Steve Sarkisian on the continuity of the Texas coaching staff and the inclusion of Kenny Baker and Johnny Nansen
After the Sugar Bowl, the Longhorns had to replace two assistant coaches, but Sarkisian claims that almost every coach on the staff received an opportunity to go somewhere else.
Texas’s Austin Following the program’s first-ever Big 12 championship and College Football Playoffs trip since 2009, head coach Steve Sarkisian was faced with a challenging but interesting situation.
Across the nation, his aides were in high demand.
On National Signing Day, Sarkisian discussed the choices his player had to make after the season, including whether to enter the NCAA transfer portal, declare for the NFL Draft, or stay at Texas. He also discussed the interest the Longhorns staff had received following the Sugar Bowl.
Almost all of our coaches received employment offers during the offseason. In a proper manner. Taking care of those guys during that, considering what’s best for them, their families, and their promise to us, and being appreciative of what they’ve done, added Sarkisian.
It’s the expected effect of Texas’s on-field performance in Sarkisian’s third season, and it contrasts sharply with the perception that the program and the coaches inside it had following the Horns’ 5-7 record in 2021, which marked the beginning of Sarkisian’s tenure.
That’s what success brings, isn’t it? If you perform well, more players will be considering the NFL, and other colleges or the NFL will approach you to attempt to hire the coaches on your staff, according to Sarkisian.
That’s a positive thing, correct? Man, I would have loved to have had those issues in the first year. Although I wasn’t quite as fortunate in the first year, those are nice difficulties to have, so you just try to be as supportive as you can be of them on all fronts.
There has been some prior turnover among the Longhorns staff members. In 2021, Stan Drayton, the running backs coach, was hired as the head coach of Temple thanks in part to his relationship with Arthur Johnson, the former Texas administrator who became the Owls’ athletic director. Brennan Marion, the wide receivers coach, took over as UNLV’s offensive coordinator last season, succeeding Andre Johnson, another holdover from Tom Herman’s staff.
With all three coordinators remaining in place—offensive coordinator Kyle Flood, defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, and special teams coordinator Jeff Banks—as well as strength and conditioning coach Torre Becton, Sarkisian can begin his fourth season on the Forty Acres thanks to staff stability. Sarkisian’s capacity to have faith in his assistants is critical in order to handle the demanding workload that a collegiate head coach faces.
Sarkisian stated, “If I am unable to attend a meeting that day, I know that meeting will be conducted properly and that things will get done.”
However, not every assistant who had other options decided to stay at Texas. For example, defensive line coach Bo Davis returned to his old mater, LSU, and co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jeff Choate is back as a head coach, having landed his first opportunity to run an FBS club at Nevada.
Sarkisian went to a former colleague, hiring Arizona defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen, who held multiple roles under Sarkisian at Washington and USC before leading a defensive renaissance in Tucson over the last two seasons, to replace Choate, who left a talented position room on the Forty Acres thanks to his efforts in the 2023 recruiting class.
Naturally, we’re searching for the top coaches that not only mesh well with our culture but also have a track record of producing players, high-level recruiting, and player development. That’s why they brought in Johnny Nansen from Arizona, who oversaw their incredible turnaround the previous season as their defensive coordinator at Arizona. A man who previously collaborated with me at USC and Washington is a tremendous asset to our team, said Sarkisian.
For Nansen, the opportunity to coach his longtime buddy at a respected college like the Longhorns was worth sacrificing his position as the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator.
When Coach Sark called, the choice was clear. Reuniting with Sark is a significant part of working at a place like Texas, which has such a rich history and culture, and it’s a dream come true,” Nansen said in a statement issued by the school upon the announcement of his hiring.
As the main recruiter for five-star linebacker Palaie Gaoteote IV in 2018 and the secondary assistant for USC’s 2014 acquisition of five-star cornerback Adoree’ Jackson and 2015 acquisition of top-50 prospect Ronald Jones, a Texas target out of McKinney North, Nansen has a track record as a high-level recruiter. During his assistant tenure, Nansen is recognized as the main source of recruiters for fourteen other four-star prospects.
The No. 2 class in the Pac-12 in 2022, which featured Tetairoa McMillan, a five-star wide receiver for the Rivals and the first-ever five-star recruit signed by the school, was one of the players Arizona attributed to Nansen’s assistance. Former Ducks five-star linebacker Justin Flowe was acquired by the Wildcats in 2023.
There won’t be as much pressure on Sarkisian to spend his few spring coaching visits on the West Coast because of Nansen’s strong ties to recruiting in California. Right now, Texas has extended offers to sixteen talents from California, including Mater Dei prospects Marcus Harris, a wide receiver, and Jordon Davison, the top target at running back. The Longhorns signed Aaron Butler, a quick wide receiver from Calabasas, and Brandon Baker, a Mater Dei product and the third-ranked offensive tackle in the class, in the 20224 cycle.
“I believe that having many connections in California has helped me in the past. The notion that last year we could travel to California and acquire Brandon Baker and keep expanding upon that, as well as the notion that that footprint in California is currently shifting eastward with some of those schools joining the Big Ten and ACC, means that almost every child in that state will now be open to attending an out-of-state school, were both expressed by Sarkisian. As a result, Coach Nansen and I have a rich past. I am aware of his exceptional recruiting skills in California and the West Coast. It was important to me to have someone with a significant presence in California since, as we just discussed, I am running out of time to travel to California.
With the arrival of Arizona defensive tackle transfer Tia Savea, who was recruited by Nansen to UCLA out of high school in Las Vegas before following him to Tucson and then Austin, Texas has already benefited from his connections to the Polynesian community. Nansen was born in Samoa.
The hiring of Miami Dolphins assistant defensive line coach Kenny Baker, who played just three seasons at the FBS level before spending one season in the NFL, offers a more measured risk if Nansen is the Horns’ unquestionably the best pick. Baker has never served as a head coach for a Power Five program.
Although head coach DeMeco Ryans has not yet officially announced Wright’s promotion, Sarkisian stated that Baker was highly recommended when the Longhorns appeared to have missed out on the top target, Texas alum Rodrique Wright, who may move from assistant defensive line coach to the defensive line coach of the Houston Texas.
“He’s a guy that everyone I called to inquire about is so good at coaching—he can be demanding without losing sight of the players’ needs in order to allow them to keep improving,” Sarkisian added.
During Baker’s vetting process, Sarkisian was given positive feedback about the player from Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier, in addition to other reputable industry sources.
“We are thrilled to have Kenny join our team, as we believe he will benefit us not only on the field but also in terms of recruiting,” Sarkisian said.
The head coach of Texas is placing a wager that Baker’s aptitude for connecting with players will pay off in recruiting, particularly in his native Georgia, where he also worked for five seasons as Mercer’s defensive line coach. Although Sarkisian did not waste any time in reiterating his commitment to recruiting Texas, the Longhorns are still a few months away from joining the SEC, which will broaden the program’s recruiting pool to include the Southeast.
We’re making adjustments and leaving the Big 12, where most of the teams are based in Texas. We’re expanding eastward, heading to Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia, which is now a little larger part of our footprint. Tashard Choice, who has been working in Georgia and Florida, will now be joined by Coach Baker, who was born and raised in Georgia and began his coaching career there in addition to having experience with the Dolphins, said Sarkisian.
There’s an immediate need for Baker to develop the large players already on campus and to land the kind of elite talent and program depth required to compete in the SEC trenches after Davis struggled to land elite interior defensive line prospects in the 2022, 2023, and 2024 classes.
Although Sarkisian has a proven track record of selecting assistant coaches, and Baker will benefit from defensive continuity, it might be argued that his biggest risk is selecting a new defensive line coach.
One crucial piece of information, though? Despite having only one season of NFL on-field experience and no prior college coaching experience, Chris Jackson, the wide receivers coach hired to replace Marion last year, showed Sarkisian that he was confident in him by helping to sign four elite high school wide receivers, including Ryan Wingo, who was regarded as a consensus five-star prospect for the majority of the recruiting cycle, and four productive transfers.
Now that he has the recruiting pitch to help elevate the Dolphins defensive line to the top of the NFL, Baker must emulate Jackson’s achievements.
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