Texas Football: Stan Drayton, Herb Hand staying on Longhorns staff

There was a lot on the line for the Texas football program in the Alamo Bowl, including more possible coaching staff retention, which looked to pay off.

All the coaching turnover for the Texas football program came to a head before bowl season arrived. But the coaching staff is going to be a topic of conversation throughout the offseason. Now that Texas has wrapped up their bowl season with a very solid 28-point win over the No. 11 ranked Utah Utes in the Alamo Bowl, their coaching staff can become the main focal point.

The Texas Longhorns football program lost both coordinator, both wide receivers coaches, and now their special teams coordinator/tight ends coach heading into the offseason. There’s going to be a wide-ranging impact that stems from all these coaching changes no matter what.

Adding former Ohio State Buckeyes passing game coordinator Mike Yurcich to be the next offensive coordinator and former Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Chris Ash as defensive coordinator were largely viewed as positive moves. But losing both former coordinators entirely was going to hurt for the continuity of player development and on the recruiting trail.

So what were the losses prior to Jan. 4?

Former offensive coordinator Tim Beck is headed to join the staff of NC State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren in Raleigh in the same position he was in with Texas. And former Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando is still out on the market. But Orlando should be an attractive defensive coordinator candidate to a number of other FBS programs. It shouldn’t be long before he finds another solid landing spot.

Co-wide receivers coaches Drew Mehringer and Corby Meekins were either demoted or fired entirely. Mehringer is headed to the Florida Atlantic Owls to join the staff of former Florida State and Oregon head coach Willie Taggart. And Meekins was demoted to more of an administrative role.

Moreover, the latest loss to the coaching staff is the former special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Derek Warehime. On Jan. 4, Warehime headed out to be the next offensive coordinator under head coach Danny Gonzales with the New Mexico Lobos.

Warehime was one of the coaching losses that actually wasn’t either demoted or fired.

Yet, two coaches that are actually staying on the Longhorns staff are associate head coach/run game coordinator/running backs coach Stay Drayton and offensive line coach/co-offensive coordinator Herb Hand. The retention of Drayton and Hand came via a 247Sports report.

Hand was added to the Longhorns staff to be the next offensive line coach back in 2018. He made an immediate impact back in 2018, but the offensive line was shaky to say the least this season.

Meanwhile, Drayton was on staff on the Forty Acres for three years now. Drayton and Hand were both very good recruiters for the Longhorns for the 2019 and 2020 recruiting classes too.

Texas finished up their regular season with a record of 8-5 (5-4 Big 12) after beating Utah in the Alamo Bowl back on Dec. 31. That win in the Alamo Bowl likely salvaged some jobs on the Texas coaching staff, so head coach Tom Herman could have some type of continuity heading into the offseason.