After taking his team to the College Football Playoff in just his third season in Austin, Steve Sarkisian has played a significant part in returning the Texas Longhorns to national relevancy. Now, he takes them into uncharted waters as an SEC outfit in 2024 alongside the rest of the Texas coaching staff.
Texas Longhorns Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Steve Sarkisian
While entering his fourth season as the leader of the Texas coaching staff, Sarkisian is a highly experienced football coach. The 2024 college football campaign will be his 24th year of coaching at any level, with 11 years of head coaching experience under his belt and a 75-49 overall record across three FBS teams.
Sarkisian began his coaching career in 2000 as the quarterback coach at El Camino College. An All-American QB at BYU, he has used his experience playing the game to coach signal-callers at USC and Alabama, in addition to one year spent working with the Oakland Raiders QB room in 2004.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
Sarkisian’s first head coaching role came at Washington in 2009. After leading the Cougars to four straight bowl appearances, he took the head coach job at USC, where he compiled a 12-6 record. Following his departure from Southern California, he spent a year in Tuscaloosa, propelling himself back to the NFL as the Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018.
However, it was a return to Alabama as OC and QBs coach in 2019 that helped propel Sarkisian to college football stardom and ultimately to Texas. Winning the Broyles Award in 2020, his Crimson Tide offenses made college football history, paving the way for a return to head coaching with the Longhorns, where he had compiled a 25-14 record ahead of the 2024 season.
Offensive Coordinator, Kyle Flood
Sarkisian is joined on the Texas coaching staff by long-time associate Kyle Flood, who serves as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Flood served alongside the Texas head coach during his previous stops at Alabama and the Falcons before joining the Longhorns in 2021.
Flood is a renowned offensive line coach who helped the 2020 Alabama OL win the prestigious Joe Moore Award. Meanwhile, his 2017 Falcons allowed just 24 sacks, ranking third-lowest in the NFL.
While seeing success at Alabama and in Atlanta as an offensive line coach, Flood also has head coaching experience at the college level. He led Rutgers to three consecutive bowl game appearances between 2012 and 2014 before his departure following the 2015 campaign.
Defensive Coordinator, Pete Kwiatkowski
An experienced and hugely successful defensive coach who was also a standout defensive lineman for Boise State in the mid-80s, Pete Kwiatkowski joined the Texas coaching staff in 2021.
In addition to his role as the defensive coordinator for the Longhorns, he is also responsible for coaching outside linebackers.
Kwiatkowski has been responsible for some of the most successful college football defenses in recent seasons while helping produce a plethora of NFL draft picks. During his first season in Austin, Ovie Oghoufo was named the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year, while Byron Murphy II was the Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Kwiatkowski landed on the Texas coaching staff after serving as the defensive coordinator and co-defensive coordinator at Washington. However, the highly-regarded coach rose to prominence following his return to his alma mater in 2006.
Running Backs Coach, Tashard Choice
A successful running back for Georgia Tech in the mid-2000s who also enjoyed a six-year NFL career, Tashard Choice joined the Texas coaching staff as running back coach in 2021. He previously coached running backs at his alma mater and also at North Texas. Meanwhile, Choice was an intern in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys in 2016, working alongside Ezekiel Elliott.
Defensive Line Coach, Kenny Baker
A new addition to the Texas coaching staff for the 2024 campaign, Kenny Baker arrives in Austin from the Miami Dolphins. While having NFL and high school experience, his roots are in the college game, having spent 11 of his 15 years at that level. The Longhorns’ defensive line coach spent time with Western Kentucky, UT-Chattanooga, and Mercer.
Safeties Coach, Blake Gideon
Like many of the Texas coaching staff, safeties coach Blake Gideon joined the Longhorns alongside head coach Sarkisian in 2021. A Texas alum who earned All-Big 12 honors for the Longhorns during a playing career where he was a two-time captain, Gideon has also coached at Ole Miss, Houston, Auburn, Georgia State, West Carolina, and Florida.
Secondary Coach, Terry Joseph
In addition to his role coaching the secondary for the Longhorns, Terry Joseph joined the Texas coaching staff as defensive passing game coordinator in 2021. Although he spent time coaching at LSU, Louisiana Tech, Tennessee, Nebraska, and UNC, Joseph is most well-known for his work with the Notre Dame secondary, including first-round NFL draft pick Kyle Hamilton.
Wide Receivers Coach, Chris Jackson
Chris Jackson to the Longhorns for his second season as the Texas WR coach and passing game coordinator. It was his first college coaching appointment after serving as a defensive assistant and assistant WR coach for the Chicago Bears from 2018-2021 and as the WR coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022. Jackson helped develop first-round talent Xavier Worthy.
Quarterbacks Coach, AJ Milwee
A school-record-holding quarterback at North Alabama, AJ Milwee joined the Texas coaching staff in 2021 after successful stints at Alabama (offensive analyst, 2019-2020) and Akron (QBs coach, 2012; OC, 2013-2018).
Once the second youngest coordinator in college football, Milwee began his coaching career with JUCO giant East Mississippi Community College in 2011.
Linebackers Coach, Johnny Nansen
After playing a pivotal part of the Arizona Wildcats emergence last fall, Johnny Nansen was a hot commodity in the offseason. He opted to join the Texas coaching staff for the 2024 season, acting as linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator. In addition to his prior coaching roles at multiple Pac-12 programs, Nansen is a renowned, award-winning recruiter.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.