Texas Football: Interim DC Craig Naivar won’t stay on coaching staff
The coaching staff for the Texas football program is really starting to take shape less than two weeks into the 2020 offseason.
In the Alamo Bowl win over the Utah Utes, the Texas football program was rolling with interim defensive coordinator Craig Naivar calling the plays on that side of the ball. Head Texas football coach Tom Herman was left calling the plays on offense, which he was doing for most of the season anyways, with the demotion of former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tim Beck.
After their regular season finale win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders by the final score of 49-24, the Texas Longhorns football program wound up demoting or outright firing a number of their assistant coaches. There are going to be a lot of shakeups in general on the Longhorns coaching staff heading into the 2020 offseason.
One notable name that fell off the Texas coaching staff less than two full weeks into the 2020 offseason was the interim defensive coordinator Naivar. Texas getting rid of Naivar from the coaching staff was reported by Brian Davis of the Austin-American Statesman.
Texas safeties coach Craig Naivar, the interim DC behind a sizzling game plan in the Alamo Bowl, is not being retained for 2020, per source.
— Brian Davis (@BDavisUT) January 8, 2020
Naivar was the brains behind the gameplan the Longhorns came up with to stifle the Utah offense in the Alamo Bowl, and hold that balanced and talented group to just 10 points. It’s a shame that the Longhorns won’t keep him around for one season longer.
But it shouldn’t be too difficult for a position coach that recruited well and has his stock as high as Naivar’s heading into the 2020 college football offseason. Similar to that of former Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, Naivar shouldn’t have trouble finding work elsewhere.
On Jan. 8, Texas Tech had the hiring of Orlando for their defensive coordinator role announced. Maybe Naivar could follow in his footsteps and land with another Big 12 program.
All in all, Naivar will be missed by the Longhorns. He was the position coach that recruited the likes of sophomore star safeties B.J. Foster and Caden Sterns. Texas continued to have safeties as one of the most strongly recruited position groups through their 2020 recruiting class.
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The most likely reason why the Longhorns didn’t retain Naivar on the coaching staff was the fact that he held the same position group as the recently hired defensive coordinator Chris Ash. It looks like Ash will definitely assume control of the safeties now along with the defensive play calling.