The Texas Longhorns are looking toward their third season in the SEC and have yet to secure their highly sought-after conference title.
Bringing in top recruiting classes and sticking with his original coaching staff hasn't been the solution for Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian. So, this offseason, he has almost entirely reworked his staff and just brought in yet another elite addition to his team.
Sarkisian hired Garrett Cox as his senior defensive analyst, poaching him from none other than Kirby Smart, the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs and the one guy that Sarkisian can't seem to get past in conference play.
Steve Sarkisian is sticking it to the Georgia Bulldogs
Since joining the SEC in 2024, the Longhorns have gone 0-3 against the Bulldogs, including an overtime loss in the conference championship game to cap off Texas's first year in the conference.
Now, Sarkisian is taking a different route, bringing Smart's own staff members to Austin to try and turn the tables on the one SEC coach he can't seem to figure out.
Before joining Smart's staff just under a year ago, Cox spent time with the TCU Horned Frogs, Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Michigan Wolverines. Simply put, despite his young age, Cox is highly experienced and could play a key role in the Longhorns finally figuring out how to beat the Bulldogs.
Texas is hiring Georgia’s Garrett Cox as a senior defensive analyst, a source tells @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 28, 2026
Before Georgia, worked at TCU, Michigan, Tennessee and Alabama. pic.twitter.com/UteRgWqXTE
Sarkisian also brought defensive coordinator Will Muschamp back to the 40 Acres following a surprise separation from former DC Pete Kwiatkowski and defensive passing game coordinator Duane Akina in mid-December.
The Texas staff also saw the departures of running backs coach Chad Scott, Director of Scouting Errin Joe, and analyst Tyler Allen, who each took jobs at other programs before the Horns played in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in the postseason.
The locker room and the coaching offices are going to look very different in 2026 than they did in 2025, but that might be exactly what Texas needs to finally secure an SEC title, and maybe even the National Championship.