The University of Houston’s pursuit of Dana Holgorsen began when they reached out to Jake Spavital. In mid-December, Houston’s athletic director Chris Pezman contacted Spavital, who had recently become the head coach at Texas State and had a history with Pezman from their time at Cal.
At that time, Cougars coach Major Applewhite was considering potential changes in the coaching staff, including possibly hiring Kendal Briles who was set to leave for a position at Florida State. Pezman sought Spavital’s insights on the candidates.
Later on, Holgorsen’s name came up in the discussions. Houston’s decision-makers were exploring the option of a coaching change, although it was not certain at the time.
Spavital, a longtime friend and former offensive coordinator of Holgorsen at West Virginia, mentioned that Holgorsen might be interested based on information he had heard.
After Houston’s crushing defeat to Army in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, where they lost 70-14 in the largest margin in FBS bowl history, both Applewhite and Holgorsen were let go. The lopsided loss led to speculation and contemplation within the Cougars organization.
Holgorsen, after spending eight seasons at West Virginia, faced a pivotal decision to move from a successful Big 12 program to a Group of Five team striving to challenge the Power 5 schools.When Applewhite took over Houston in December 2016, the team was coming off a successful period in school history.
