Major Applewhite, who played quarterback at the University of Texas and later served on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama, will coach his first game as head coach of the University of South Alabama (USA) this Saturday when the Jags face North Texas.
Applewhite has served as offensive coordinator at South Alabama for the last three seasons, helping the Jaguars to a 22-16 record, including two-straight winning seasons.
His first season as head coach will mark his third-career year as a head coach of a Division 1 football program. He was the head coach at the University of Houston from 2016-18 and holds a 15-11 all-time record.
South Alabama has won three consecutive home openers and will look to continue that streak against the Mean Green. The Jaguars beat Southeastern Louisiana in 2023, Nicholls in 2022, and Southern Miss in 2021.
North Texas is coming off a 5-7 record in 2023 and leads all of college football with 77 newcomers. This will be head coach Eric Morris’s second season with the Mean Green.
The Jaguars enter the 2024 season with 53 new players on the roster: 28 freshmen and 25 transfers. Applewhite says the team has improved in the offseason. “We talk to our guys about battling through adversity. Having consistent effort, toughness, execution, those types of things. I’ve seen our guys sustain their mental intensity better. We’ve challenged them a lot during the offseason,” he said.
Here are some details on Saturday’s game:
South Alabama (0-0, 0-0 SBC) vs. North Texas (0-0, 0-0 AAC)
Date: Saturday, Aug. 31
Kickoff: 4 p.m. CT
Location: Mobile, Ala (Hancock Whitney Stadium)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Jags Radio Network
Social: @SouthAlabamaFB
Game Notes: South Alabama | North Texas
Tickets: USAJaguars.com/tickets/football
North Texas leads the series between the two schools 1-0, the lone game occurring in 2012, when the Jags traveled to play the Mean Green in Denton, Texas. USA jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter but could not hold on as UNT came back to win, 24-14. TG