Applewhite In Running For Job On The Longhorns Staff

[GreenBat]

Applewhite in running for job on the Longhorns staff

Associated Press

Updated: January 15, 2008, 6:42 PM ET

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AUSTIN -- Former Texas quarterback Major Applewhite, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Alabama, is in the running for a job on the Longhorns staff.

Texas, which needs a running backs coach, cannot announce a hire until Wednesday night at the earliest because of job posting rules, school officials said.

Applewhite is one of several being considered for the job by Longhorns coach Mack Brown. The Austin American-Statesman reported Applewhite was on the Texas campus Tuesday to interview for the job, but a school official said Brown was out of town recruiting during the day.

Brown has already done some shuffling on his staff, hiring defensive coordinator Will Muschamp from Auburn and moving former coordinator Duane Akina back to his role as secondary coach.

The current vacancy was created when assistant coach Ken Rucker moved to the athletic department. Greg Davis, Brown's longtime offensive coordinator, remains in his job.

Applewhite, 29, has been a rising star in assistant coaching circles for several years, moving from a graduate assistant at Texas to the full-time staff at Syracuse and Rice and then to the Crimson Tide within the last four years.

Applewhite was the starting quarterback for Texas during most of 1998 and 1999, then split duty with Chris Simms in 2000 before being relegated to a backup role in 2001. He still holds a handful of Texas passing records, including career yards with 8,353.

[emmitt01]

Why would you leave a job at one BCS school for the RB job at another?

Don't tell me it's because he's the heir apparent to Mack Brown...half of you think that's Todge's birthright, remember?

[untbowler]

Why would you leave a job at one BCS school for the RB job at another?

Don't tell me it's because he's the heir apparent to Mack Brown...half of you think that's Todge's birthright, remember?

They were talking about this on Mike and Mike this morning and mentioned that Bama has 3 other Exec Offensive Coaches plus Saban has to have his hand on everything, but he would be applying for the RB Coach position which does seem odd for a QB.

[Charlie NT 73]

There must be some behind the scenes action going on at Bama.

As OC at Bama, this position is just as much high profile as the

HFC. Constanly under the microscope. Saban has been known to

pull the plug on assistants, so with all the pressure to win big at

Bama, there will be changes made. Does Applewhite's interest in

another job give confidence to Saban to keep Applewhite on the

staff, or is Applewhite's only interest is to get back to the Univ of

Texas and Mack Brown?

With a 6-6 record, some key SEC loses, and the La Monroe loss,

something will happen with the staff, and finger pointing to a

scape goat. Maybe if Applewhite snags the Texas job, he can

politely leave Bama without any hard feelings about not getting the

job done, or becoming the goat of a disapointing season.

[LongJim]

They were talking about this on Mike and Mike this morning and mentioned that Bama has 3 other Exec Offensive Coaches plus Saban has to have his hand on everything, but he would be applying for the RB Coach position which does seem odd for a QB.

Orangebloods is speculating that they believe the position will be RB Coach/Asst. OC. Some good points made by another poster there:

"I think the main reason Mack wants him is that Major has the most impressive resume of any coach under 30 in the country (save Kyle Shanahan). He has proven to be a stout recruiter. He brings different strategy and techniques from three different institutions (and locales). He has made it fairly obvious throughout his post-football career that he loves (UT). He makes the staff considerably younger. He has name appeal to each branch of the lifeblood of this program - fans, media, recruits, and recruits' parents."

Edited January 16, 2008 by LongJim