Ex-Texas star Major Applewhite officially hired as South Alabama football coach
Former Texas football quarterback Major Applewhite was named coach at South Alabama on Thursday.
Applewhite was promoted from offensive coordinator to replace Kane Wommack, who left to be the co-defensive coordinator at Alabama. The 45-year-old is the fourth coach in Jaguars history, as South Alabama added football in 2009 and moved to the FBS in 2012.
REQUIRED READING: Texas History: The first time ESPN College GameDay came to Austin, Major Applewhite made it count
"I'm incredibly humbled and excited to be the next head football coach at the University of South Alabama," Applewhite said in the announcement. "My family and I love living in Mobile and are thankful for the opportunity to further ingrain ourselves in the community here. I'm grateful to Kane Wommack for bringing me here three years ago, and I look forward to carrying on the winning tradition that has been established.
"I'm excited to work with the strong and proven leadership of the administration here at South Alabama. I'm anxious to get started and quickly turn my attention back to our players and prepare them for spring ball and the 2024 season."
Applewhite's offense set a school record with 430 points in 2023 en route to winning the program's first bowl game, beating Eastern Michigan in the 68 Ventures Bowl.
Applewhite's new job is the second time he's been a college head coach, first leading Houston from 2017-18. Before joining South Alabama, the former Texas passer was an analyst at Alabama from 2019-20.
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Major Applewhite coaching record
Here's Applewhite's coaching record by season as a head coach:
2016 (Houston interim): 0-1
2017 (Houston): 7-5
2018 (Houston): 8-5
Major Applewhite Texas stats
One of the most prolific passers in Texas football history, Applewhite ranks third in all-time passing yards for the Longhorns. He was also the Big 12's co-offensive player of the year in 1999 and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection.
Here are Applewhite's career and year-by-year stats at Texas:
Career: 611 of 1065 passing (57.4%); 8,353 yards, 60 TDs, 28 INTs
1998: 159 of 273 passing (58.2%); 2,453 yards, 18 TDs, 11 INTs
1999: 271 of 467 passing (58%); 3,357 yards, 21 TDs, 9 INTs
2000: 152 of 279 passing (54.5%); 2,164 yards, 18 TDs, 7 INTs
2001: 29 of 46 passing (63%); 379 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Major Applewhite hired at South Alabama; ex-Texas QB replaces Kane Wommack
