-work attitude — fits this city and its fan base. Enough talk
He’s the kind of guy who everyone can get behind, the kind of guy people want to root for.
For months, we’ve heard what he has to say. And he does it well. Now, it’s time to see him in action, to see if he can instill the culture and win games in the heart of the city.
And he’s ready to show it.
He has said enough.