Alabama head coach Nick Saban is looking to fill his second offensive assistant's position in less than two weeks with the departure of Major Applewhite.

Texas coach Mack Brown announced on Wednesday that former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator had accepted a job as assistant head coach and running backs coach of the Longhorns.

"It's exciting to be a Longhorn again," Applewhite, a former UT quarterback, said. "The opportunity to come back to my alma mater, working with Coach Brown, (offensive coordinator) coach (Greg) Davis and all the great coaches -- many that I know and have worked with before -- is special.

"Having the chance to be with all of them the last couple of days, to see their passion, to be a part of the expectations they've built and see how they're all on the same page and heading in the same direction is really exciting to be a part of."

Alabama football media relations director Jeff Purinton did not offer a comment from Saban, who was on the road recruiting Michigan high school senior Mark Ingram on Wednesday.

Lake Worth (Fla.) quarterback Star Jackson, one of the nation's top-rated quarterbacks and one of two high school seniors who committed to Applewhite, said the former Crimson Tide coach's decision to leave for Texas wouldn't affect his decision to sign with Alabama on Feb. 6.

"I committed to a university, not a coach," Jackson told the Palm Beach Post after speaking to Applewhite earlier in the day. "Things happen. I'm happy for Coach Applewhite."

Applewhite is the second assistant coach to leave the Crimson Tide this month. Tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Ron Middleton was announced as associate head coach, special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Duke on Jan. 4.

The extra titles awarded to Middleton (associate head coach) and Applewhite (assistant head coach) made their salaries comparable to what they had earned at Alabama. Applewhite received $250,000 to serve as offensive coordinator at Alabama, $70,000 more than former Longhorn running backs coach Ken Rucker had received.

Rucker accepted a job earlier this month as the new director of high school relations and player development at Texas.

In addition, Texas must pay Alabama $50,000 to buy out the remaining year of Applewhite's contract.

Applewhite visited Texas coaches earlier this month, but returned to tell Alabama officials that any rumors of him interviewing for a job in Austin were inaccurate. He also told high school quarterback Star Jackson, one of two players he recruited to Tuscaloosa this fall, that he would only leave Tuscaloosa if he was fired, according to Jackson.

"Alabama's a great place," Applewhite said. "As an athlete or anybody, you have goals and dreams and one of mine growing up was to be a player or coach at the University of Alabama and I'm grateful for that opportunity. I can't thank coach Saban and Coach (Mal) Moore (Alabama athletic director) enough for the chance they gave me.

"It's an honor to have worked for such a great coach, at such a special institution and in a great state like Alabama. The people of Tuscaloosa and Alabama were very good to me and my wife Julie. It will always be a memorable time in our lives. I learned so much and appreciate everything, but coming back to Texas was a dream come true, too."

While Wednesday's announcement was a happy homecoming for Applewhite and his wife, both Texas graduates, it did little to answer the reason for leaving Tuscaloosa.

Applewhite was the youngest coordinator in the Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) last year, but was forced to share game-planning duties with assistant head coach and offensive line coach Joe Pendry, which might have created some friction.

Because Saban doesn't allow his assistant coaches to speak to the media, the only thing certain about Applewhite's brief stay in Tuscaloosa was that his offense didn't live up to the record-setting numbers it achieved the year before at Rice. Alabama's offense in 2007 ranked 65th nationally in scoring offense (27.1), 75th in total offense (373.8), 60th in rushing offense (149.2) and 59th in passing offense (224.5).

That didn't seem to matter to Brown, who replaced Applewhite as the starting quarterback in 2000 with Chris Simms and didn't offer the former Longhorn star a fulltime assistant's job after he served as a graduate assistant in 2003-04. Instead, Brown hailed Applewhite on Wednesday as one of the brightest young coaches in America.

"We always knew when Major was playing that he was a student of the game and would be a terrific coach one day," Brown said. "He's living up to that. Major's an energetic, enthusiastic and intelligent young coach who has always been a tremendous leader. We think he can have a great impact on our guys, our program and in recruiting."