The reports concerning the Texas Longhorns’ staff heading into 2020 have been at a fever pitch. Following the news that Craig Naivar is out as an assistant in the secondary and running backs coach Stan Drayton could be heading to the NFL, there might be more still to come.
New defensive coordinator Chris Ash is looking to bring his own defensive staff following his hire. Reports are beginning to surface about cornerbacks coach Jason Washington being let go as the defensive assistant shuffle moves along.
Washington has been a coach in the state of Texas since 2004 with stops at Rice, Texas State, Houston and Texas. With any new coordinator, bringing in coaches they have dealt with is no shock. According to Anwar Richardson, the name to replace Washington will be Rutgers cornerbacks coach Jay Valai.
Texas defensive backs coach Jason Washington will not be retained for the 2020 season, according to my sources. Rutgers cornerbacks coach Jay Valai is the leading candidate to replace Washington.
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) January 10, 2020
Ash brought over the former Wisconsin Badgers cornerback as his cornerbacks coach when he took over at Rutgers. Valai was working with the Kansas City Chiefs as a defensive quality control coach prior to the move.
The big question now will be, how will that impact recruiting given that Washington does well to recruit talent in the state of Texas.