Tag: Major Applewhite

Auburn options to address the quarterback coach vacancy

If they pick an offensive coordinator from the current staff, who could be in play at QB coach?

Spring football will officially get started on Mar. 14 as they work their way towards the spring game on Apr. 9.  This gives head coach Bryan Harsin less than a month to make some key hires for the 2022 staff.

There are several options on the offensive side of the ball. With Austin Davis stepping down, he created two vacancies for the staff. Harsin will need to address not only the quarterbacks coach spot on his staff but also the offensive coordinator position.

We circled Eric Kiesau in our initial list of offensive coordinator options. He has experience as an OC at the collegiate level and doing so under Bryan Harsin. Kiesau was the offensive coordinator for 2019 and 2020. In the former season, it was as the co-OC and wide receivers coach. He moved to quarterbacks for the 2020 season.

Kiesau has also served as offensive coordinator for the Colorado Buffaloes (2009-10), Washington Huskies (2012-13), Kansas Jayhawks as the interim (2014), and Fresno State Bulldogs (2016). There might not be a more experienced candidate on the staff and one that would be an easy transition.

Perhaps another option from Harsin’s past?

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A look back at Josh Heupel, Major Applewhite as quarterbacks competing against each other

A look back at Josh Heupel and Major Applewhite as quarterbacks competing against each other. Heupel and Applewhite will call plays against each other Saturday when Tennessee hosts South Alabama.

Tennessee (5-5, 3-4 SEC) will play South Alabama (5-5, 2-5, SBC) Saturday in Week 12 at Neyland Stadium.

Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST and will be televised by ESPNU.

The matchup pits two play-callers that competed against each other as quarterbacks in the Red River Showdown.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel played at Oklahoma from 1999-2000, while South Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Major Applewhite played at Texas between 1998-2001.

In their two games head-to-head, Texas defeated the Sooners, 38-28, on Oct. 9, 1999. Oklahoma defeated the Longhorns, 63-14, on Oct. 7, 2000. Both contests were played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas.

Below are Heupel and Applewhite by the numbers in the 1999 and 2000 contests.

Ranking offensive coordinators under Nick Saban at Alabama

Ranking the offensive coordinators under Nick Saban at Alabama

Now in season No. 15 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama head coach Nick Saban is working with his eighth offensive coordinator, former NFL head coach, Bill O’Brien.

A majority of those coordinators have used their status at Alabama to catapult themselves into a head coaching position of their own.

Let’s take a closer look and rank each of the coordinators from worst to first!

Updated list of 5 potential Alabama OC candidates to replace Steve Sarkisian

Alabama is in need of an offensive coordinator for the 2021 season, as Steve Sarkisian will be heading to Texas for their head coaching job.

Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will only hold onto that title for one more game, the College Football Playoff national championship, before officially becoming the head coach of the Texas Longhorns.

With Sarkisian gone, a void will be left in Nick Saban’s assistant coaching staff, not an unfamiliar feeling for the Crimson Tide coach.

Recruiting is key for the SEC Champions, and if Saban plans on hitting the trail hard in the offseason, it’s crucial to have an offensive coordinator named and on staff.

Immediately after the announcement of Sarkisian’s departure, Roll Tide Wire released five initial candidates for the job. Now, with rumors and reports beginning to surface, here are the current top five candidates for the job: