MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack has selected Major Applewhite to serve as the program's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach it was announced on Monday.
He will be joined on that side of the ball by Rob Ezell (tight ends), Earnest Hill (running backs) and Gordon Steele (offensive line).
Applewhite comes to South with experience as a head coach at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivison level as well as multiple years working as a coordinator including in a Power Five league. In addition to helping lead his programs to 15 postseason bowl games since entering the coaching profession, he also guided Texas to four straight bowl appearances while posting a 22-8 record as a starting quarterback for the Longhorns.
For the last two seasons, Applewhite has served as an offensive analyst at Alabama with the 11-0 Crimson Tide the top seed entering this year's College Football Playoff. Following its victory in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Saturday, Alabama leads the nation in team passing efficiency (197.45 rating) and third-down conversion percentage (59.2%) while also standing among the top five in scoring offense (49.7 ppg, 2nd), passing offense (354.1 ypg, 5th) and total offense (543.9 ypg, 5th).
In his first season back with the program in 2019, the Crimson Tide finished 11-2 and ranked eighth in both national polls following a victory over No. 14 Michigan in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl.
Applewhite was the head coach at Houston from 2017-18, leading the Cougars to a 15-10 overall mark, a 10-6 record in American Athletic Conference action and a pair of invitations to postseason bowl games. In his first fall guiding the program UH defeated nationally-ranked South Florida during the regular season on the way to a 7-5 finish and an appearance in the Hawai'i Bowl, improving to 8-5 the next year while earning an invitation to the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
He was the Cougars' offensive coordinator the previous two years, with UH going 22-5 overall — and 13-4 in the American — during that span. In Applewhite's first season running the team's offense, the Cougars won the AAC championship and defeated ninth-ranked Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on the way to finishing eighth in both national polls. The following year saw Houston defeat a pair of teams ranked third in the country during the regular season as the team would go on to post a 9-4 mark after playing in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Applewhite was the assistant head coach at Texas from 2008-10, taking on co-offensive coordinator responsibilities from 2011-13. His first season back with the program the Longhorns defeated Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl while the next fall they would reach the BCS National Championship Game while putting together a 25-2 overall mark during that stretch.
He first worked at Alabama as offensive coordinator during the 2007 campaign, one year after serving in the same position at Rice. Applewhite was an assistant at Syracuse in 2005 after serving two years as a graduate assistant at Texas.
During his four-year playing career, Applewhite was selected the Big 12 Freshman of the Year (1998) and the league's co-Offensive Player of the Year ('99) while setting school records at the time for passing yards in a season (3,357 as a sophomore) and a career (8,353) as well as touchdown passes in a career (60). In his final appearance for the Longhorns, he was chosen the Most Valuable Player of the Holiday Bowl after throwing for 473 yards and four scores in a four-point victory over No. 20 Washington.
Applewhite is a 2002 graduate of Texas.
"Melissa, the boys and I are thrilled to welcome Major, Julie, Lila and Nash to our football program," said Wommack. "My excitement grows with every conversation as we talk through Major's vision for our offense at South Alabama. His experience as a coordinator and a head coach will provide tremendous value to our team. I'm eager to watch him develop and utilize our players' skill sets and talents to create an explosive product in Hancock Whitney Stadium."
Ezell is in his fifth year on the staff at Alabama, where after beginning as a graduate assistant in 2016 — aiding current Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal with the offensive line and tight ends — he has since moved to an offensive analyst role the last four seasons. During that time, the Crimson Tide has posted a 63-5 overall mark and a 39-3 record in Southeastern Conference play while winning the College Football Playoff championship in 2017 and reaching the title game on two other occasions.
As a graduate assistant at Colorado State from 2012-14, Ezell worked with wide receivers and quarterbacks and helped the Rams go 18-9 overall with an 11-5 record in Mountain West Conference action his final two years with the program. CSU capped an 8-6 campaign in 2013 with a 48-45 victory over Washington State in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, while the following season the Rams posted a 10-3 mark after participating in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl.
Ezell is a 2011 Alabama graduate, earning a business degree while a walk-on with the Crimson Tide program; he was a member of the travel squad when the team won the national championship in 2009 and again the following fall. He began his coaching career as a student assistant there before going on to receive his master's degree in adult education from Colorado State in 2014.
"Melissa, the boys and I are thrilled to welcome Rob and Lulu to our football program," stated Wommack. "Rob has a great pedigree working among the best coaches in the country at Alabama. As he has grown working on both sides of the ball, he is truly one of the bright young minds in our profession. As a third-generation football coach in this state, Rob has great ties to our recruiting footprint as well. His connection and understanding to the vision Major has for our system makes him a great fit to build an explosive machine on game day."
Over the last four years, Hill has guided McGill-Toolen Catholic High in Mobile to a 40-8 overall record and a postseason appearance each fall. His first year in charge of the Yellow Jackets, he led the school to a 13-1 finish after reaching the championship game of the state 7A playoffs. Hill's teams won their first-round state playoff contests each of the next two years — including posting an 11-1 mark in 2019 — and went 7-3 this season after qualifying for the state 6A playoffs. He was the program's defensive coordinator during the 2015 and '16 campaigns as well, with the Yellow Jackets claiming the state title the first season before reaching the championship game the following fall.
Hill also has experience as a head coach at Greenville (Ala.) High, where in three years he led the Tigers to 19 victories highlighted by an 11-1 mark in 2011 as they advanced to the second round of the state 5A playoffs his first season in charge. He also has served stints as defensive coordinator at Handley (Ala.) HS (2001-05), Greenville H.S. (2006-07), Spanish Fort (Ala.) High (2008-11) and Walker (Ala.) HS (2014).
He received his undergraduate degree from West Alabama in physical education (K-12) and his master's degree in science in education from Jacksonville State.
"Melissa, the boys and I are thrilled to welcome Earnest, Angela, Bryan and Alexis to our program," Wommack said. "Earnest is one of the most respected high school coaches in the state of Alabama. He has experienced great success wherever he has coached and has built great relationships throughout our state. His reputation for winning and deep connections to our city make Earnest a perfect fit for the culture we are building here at South."
Steele has served as an analyst at Alabama the last three seasons, during which time the program has gone 36-3 — including an 11-0 mark entering the College Football Playoff this year — while posting a 24-2 mark in SEC play. His first fall on the staff the Crimson Tide finished 14-1 after advancing to the CFP championship game while going 11-2 in 2019 following a victory over 14th-ranked Michigan in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl.
He originally was a member of the Jaguar coaching staff in 2017, beginning the year as a graduate assistant but earning a promotion to tight ends coach after the departure of another individual. He spent three years coaching at Murray State, working with tight ends during the 2014 campaign before serving as the Racers' offensive line coach the next two seasons. While a graduate assistant at LSU from 2011-13, Steele worked on a staff that helped the Tigers to a 33-7 overall record during that stretch which included reaching the BCS national championship game his first season at the school as well as a victory over Iowa in the Outback Bowl his last.
Steele was a four-year letterwinner at Valdosta (Ga.) State, where he was a member of teams that claimed the NCAA Division II national championship in 2007 and the Gulf South Conference title three seasons later. After earning his undergraduate degree from the school in 2010, Steele would go on to receive his master's degree from LSU in 2013.
"Melissa, the boys and I are excited to welcome Gordon, Melissa, Sawyer Kate and Andrew back to our football program," said Wommack. "Since working with Gordon previously, I have looked forward to the opportunity to build a team together with a shared vision. He comes honestly by his great knowledge of football as his father, Kevin, is one of the greatest defensive minds in our sport. Gordon's deep understanding of offensive line scheme and fundamentals — accompanied by his ability to connect to his players — make him a perfect fit to come alongside Major and lead our 'big men' to success."
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