The Texas Longhorns came into the college football season ranked as the No. 1 team in the country but finished the year 9-3 and missed the College Football Playoff.
One of the main reasons that so many people thought that Texas had a chance to win a title for the first time since 2005 wasn’t just Arch Manning starting at quarterback, but the team’s dominant defense. The Longhorns returned six of their starters from a unit in 2024 that helped guide them to an SEC Championship appearance and a deep playoff run.
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While the unit had bright moments, it did take a step back. Just one year after ranking No. 7 in passing yards allowed, the Longhorns ranked No. 93 this season. They also went from No. 2 in scoring defense to No. 20.
With the team coming up short of its goals, head coach Steve Sarkisian opted to fire defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and defensive passing game coordinator Duane Akina. The program also announced that a familiar face would return to fill the defensive coordinator role.
Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian.© Sara Diggins / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
As announced by Sarkisian in a release from the team, they have hired Will Muschamp to return as defensive coordinator.
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“… At this time, we just felt it was best for our program to move in a different direction, and having the opportunity to hire Will Muschamp provides us the leadership to take our defense to another level,” Sarkisian said. “Will is a guy I’ve known for a long time, always admired and is as good of a defensive mind and coach as I’ve ever coached against.
“His defenses are relentless; he absolutely gets the best out of his staff and players and is such an extremely well-respected coach. I know Longhorn Nation knows him well, he led some incredible defenses here on the Forty, and I’m so fired up to be bringing him back to Texas. He’ll be an awesome addition to our staff.”
Muschamp was at one point the head coach in waiting at Texas and helped guide the Longhorns to a BCS Championship appearance in 2009. Most recently, Muschamp was on staff at Georgia, where he worked in various capacities from 2021-24.
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The Longhorns clearly felt a change was needed and hope that Muschamp can be the answer to their defensive problems.
Related: Georgia a Top Candidate for 5-Star Player Transferring From SEC Team
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 18, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.