How Houston hiring Major Applewhite impacts Texas and LSU coordinator searches

Houston went with the continuity approach Friday by promoting offensive coordinator Major Applewhite to become the school’s permanent head coach. And in the wake of this hiring, other pieces on the coaching chessboard may be finally ready to move.

Applewhite will take over immediately and be the head coach of the team in the bowl game. That means previous interim coach Todd Orlando is in a bit of an awkward spot — he can either stay at the defensive coordinator position he already has or go somewhere else. The somewhere else could be joining Tom Herman’s staff at Texas as defensive coordinator.

Earlier this week, SB Nation reported that Lane Kiffin was the top target at USF if the job opened, which it did Thursday.

Sources told SB Nation that Applewhite’s hire shifts Kiffin’s focus to the South Florida opening vacated by Willie Taggart. Kiffin’s family has close ties to the area and his father, Monte, was the defensive coordinator of Tampa’s fearsome late 1990s and early 2000s defenses. Kiffin’s brother-in-law David Reaves was also on Taggart’s USF staff.

Taggart wanted to add Charlie Strong to his staff as DC as soon as Strong was let go by Texas, and he may again get that chance now that he’s at Oregon. UO president Michael Schill cracked a joke about Oregon making a big time hire at DC during Taggart’s introductory press conference.

But Strong’s name is in the mix along with Kiffin’s for the USF job, and other outlets are reporting that Strong is the leader.

There’s also the LSU factor. The Tigers have been closely monitoring the situations in Houston and Tampa, waiting to make their move at OC. Ed Orgeron wants Kiffin on his staff, and pitched LSU’s brass on the promise of bringing in a big-time OC.

But sources have told SB Nation that the LSU offer — in addition to being “fiscally aggressive” — comes with a chance for Kiffin to to enjoy more freedom as a play caller and game planner as well as work for a head coach he has been familiar with since his time at USC.

So onward the coaching carousel moves, and you see here how one move can create a chain reaction across college football.