Requires a subscription. If you want, look around for a discounted subscription (that’s what I did) as you can usually find them somewhere.
When offensive coordinator Brian Johnson left for Florida, Applewhite turned back to Briles, whom he had tried to hire when he first got the head coaching job. A former Houston player and assistant, Briles returns to the state of Texas after one season under Lane Kiffin at FAU, where he helped lead the No. 8 scoring offense in the country. Applewhite also brought in former Baylor assistant Randy Clements to coach the offensive line. The hires drew backlash because of the sexual assault scandal at Baylor, but Applewhite defended the moves and the school’s vetting process.
“I felt comfortable with their morals, them as people. I obviously felt comfortable with them as football coaches, or I never would have called them,” Applewhite said. “To me, it was reiterating what our program is, what their morals and standards are, and everything that was in alignment. This was something through the athletic department and university, I wanted to make sure everybody was fine with that. Everybody was on board.”
On the field, Briles plans to ramp up the tempo with much less huddling. Off it, he declined to talk about the Baylor situation but said he is happy to be home.
“With me being here before, the offense we’re bringing, people are excited to have us as part of the staff,” he said. “We’re fortunate to be a Coug again and to support this university.”