UH gets permission to talk with West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen.
The University of Houston’s courtship of Dana Holgorsen has officially begun.
UH has received permission to interview Holgorsen for its head coaching vacancy, a West Virginia official confirmed Monday.
A move from a Power Five job in the Big 12 to the American Athletic Conference — a member of the Group of Five — would represent a rare move.
UH is in search of a replacement for Major Applewhite, who was fired Sunday after going 15-11 with three bowl losses in twoplus seasons. The Cougars finished 8-5 this season and lost to Army 70-14 in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
Holgorsen spent two seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UH from 2008-09 and the school expressed interest when the job was available two years ago. He also has ties to the state with seven seasons as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator at Texas Tech from 2000-07.
In addition, Holgorsen still has a house in Houston and has kept a close relation with UH mega-booster and board of regents chairman Tillman Fertitta.
Holgorsen, 47, is considered UH’s top target. In eight seasons at West Virginia, Holgorsen is 61-41 with seven bowl appearances.
Holgorsen made $3.7 million this season and has three years and $11.5 million left on his contract. Contract talks with Holgorsen would likely include the richest annual salary in school history; that mark currently belongs to Tom Herman, who received $3 million-a-year as part of a restructured deal in 2016.
Another factor in the timing of a potential hiring — Holgorsen’s buyout at West Virginia drops from $2.5 million to $1 million on New Year’s Day.