Applewhite was a quarterback at Texas from 1998-2001, and is currently the co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Longhorns. He did serve as offensive coordinator at both Rice (2006) and Alabama (2007) before going back to his alma mater, so he has some coaching acumen and his name is certainly familiar to fans.
Orgeron took over for a fired Lane Kiffin at USC in the middle of this season, and led the Trojans to a 6-2 record. But when Steve Sarkisian was hired as the new head coach Orgeron abruptly resigned despite a reported offer to stay on as an assistant, likely in the hopes of finding a head coaching job elsewhere. He had a 10-25 record in his previous stint as a head coach at Ole Miss (2005-2007).
Petrino re-surfaced at Western Kentucky this year, and he led the Hilltoppers to an 8-4 record in his first season. But the weakness of the Sun Belt Conference has kept them out of a bowl despite those eight wins, and frankly that may lead Petrino to pursue greener pastures in a bigger conference.
Franklin has led Vanderbilt to a bowl game in each of this three seasons as head coach, which is a heck of an accomplishment given the Commodores’ dismal football history. His youth may be appealing to Texas, since he’ll turn 42 in February, and Franklin may view the job as a destination and not a stepping stone.
Swinney has 50 wins over six seasons at Clemson, including two BCS bowl bids in the last three seasons and a 31-8 record in that span. He is a potential replacement for Saban at Alabama, since he played and coached at the school, but if Texas reached out Swinney may have to listen.
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