Major Applewhite fired: Would Dana Holgorsen leave West Virginia for Houston?

As walking papers for Major Applewhite are apparently being prepared, Houston is considering a run at Dana Holgorsen.

Last weekend’s 70-14 loss to Army in the Armed Forces Bowl gave the Houston Cougars and 8-5 record this season with four losses in their final five games. Now, according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, head coach Major Applewhite is expected to be fired in the next 24 hours. Steven Godfrey of SB Nation was first to report Houston is planning to fire Applewhite.

A looming search for Applewhite’s replacement is getting interesting very quickly. According to Football Scoop, Houston is considering a run at West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen.

Holgorsen just finished his eighth season at West Virginia, where he has a 61-41 record with seven bowl appearances. But the Mountaineers have lost their last three bowl games now, and they have never gotten over the hump in the Big 12.

Would Holgorsen really consider leaving West Virginia for Houston?

Holgorsen was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Houston in 2008 and 2009, under then-head coach Kevin Sumlin, and he still owns a home there. A friendship with Houston Rockets owner (and noted University of Houston booster) Tilman Fertitta, who has expressed his desire to make Houston into a major college football program, could also push Holgorsen back to town.

Going from the Big 12 to the AAC is a step down for Holgorsen. But he was in the rumored mix for since-filled openings at Texas Tech and Colorado, and with plenty of talent leaving Morgantown (Will Grier, David Sills, etc.) he may be inclined to start fresh elsewhere. With no openings at Power 5 schools right now, Houston stands as an appealing destination for Holgorsen.

Houston would owe Applewhite an estimated buyout of $2 million upon firing him. Holgorsen would owe West Virginia a $2.5 million buyout if he leaves for another job before Jan. 1, but that drops to $1 million on or after that date. That difference explains Houston’s interest, and the timing of sourced reports they’ll fire Applewhite, now that Holgorsen’s season is over at West Virginia, is surely not coincidental.

That timing is a factor, along with money. Holgorsen has three years and $11.5 million left on his contract at West Virginia, and he would surely set the salary bar among Group of 5 head coaches if he went to Houston.

Exactly what that would look like is unclear. But it’s easy to see Fertitta leading an effort to make Holgorsen one of the 25 highest-paid head coaches in college football, which he currently is not ($3.5 million salary this year). Based on this year’s data, that would mean $4 million per year.

Beyond Holgorsen, Houston is planning to contact multiple coaches once they embark on a search to replace Applewhite. But they seem set to start at the very top of their list with the West Virginia head coach, and go from there if he says no.