Applewhite named UH football coach
Offensive coordinator gets 5-year deal to lead program
The University of Houston decided to stay in-house Friday by promoting offensive coordinator Major Applewhite to head coach, bypassing bigger names for a popular and familiar face to lead one of the top nonmajor conference football programs in the nation.
Applewhite, 38, emerged as the top choice from a list of five finalists for his first head coaching job after a storied career as quarterback at the University of Texas and prominent assistant coaching stops at Alabama, seven years at Texas and the last two at Houston.
“We were not looking for a splash,” said Hunter Yurachek, UH’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics. “Houston is already nationally relevant, and there’s not a bigger name in the state of Texas than Major Applewhite.”
Applewhite received a five-year deal with an annual base salary that, at the beginning, will be comparable to the $1.35 million signed by former coach Tom Herman in 2014, a person with knowledge of the contract said. A news conference introducing Applewhite will be 1 p.m. Monday at TDECU Stadium.
Applewhite was not immediately available for comment Friday, spending his first day as head coach on the road visiting members of UH’s 18-member recruiting class before the NCAAmandated non-contact period begins Monday.
In a statement, Applewhite said he is “excited and honored to have the opportunity to lead such a tradition-rich program.”
Strong ties to recruiting in the state, key recommendations (including from former Texas coach Mack Brown) and internal support from players ultimately swayed the decision in Applewhite’s favor.
“He was just the right guy for the right time for the University of Houston,” UH board of regents chairman Tilman Fertitta said.
From four finalists
Top university officials convened Thursday night to decide from a group of finalists that included Applewhite, defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, former LSU coach Les Miles and Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.
Applewhite’s hiring is effective immediately, and he will coach the Cougars in the Dec. 17 Las Vegas Bowl against San Diego State.
As a first-time head coach, Applewhite also provides stability for a program that has become a steppingstone for more than a decade with former coaches Art Briles (to Baylor), Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M) and Herman (Texas) leaving for bigger and richer in-state schools.
“His goal has always been to have an opportunity to run his own program,” said Herman, who stepped down Nov. 28. “He’s ready for this next step.”
The buyout clause in Applewhite’s contract will amount to the remainder of the contract at the time if he decides to leave for another school, a person with knowledge of the details said.
Yurachek said a conversation with Applewhite stuck with him during the 14-day search process.
“He told me: ‘My time has passed. I don’t need to be in the spotlight. I don’t want to be in the spotlight. I’m here to develop young men and make them better. I’m here for them. They’re not here for me, or here to make me money,’ ” Yurachek said. “I really took that to heart. Everything Major stood for as a person and a coach just resonated with me and all the members of our committee.”
Program on the move
UH has invested tens of millions of dollars in coaching salaries and facility upgrades, including $128 million for 40,000-seat TDECU Stadium and a $20 million indoor practice facility that is set to open in August. Houston was considered a strong candidate for the Big 12 Conference this fall before the league decided against expansion.
At the same time, Applewhite must replace the popular Herman, who in two seasons won 22 games — including decisive outcomes over top programs Florida State, Oklahoma and Louisville — captured the American Athletic Conference title and led the school to its first major bowl appearance in 31 years. Herman was credited with re-energizing a fan base and city with the popular H-Town Takeover social media blitz and galvanizing supporters to contribute financially to the football program. UH has been ranked in the major polls for most of the past two years, climbing as high as sixth this season.
“We don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” Yurachek said. “There is not anything broken in our football program right now. We’re just replacing a great leader with another great leader. He will keep us moving.”
Applewhite has been groomed by some of college football’s top head coaches. He became the youngest offensive coordinator at Rice in 2006 before joining Nick Saban at Alabama for one season. He returned to his alma mater Texas, where he was a record-setting quarterback from 1998-2001 and spent seven seasons on Brown’s staff.
Standout quarterback
From player to assistant, Brown watched as an undersized Applewhite won a highly publicized quarterback battle with Chris Simms to achieve legend status by going 22-8 as a starter and passing for 8,353 career yards and 60 touchdowns.
His time in Austin wasn’t without controversy. He was disciplined in 2009 for what Texas called “inappropriate” conduct with a student trainer. He’s also a key figure in a current sex and race discrimination lawsuit filed by former women’s track and field coach Bev Kearney.
Brown, now an analyst for ESPN, called Applewhite “the perfect hire for Houston.”
“He’s just a guy, as coach (Darrell) Royal used to say, he’s got ‘it,’ ” Brown said.
Asked what type of demeanor Applewhite will bring to his first head coaching job, Brown added: “Major is tough as nails. He’s very, very passionate and fiery behind the scenes. You probably won’t see it as much in public, but I promise you the fire, the toughness, the passion, the desire is there.”
Mentor to Ward
At Houston, Applewhite has been credited with the development of dual-threat quarterback Greg Ward Jr. and has overseen an offense that has ranked among the nation’s most explosive in his two seasons at coordinator.
“His energy and creativity are responsible for one of the most explosive passing games in college football,” UH president Renu Khator said. “I am confident that as our head coach he will continue our upward trajectory as a nationally relevant athletics program.”
Orlando, who was in the running for the job, will serve as defensive coordinator for the bowl. School officials expect him to take the same position on Herman’s staff at Texas.
Simple mandate
Not long after Friday’s announcement, Fertitta laid out the expectations for Applewhite, offering a reminder that former coach Tony Levine was fired after a seven-win season in 2014.
“I think you can look forward to Major being here for many years,” Fertitta said. “But he better win nine, 10, 11 games a year, too, from our standpoint. We did get rid of a coach that won eight games a few years ago.
“Don’t ever forget that. We expect to win at the University of Houston.”