Texas football is hiring former Rutgers Scarlet Knights cornerbacks coach Mark Orphey to join the defensive coaching staff this offseason, as first reported by Orangebloods' Anwar Richardson on Feb. 12. Orphey replaces former Texas safeties coach Blake Gideon, who took the defensive coordinator job with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets early this offseason.
Steve Sarkisian and Texas football make an underrated move hiring Rutgers CB coach Mark Orphey for the 2025 season with the defensive coaching staff
Orphey served as the secondary coach under former Texas co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jeff Choate with the FCS Montana State Bobcats in the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
Choate gave Horns247 a rave review of Orphey after the hire was announced on Wednesday.
"Sharp, low-ego, high-output guy. Works at developing relationships with recruits and their parents. He'd taken chances to move his career forward. Great person, and I know he is happy to be back in Texas!"Jeff Choate on Mark Orphey
With Orphey's experience coaching corners over the past 15 years at the collegiate level, it looks like Terry Joseph will move over to coaching safeties for the Longhorns. Joseph has experience coaching safeties, and has the versatility to feel comfortable with either position group in the defensive secondary.
The Houston native Orphey spent the past three seasons as Rutgers' cornerbacks coach on the staff under head coach Greg Schiano. He helped coach up a Rutgers secondary that was one of the better units in the Big Ten for that position group over the past two seasons.
Rutgers ranked in the top half of the Big Ten in passing defense in each of the past two seasons. The Scarlet Knights boasted one of the most consistent secondaries in the P5 in 2023, ranking 10th in the nation in pass defense.
He coached up three All-Big Ten Honorable Mention defensive backs since the 2023 season, including cornerback Robert Longerbeam who ranked in the top three in the Big Ten in passes defended in 2023 and 2024.
When Orphey was the secondary coach at Montana State in 2017 and 2018, the Bobcats won at least one game in the FCS Playoffs both campaigns in the postseason.
Orphey has also served in various defensive assistant coaching roles at the collegiate level, including with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Utah State Aggies, and South Carolina Gamecocks.
He played his college ball as a cornerback at Texas Southern from 2007-2010.