Major Applewhite: The South Alabama Head Coach’s Salary, Career Record, Age & Resume

After a long stretch of losing seasons, South Alabama has enjoyed some success the past couple years.

The Jaguars were 7-6 overall with a 4-4 mark in the Sun Belt in 2023 and ended the season with the first bowl win in program history with a victory in the 68 Ventures Bowl. They were 10-3 overall and 7-1 in conference play the year before.

But previous head coach Kane Wommack left this offseason to become Alabama’s defensive coordinator. Major Applewhite, who was the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator, hopes to sustain the momentum of the program now that he’s been promoted to head coach.

Here’s more about Applewhite and his resume.

What’s South Alabama Head Coach Major Applewhite’s Salary?

Major Applewhite signed a five-year deal that pays $825,000 per year in base salary. Former Jaguars head coach Kane Wommack made $810,000 in total pay in 2023, according to USA Today.

Major Applewhite’s Coaching History

What’s South Alabama Head Coach Major Applewhite’s Record?

Major Applewhite is 15-11 in the FBS as a head coach with an 0-3 mark in bowl games at Houston.

He led the Cougars during their loss in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2016 and led them to a 7-5 finish in 2017 and an 8-5 record in 2018. They lost their bowl games at the end of both seasons.

How Old Is South Alabama Head Coach Major Applewhite?

Major Applewhite is 45 years old.

South Alabama Head Coach Major Applewhite’s Background

Applewhite has been with the Jaguars for three seasons. 

In his first season at South Alabama, he coached current NFL wide receiver Jalen Tolbert, who was the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year as he totaled 1,474 yards and eight touchdowns on 82 receptions. In the past two years, 10 South Alabama offensive players have earned all-conference accolades.

This past year, the Jaguars were third in the Sun Belt in total offense (440.5 yards per game) and fourth in scoring offense (33.1 points per game). They were fourth in scoring offense (31.2 points per game) and total offense (423.5 yards per game) the previous year as well.

Applewhite was the head coach at Houston from 2017-18 after two years as an assistant there from 2015-16. He began his coaching career at Texas, where he was the Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year in 1998 and the conference’s Co-Offensive Player of the Year in 1999. He was a graduate assistant with the Longhorns from 2003-04.

After that, he was an assistant at Syracuse (2005), an offensive coordinator at Rice (2006), and an offensive coordinator at Alabama (2007). He was the assistant head coach at Texas from 2008-10 and then was a co-offensive coordinator there from 2011-13.