A Major mistake
A.J. Hoffman: UH, Applewhite make desperate, reckless move with Briles hire
Jan 8, 2018, 5:29 pm
Kendal Briles brings controversy to UH. Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Major Applewhite’s first season as head coach at the University of Houston was far from disastrous. It was, however, a disappointment relative to recent performance. The 2017 Cougars lost the same number of games (5) as Tom Herman’s 2015 and 2016 teams lost combined. Their 7 wins was the lowest total since 2012, which was Tony Levine’s first season as head coach. The offense put up 339 points, the fewest posted by a Cougar team since 2005.
Houston fans have become accustomed to a better product than they got this season. The initial excitement over Applewhite being named head coach started to fade on October 14th, when the Coogs got housed 45-17 by a Tulsa team that didn’t win another conference game all season. The home opener drew 38,900 fans to the shiny, new, $128 million TDECU Stadium. Attendance declined every home game, with the home finale drawing just over 29,000. The team was decidedly mediocre, but unlike past seasons where the on-field performance wasn’t ideal, the team was not entertaining to watch.
Fans and media alike ripped Major for the lackluster offense. During prep for the Hawaii Bowl, offensive coordinator Brian Johnson left after just one year to coach quarterbacks at Florida. Major called the plays for the bowl game, and the Cougars lost to Fresno State 33-27. D’Eriq King, the third quarterback UH tried during the season, threw for 269 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He also added 38 rushing yards. The rest of the Cougars rushed for a combined 34 yards on 22 carries. Not exactly inspiration that the offense has an up arrow headed into next season.
You may recall a quote that surfaced when Major was hired that was attributed UH President Renu Khator. “The winning is defined at University of Houston as 10-2. We’ll fire coaches at 8-4.”
So Major did what any first time coach nursing a $1.5 million salary and a 7-5 first season would do. He panicked. He tabbed former Baylor assistant Kendal Briles as offensive coordinator, and brought on Randy Clements to coach the offensive line and coordinate the run game. The same Kendal Briles and Randy Clements who coached under Kendal’s father Art Briles at Baylor. The same Baylor that reached a settlement agreement with a student last year who indicated she was aware of “at least 52 rapes, including 5 gang rapes by not less than 31 different football players under former Baylor Football Head Coach Art Briles.” The same Kendal Briles that asked a recruit, “Do you like white women? Because we have a lot of them at BAYLOR and they LOVE football players.” According to the lawsuit, the Baylor coaching staff recruiting strategy made girls in Baylor’s hostess program available for sex, using drugs and alcohol.
Of course, Baylor (albeit slowly) fired Art Briles and did its best to clean their hands of the mess, after a thorough investigation by the Philadelphia-based Pepper Hamilton Law Office. Even after this, Kendal Briles was one of several assistant coaches who voiced their support for their disgraced boss via twitter. Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, the coaches maintained that no wrongdoing had occurred.
Houston isn’t the first school to dip into the Briles coaching pool since his firing. Arizona State hired defensive coordinator Phil Bennett after he declined to become the Baylor interim head coach. Texas hired quality control assistant Casey Horny. Florida Atlantic hired Kendal Briles last year.
When Florida Atlantic head coach Lane Kiffin faced pressure about the hire last season, he basically let everyone know that winning is what mattered most. “My plan is not in place to please the media,” Kiffin said. “My plan is still in place to do the best thing for our players and the people that hired me.”
This is essentially the decision that the University of Houston has made. They are willing to put their reputation on the line, basically on the word of Kendal Briles, who is still under investigation by the NCAA. UH can claim to have “strongly vetted” him, but there is no way they could have done an inquiry in three weeks that is more thorough than the one the NCAA has been conducting for nearly the last 2 years. The fact is, there is more evidence that Kendal was involved than there is evidence that he was not involved.
The Florida Atlantic offense thrived under Briles, and I am sure the Cougar offense will as well. He is a hell of an offensive mind, but there are plenty of coaches UH could have gone after that didn’t carry the stink that Briles’ does. Best case scenario, it has drawn scrutinizing eyes to your program. Worst case scenario, the news comes out that Briles’ knew more than he says, and now your program has the stench of Baylor’s scandal all over it.
There are bold moves, then there are reckless moves. The short term payoff for UH could be on-field success. The long term downside of this move is disastrous and paints the university in a light that winning football games is more important than anything, including your school’s morals, reputation and the safety of it’s students.
Cal Raleigh becomes the first catcher, switch-hitter to win the Home Run Derby. Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images.
Cal Raleigh approached the All-Star Home Run Derby like a day on the lawn. Dad was on the mound and baby brother was behind the plate.
Only this time, there were tens of thousands looking on at Truist Park and a $1 million prize.
“It goes all the way back to him coming home and me forcing him to throw me a ball and hit it in the backyard or in the house or something probably shouldn’t be doing,” a beaming Cal said, flanked by Todd and Todd Jr. after defeating Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero 18-15 in the final round Monday night.
Todd Raleigh, former coach of Tennessee and Western Carolina, threw the pitches and Cal’s 15-year-old brother, Todd Raleigh Jr., did the catching. A first-time All-Star at age 28, Cal became the first switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title. He’s the second Mariners player to take the title after three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr., who was on the field, snapping photos.
“Anybody that’s ever played baseball as a kid dreams of stuff like this,” Cal’s dad said. “I dreamed of it. He dreamed of it. When you’re a parent, you look at it differently because you want your kids to be happy.”
Leading the major leagues with 38 home runs at the All-Star break, Cal almost didn’t make it past the first round. The Mariners’ breakout slugger nicknamed Big Dumper and the Athletics’ Brent Rooker each hit 17 homers, and Raleigh advanced on a tiebreaker for longest long ball: 470.61 feet to 470.53 — or 0.96 inches. At first, Cal wasn’t aware whether there would be a swing-off.
“An inch off, and I’m not even in the final four, which is amazing,” Cal said. “So I guess I got lucky there. One extra biscuit.”
Raleigh totaled 54 homers. He won his semifinal 19-13 over Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, whose 513-foot first-round drive over the right-center field seats was the longest of the night.
Cal Raleigh's #HRDerby by the numbers:
Total HR: 54
HR of 425+: 31
Top distance: 471 ft
Avg distance: 430 ft
Total distance: 23,212 ft
Top exit velo: 112 MPH
Avg exit velo: 102 MPH pic.twitter.com/0pV6nGWLsA
— MLB (@MLB) July 15, 2025
Cal’s brother, nicknamed T, kept yelling encouragement to the brother he so admires.
“His swag, the way he plays, the way he hustles,” T said.
Hitting second in the final round, the 22-year-old Caminero closed within three dingers — MLB counted one that a fan outfielder caught with an over-the-wall grab. Using a multicolored bat and down to his last out, Caminero took three pitches and hit a liner to left.
“I didn’t think I was going to hit as many home runs or make it to the finals,” Caminero said through a translator.
Cal was just the second Derby switch-hitter after Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman in 2023. His dad was a righty and wanted both his sons to hit from both sides.
“Did it from the first day, when he was in diapers, literally,” Todd Sr. said. “I would take that big ball and he had a big red bat. I’d throw it slow and he’d hit it. Then I’d say stay there, pick him up, turn him around, switch his hands and do it again. I was a catcher. I played a little bit, and I just knew what a premium it was. I didn’t want either one of my boys to ever say, am I right-handed or left-handed?”
There was a downside.
“I don’t recommend it if you have two kids, they’re both switch hitters, if you want to save your arm, because that’s a lot of throwing,” said dad, who had rotator cuff surgery.
Raleigh hit his first eight homers left-handed, took a timeout, then hit seven right-handed. Going back to lefty, he hit two more in the bonus round and stayed lefty for the rest of the night.
“Was grooving a little bit more lefty so we were like, since we have a chance to win, we might as well stick to the side that’s working a little better,” Cal said.
Caminero beat Minnesota’s Byron Buxton 8-7 in the other semifinal. Atlanta’s Matt Olson, Washington’s James Wood, the New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Rooker were eliminated in the first round of the annual power show.
Cruz’s long drive was the hardest-hit at 118 mph.
Wood hit 16 homers, including one that landed on the roof of the Chop House behind the right-field wall. Olson, disappointing his hometown fans, did not go deep on his first nine swings and finished with 15, Chisholm hit just three homers, the fewest since the timer format started in 2015.fter it was all over, the Raleighs headed out. Stephanie, the boys’ mom and Todd Sr.'s wife, is surrounded by baseball.
After it was all over, the Raleighs headed out. Stephanie, the boys’ mom and Todd Sr.'s wife, is surrounded by baseball.
“We kind of leave it in the cage. We’ve got a cage at home, a building,” Todd Sr. said. “Or we leave it in the car on the rides home. There’s probably been a few times where she says, yeah, that’s enough.”