Multiple Texas football analysts tabbed as rising stars

The staff that head coach Steve Sarkisian has put together with the Texas football program recently drew some attention even at the support levels. A list of the “65 rising-star support staff coaches you need to know” was published by Matt Zenitz of On3 on July 25, highlighting a few staffers/analysts from Texas in the mix.

This list from Zenitz of On3 included just the support staffers/analysts, not any positional coaches, recruiting coordinators, etc. That would include staffers ranging from graduate assistants to offensive/defensive/position-specific analysts.

The three Texas support staffers that were in the mix among the rising stars in this list were senior defensive analyst Henry Fernandez, offensive analyst John Dozier Dean, and offensive analyst Ray Pickering.

Here’s a look at what was said about each of the staffers from On3 and the impact they could have on Texas moving forward.

Dozier Dean was the first analyst mentioned on this list since it went in alphabetical order. He was originally brought aboard as a student assistant when Sark was the offensive coordinator with the Alabama Crimson Tide. And this On3 piece notes that Dozier Dean was the only staffer that Sark brought with him to Texas from Alabama, at least among the analysts.

In his second year as an offensive analyst at Texas, Dozier Dean namely works with the quarterbacks and wide receivers, showing that he gets to work closely with quarterbacks coach AJ Milwee.

John Dozier Dean, Ray Pickering, and Henry Fernandez tabbed as rising stars for Texas football

Moreover, Pickering was the second of two offensive analysts for the Longhorns mentioned in this piece. Pickering was brought aboard with the Longhorns after spending a season as the offensive coordinator/QB coach with Lane College in Division II. In 2021, Lane averaged nearly 31 points per game and 306 passing yards, which was a six-point and 58-yard improvement per game compared to the prior season.

This On3 piece also mentioned this regarding Pickering’s background prior to joining Texas.

"Made the move to Lane after a 12-year run as a high school offensive coordinator in Mississippi. Coached players such as recent Ole Miss standouts Snoop Conner and Dontario Drummond."

Last but not least, Fernandez was included on this list as the lone Texas defensive analyst in the mix. Fernandez is now in his second year as a senior defensive analyst for the Longhorns. He had originally followed Texas co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Pete Kwiatkowski from Washington last offseason.

Prior to joining Texas, Fernandez spent a few years as a defensive graduate assistant at Washington. He also was an assistant coach from 2015-2019 with Sacramento State. Fernandez played for Sacramento State as a linebacker from 2010-2014.

This On3 piece notes that Fernandez namely works with the Texas secondary as a senior analyst.

All in all, Texas clearly has some names worth knowing on the support staff if they were included on this list from On3, which was reportedly gathered and verified through multiple conversations with top coaches around college football. Some of these analysts could be position coaches or even coordinators in the near future.

Texas finished up last season with a record of 5-7 (3-6 Big 12), missing out on bowl season for the first time since 2016. Sark and the Longhorns are set to begin fall camp on Aug. 4, with the regular season kicking off a little less than one month later on Sep. 3 at home against Louisiana-Monroe.