Texas Football: 3 OC’s who could’ve been considered over Mike Yurcich

2. Major Applewhite

Current Position: Alabama analyst

If the Texas football program wanted to retread an offensive coordinator that wasn’t bad for them in the past, then they should’ve looked no further than the Alabama Crimson Tide analyst and former Houston Cougars head coach Major Applewhite. There would likely be a limited ceiling with what Applewhite could do with the Texas offense, and on the recruiting trail, be he would be a safe hire that could help junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger steady out next year.

Not only was Applewhite an offensive coordinator for the Longhorns when Mack Brown was the head coach, he was a star quarterback at one time on the Forty Acres. He’s had to take a step back since then, but Alabama analysts tend to climb back up the college football coaching tree once they leave Tuscaloosa really fast.

A lot of college football fans really like the schemes and wide variety of interesting run-pass option packages that Applewhite brings with him. He was one of the earlier minds to really develop the run-pass option concept as a head coach at a Group of Five program like Houston. But he was later let go from Houston in favor of the former West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Dana Holgorsen.

Moreover, Applewhite has a lengthy history as an offensive coordinator at a number of blue blood college football programs. He was even an offensive coordinator at Alabama back in 2007. He was then an associate head coach and co-offensive coordinator with Texas between 2008-2013. He bolted for Houston once Charlie Strong was hired by the Longhorns in 2014.