Texas Football: Horns draw from UW for LB/Co-DC hire Jeff Choate
It looks like at least the on-field coaching staff for newly hired Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian is rounding out early in this offseason. Texas made the move back on Jan. 2 to part ways with now former fourth-year head coach Tom Herman, thus being replaced by the former Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator and reigning Broyles Award winner Sark.
And the coaching staff around Sark came together in very quick fashion. Sark made significant hires to his staff of late such as the new defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Kyle Flood, special teams coordinator Jeff Banks, and defensive backs coach Terry Joseph.
The only assistants that remain on staff for Sark and the Longhorns after parting ways with Herman are running backs coach Stan Drayton and wide receivers coach Andre Coleman. It looks like Sark is happy with the recruiting job and positional development that Drayton and Coleman bring to the table at those two skill positions.
What Texas football is getting next on their staff
The latest significant hire that Sark made to his staff came heading into the weekend. According to a report from Horns247 on the night of Jan. 22, the Longhorns will hire the former Montana State Bobcats head coach Jeff Choate to be their co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for 2021.
Since the 2014 season, Choate was the Montana State head coach. And he found a good amount of success during his more than five years as a head coach at the FCS ranks. Prior to taking on the head coaching job with Montana State in 2014, Choate was the defensive line coach for the Washington Huskies.
He’s also held prior roles in various assistant jobs with the likes of the Florida Gators, UTEP Miners, Washington State Cougars, and Boise State Broncos. There is a heavy influence from the PAC-12 and Mountain West Conference in Choate’s coaching journey to date.
This is the first assistant job that Choate will hold with any program in the Big 12.
There is a connection between the former Washington co-defensive coordinator Kwiatkowski and Choate, dating back to their days with the Huskies and Broncos. They’ve had a few common stops during their college football coaching journeys together.
And now these two will re-unite with another connection in the former Washington and USC Trojans head coach Sark on the Forty Acres.
dark. Next. Mike Stoops won't be joining Texas staff
Under the direction of the former Texas head coach Herman, this team finished up with a record of 7-3 (5-3 Big 12) during the 2020 season. Their last game resulted in a drubbing of the Colorado Buffaloes in the Alamo Bowl back on Dec. 29, by the final score of 55-23.