Applewhite mentioned as possible replacement...

[Argyle Pony]

Fox sports quotes Dallas News in saying Applewhite may be possible replacement if Mustangs don't go to a bowl and after the UTEP loss this seems unlikely. They also mentioned that Applewhite may have bigger offers and ponies may have to look elsewhere...I don't know what day they were quoting the Dallas Morning News... Go Mustangs!!!

[EastStang]

What bigger offers would a 29 year old get? For head coach? Maybe for OC, but he's very young to be a head coaching candidate at any Division 1-A school, but then again, we may be in the beggers can't be chooser's category.

[SmooPower]

If he takes a HC job or whatever, that would be his 4th job in 4 years.

[MustangIcon]

What bigger offers would a 29 year old get? For head coach? Maybe for OC, but he's very young to be a head coaching candidate at any Division 1-A school, but then again, we may be in the beggers can't be chooser's category.

He rejected Rice's offer last season. Is SMU in a far better place than Rice was after last year's bowl loss for them? Nope.

[mustang1108]

yeah but all he has done is gone up in those last 4 yrs. Grad assisstant at Texas then qb coach at syracuse, OC at Rice where he took a completely new offense and system and took them to a bowl game, and now OC at alabama. He has the brains to be a head coach. And he is a guy who is determined to succeed at whatever he does. Like they said he was smarter than his own coaches at Texas

[SmooPower]

I guess 5th job in 5 years then. I would just question how long he would stick around before someone else came calling.

[George S. Patton]

I guess 5th job in 5 years then. I would just question how long he would stick around before someone else came calling.

If he did more than one year with us than Phil Bennett has done in six, I'll take it.

[mustang1108]

Bowden and Applewhite woiuld be my top 2 candidates.

[Pony in SA]

Not quite Applewhite fan. Seems too young and remember it is easy to call plays when you have BCS talent. Don't know how his plays/schemes would work with our talent level.

Of course he did do wonders at Rice, but their plays were alot of throw it to Dillard and he saved them. My brother-in-law lives near Rice so we went to a couple of games last year besides ours. Their offense outside of the 3 basic routes they ran with Dillard was not spectacular. Also, don't think Rice looked great in their Bowl game.

[Nacho]

"smarter than his own coaches at Texas." Condeming by faint praise. How hard is it to be smarter than Mack Brown? Applewhite should have started over Chrissy but Mack just had to get him to the NFL. OU by 40 over UT.

[EastStang]

He's not quite the proven BIG NAME coach that people around here seem to be pining for. We could do worse, but I suspect fans around here want to see a name that has head coached at the Division 1-A level and has a career winning record. There are some names out there and may be more by the end of the year.

[Stallion]

Much more to being a Head Coach than "calling plays". In fact, I'd put that pretty far down the list. That's why you hire Coordinators. Sounds like some of you are making the same old mistake. Looking for Coordinator qualities in hiring a Head Coach. That's not a Head Coach's job description. Look for leadership, charisma, experience, connections in the business, recruiting, ability to relate to and sell 18-21 years and alumni, ability to organize and delegate and then maybe his ability to coordinate one side of the ball. It is the most overrated mistake fans assume by thinking a head coach will x and o a program back to success. More likely it will be through building a solid foundation and through quality coordinators.

[SMU Football Blog]

First of all, this all came from the DMN Cowlishaw chat from yesterday. Some nitwit asked about Applewhite & SMU and Cowlishaw answered.

Second of all, I heard Applewhite was pretty much dictated to at Rice by Graham who micromanaged everything.

29 is d@mn young to be a head coach. The youngest today is 33 and that is Pat Fitzgerald, who is the youngest by five years. Fitzgerald, if you recall, took over at Northwestern when Randy Walker died a year ago in June. Fitzgerald might turn out to be great but in his first year, he took a team that went to three straight bowls and only won four games.

[OR-See-Nee]

How did Applewhite do as a coordinator at 'Cuse? I'm asking because I don't know.

It's interesting that (at least according to Norm) several NFL teams are looking for young head coaches--guys who can relate to players amongst other attributes.

I would prefer an established coach with a track record and name recognition.

Regardless of who we get in here, if he can turn this thing around in a year or two and gets hired away by a big-time program, I'd take that, also. That probably means the HC brought in some talent at coordinator who can maintain momentum. Take for example, our "friends" in Fort Worth. For all the beef about GP on the board, he's done okay for himself over there. The few aggies I know have told me that Fran isn't the same coach without GP.

[SMU Football Blog]

Applewhite was QB coach as Syracuse. They went 1-10.