Major Applewhite: âThe vision for this program is to win championshipsâ

In his formal introduction on Friday as the fourth head football coach at South Alabama, Major Applewhite didn’t shy away from expectations.

The Jaguars went 17-9 the last two seasons under Kane Wommack, who left earlier this week to become defensive coordinator at Alabama. South Alabama did not win a Sun Belt Conference title during Wommack’s three-year tenure, but Applewhite — the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in that time — pledged to raise the bar.

“I’m so honored for this opportunity,” Applewhite said. “The vision for this program is to win championships – let it not be mistaken. And the way we’re going to do that is with great men, and great men that have the same morals and the same values and principles that we want day-in and day-out that align with our leadership.

“I’ve had an opportunity to be a head coach. I’ve had an opportunity to work at a lot of different universities. Players and coaches can win ball games, they can go out there and win ball games, they can accumulate talent, they can win ball games, but you will not win championships unless you have championship alignment from the top to the bottom — from your president to your athletic director, to your faculty and staff to your support (staff), your donors, your athletic director, your administration. That is truly, if you get on the inside of this job, that’s truly what allows you to win championships.”

It’s the second head-coaching opportunity for the 45-year-old Applewhite, who went 15-11 in two seasons (2017-18) at Houston. He then spent two years as an analyst at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide to a national championship in 2020 before joining Wommack at South Alabama.

Applewhite also has serious bona fides as a player and as an assistant. He was a star quarterback at Texas in the late 1990s and later was offensive coordinator or co-offensive coordinator at Alabama under Nick Saban, at Texas under Mack Brown and at Houston under Tom Herman.

It’s that background — and not just that he was just down the hall and available when Wommack suddenly departed — that got Applewhite the Jaguars’ head-coaching job, athletics director Joel Erdmann said. Erdmann later indicated that Applewhite was the first and only formal interview to replace Wommack, a process that took something like 36 hours.

“Major Applewhite obviously was a target and I would be lying if when Major was hired three years ago as our offensive coordinator that that did not enter my mind or anybody else’s mind,” Erdmann said. “However, I want to be very clear about something — Major Applewhite is not our head football coach because he was here. Major Applewhite is not our head football coach because he had an office up the hill for three years. That contributed to it, that influenced it.

“However, Major Applewhite is our head coach because he is incredibly capable, from his experiences that President (Jo) Bonner talked about, to his mentors, to his influences in his life … And as we started to ask those questions and get those answers what began as a ‘this might be a good thing,’ it became very, very clear and crystalized this isn’t a good thing, this is a damn great thing.”

Applewhite will spend the next several days and weeks putting together a staff, and seeking to hold together a roster being threatened by the transfer portal re-opening following Wommack’s departure. Linebacker Khalil Jacobs (a projected starter in 2024) and offensive lineman James Robinson (a part-time starter in 2023) have entered the portal since Wommack left, and others could follow.

However, the elevation of Applewhite seems to be a popular one nearly by acclimation. Bonner noted there were many more people at Applewhite’s introductory press conference than his own two years ago and Erdmann said the new coach received a standing ovation from players when it was announced in a team meeting that he would be taking over for Wommack.

“I give credit to the players,” Applewhite said. “They’re the ones that have held the roster together. They’re the ones that are responsible for our success. So they’ve done a great job of that on their own. There have been departures here and there, but that’s normal. Coaches, we’re the same way too. If you think the coaches weren’t looking for jobs too while it was uncertain, you’re crazy. So everybody was looking and that’s just normal that you’re trying to protect yourself. It’s human nature. But that we have some stability and some more people will start coming in the building with jobs, it’ll slow down.”

South Alabama has only had a football program since 2008, and only became a full-fledged FBS member in 2012. The Jaguars didn’t record a winning season at college football’s highest level until going 10-3 in 2022 and didn’t win their first postseason game until a 59-10 victory over Eastern Michigan in last month’s 68 Ventures Bowl — both occurrences taking place under Wommack.

So don’t expect Applewhite to make broad changes from what has worked for South Alabama football in the last three years. If anything, he’s going to embrace and expand upon the principles of the Wommack era.

“I love the (motto) #OurCity,” Applewhite said. “I want to put it into action. I see the results that happen on this field and I just want to make this our city’s team. I want to create an atmosphere here in the stadium that it’s full, the people are here early, that they’re loud, that they stay late. I want see 50-60 (tailgating) smokestacks coming up. I want to see the tops of RVs.

“I want to create a situation where this stadium represents our entire city. I’m gonna bring every single community in the city to the stadium — north, south, east, west, central. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. If you cross the bridge, I want everybody to be here on Saturday night and I want this thing to be loud and I want it to be rocking because these players are gonna make it that way and I can promise you that.”

You can watch the full Applewhite press conference below:

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