Steve Sarkisian enters his third season as the Texas Longhorns head coach following an 8-5 campaign in 2022. Who else makes up the Texas coaching staff as they prepare for their final college football season in the Big 12 Conference?
Texas Longhorns Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Steve Sarkisian
While entering his third season as the leader of the Texas coaching staff, Sarkisian is a highly-experienced football coach. The 2023 college football campaign will be his 23rd year of coaching at any level, with 10 years of head coaching experience under his belt.
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.
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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 has compiled a 13-12 record ahead of the 2023 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. Flood’s full coaching résumé can be found below.
- Long Island University-C.W. Post (OL coach, 1995-1996)
- Hofstra (OL coach, 1997-2001)
- Delaware (OL coach, assistant HC, 2002-2004)
- Rutgers (OL coach, 2005-2011; assistant HC, 2008; co-OC, 2010; HC 2012-2015)
- Atlanta Falcons (OL coach, 2017-2018)
- Alabama (OL coach, 2019-2020)
- Texas (OL coach and OC, 2021-2023)
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.
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Kwiatkowski landed on the Texas coaching staff after serving as the defensive coordinator and co-defensive coordinator at Washington. The highly-regarded coach rose to prominence following his return to his alma mater in 2006, and his full coaching résumé can be found below.
- Boise State (coaching assistant, 1988-1996)
- Snow College (co-DC and DL coach, 1997)
- Eastern Washington (1998-1999)
- Montana State (DC, 2000-2005)
- Boise State (DL coach, 2006-2009; DC, 2010-2013)
- Washington (DC, 2014-2020)
- Texas (DC, 2021-2023)
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, Bo Davis
Bo Davis began his second stint on the Texas coaching staff in 2021, having previously served as defensive tackles coach from 2011-2013. Davis’ college coaching experience also includes stints at Alabama, UTSA, and LSU. He also has multiple years of NFL experience with the Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, and most recently with the Detroit Lions from 2018-2020.
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
A new edition to the Texas coaching staff for the 2023 college football campaign, Chris Jackson joins the Longhorns as WR coach and passing game coordinator.
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It is 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.
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.
Inside Linebackers Coach, Jeff Choate
After leading Montana State to consecutive FCS playoff appearances as a head coach, Jeff Choate joined the Texas coaching staff as inside linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator in 2021. Prior to his appointment as Bobcats head coach, Choate worked alongside fellow Longhorns coach Kwiatkowski during his stints with Washington and Boise State.
