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By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN -- Alabama offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Major Applewhite could be the assistant coach Mack Brown picks to fill the vacancy on his staff created by the departure of running backs coach Ken Rucker, according to a source close to the Texas program.

The source said Brown has talked to several people about the vacancy on his staff but that Applewhite is in the mix. The source was unclear about what role Applewhite would have on the Texas staff, considering Brown has been fiercely loyal to offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Greg Davis, who remains a mentor to Applewhite.

The Tuscaloosa News reported Monday that Applewhite would be interviewing with Brown.

Applewhite, the all-time leading passer at UT, was a graduate assistant at Texas before joining Greg Robinson as quarterbacks coach at Syracuse in 2005. Applewhite was the offensive coordinator under Todd Graham at Rice in 2006 and was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Alabama under Nick Saban last season.

Alabama, which beat Colorado in the Independence Bowl to go 7-6, finished 64th nationally in scoring offense (27.1 ppg), 75th in total offense (373.8 ypg), 60th in rushing offense (149.2 ypg) and 59th in passing offense (224.5 ypg).

The vacancy on the staff was created when Rucker stepped down after three seasons at UT to become director of high school relations and player development.

yeah, right. So, I'm thinking like Major here:

"hmm, right now, i'm the OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR at ALABAMA. My name has been circulating for mid-level HEAD COACHING positions that pay somewhere in the $700k-$800k range. Mac Brown is loyal to a fault to his coordinators, so the position coaches have little room for internal advancement. With all that in mind, I should go be a running back coach (wait, didn't i play QB?).

Chip - you're reaching. yeah, UT may have talked to him, but c'mon - don't even think for a second that he's that loyal to his alma mater.

What usually happens is they make one guy Assistant Head Coach and the other guy a Coordinator.

If Applewhite gets the job, he steps in front of the oncomig train soon to be known as the "Todd Dodge Six Year Master Plan".

Ya gotta believe 'TD' is eyeing Austin- it's that orange blood thing.

Mack Brown benched Applewhite in favor of Chris "I-am-Phil's-son-of-a-NFL-star" Simms. Loyalty? Whatever, dude. UT would be a great school to coach, but c'mon, the guy has to go with his future. If he has a better gig somewhere else, screw loyalty. It isn't as if UT showed him any. UT's idea of loyalty is so ridiculously tilted, it is a notch below corporate loyalty.

of course Applewhite will go back to Texas, so he is in-line for the head job in a few years when Mack steps down.

it's not that hard to figure out, but again it shows how stupid most people are on this board

huntnfish wrote:of course Applewhite will go back to Texas, so he is in-line for the head job in a few years when Mack steps down.

it's not that hard to figure out, but again it shows how stupid most people are on this board

I seriously doubt that Texas will hire someone with no head coaching experience when they are ready to reload. But then again I guess I am just stupid.

SWC2010 wrote:If Applewhite gets the job, he steps in front of the oncomig train soon to be known as the "Todd Dodge Six Year Master Plan".

Ya gotta believe 'TD' is eyeing Austin- it's that orange blood thing.

TD is going to have to mix in a win against SMU before he gets the UT job.

Let's see.......Todd Dodge will be 45 when ntsu sets foot on the field in September with one year of college head coaching experience under his belt - and 1 win.......If he doesn't do something really special in the next couple of years, he quickly becomes a depreciating asset. Applewhite - right or wrong - is considered a rising talent - at the age of 30.

I don't think Mack has any plans to go anywhere for awhile as he will be 57 next year - 12 years older than Dodge......I would think he has another 6-10 years there. So playing this assumption game that one of these two guys would be the heir apparent, who do you pick if you are Mack? The younger guy who would probably be more patient waiting for you to retire or the older guy who is salivating over kicking you to the curb so he can have his turn??????????

One thing to throw in the mix is that Applewhite apparently grew up a big Alabama fan. So given that, plus the fact that he would probably have too much exposure at his old alma mater so early in his career, plus the fact that he'd be taking a step down in position from OC to RB coach, all tend to make me think he's not leaving 'Bama unless he gets at least an equivalent position somewhere else, even if the school courting him is Texas.

2 wins for TD

I thought this was a Major Applewhite posting?
If I were Applewhite, I would stay at Alabama, and wait
for the right HFC opportunity. Will Applewhite ever be a
canadidate for the Texas HFC position? Maybe one day.
Why would Applewhite want to be a RB coach when he is
the OC at Alabama? Does not make sense, unless there
are some behind the scenes developments going on at
Bama, and or with HFC Saban.
Coach Dodge's future at North Texas will depend on winning,
conference championships, and bowl games. If there ever was
a new college HFC that has a chance to become the next HFC at
Texas, or any other major school, Coach Dodge will be a top
candidate. On thing for sure, Coach Dodge can recruit quality
players. Right now, Coach Dodge has 22 commitments, 5- 3 star
players, and 8 of the DMN top 100 area players. I would say he is
headed in the right direction.

Does Todd Dodge teach the 5 D's of Dodgeball at ntsu?

Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge!

There is a high likelihood that Saban told Applewhite to find another job. He is known for that. Either that and/or the stress of working for him has gotten to Applewhite and he has found himself on a short leash. If he takes the Texas RB position, it will not be because he voluntarily left an OC position at Alabama. IMHO.