Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Houston Football: Top 5 candidates to replace Major Applewhite

By John Mitchell

LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 03: Head coach Dana Holgorsen of the West Virginia Mountaineers watches as his team takes the field before the start of their game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at FedExField on September 3, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 03: Head coach Dana Holgorsen of the West Virginia Mountaineers watches as his team takes the field before the start of their game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at FedExField on September 3, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next

3. Lane Kiffin (HC/Florida Atlantic)

Lane Kiffin was a finalist for the Houston head coaching job two years ago when he was Alabama’s offensive coordinator, with many expecting the Cougars to offer the former Raiders, Tennessee, and USC head coach the position.

Houston instead decided to offer the position to their own offensive coordinator in Major Applewhite, with Kiffin ultimately ending up in Boca Raton as the head coach of Florida Atlantic.

It didn’t take Kiffin long to make a splash with the Owls, leading a historically downtrodden program to 11-wins and a C-USA championship in his first season on the job. A slip to 5-7 in year two did little to derail the momentum Kiffin has built for himself and Florida Atlantic, and while he signed a 10-year contract extension after last season, it seems to be only a matter of time before Kiffin makes the jump to a bigger program.

Would Houston be enough of an upgrade for him to make the leap? Or would he prefer to stay in Boca for a few more seasons before getting the opportunity at another power-five program?

Kiffin’s buyout reduces from $2 million to $1.5 million at the beginning of the year, leaving him as an affordable option for the Cougars, who more than fits the bill as a splashy hire to potentially lead the team to the next level.

If Houston wants to make a move on Kiffin, they better hurry, as a more intriguing destination opened up in Coral Gables.

Home/American