Georgia’s Dan Lanning the favorite for Texas defensive coordinator job

According to reports from Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, current Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning is the favorite to join Texas’ staff.

The reports are flying around when it comes to the next defensive coordinator job. The previous defensive coordinator Chris Ash is likely heading to Jacksonville to join former boss Urban Meyer.

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports is reporting that the current Georgia Bulldogs‘ defensive coordinator is in the lead to take the same job at Texas.

Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning has emerged as a favorite to take the same position at Texas, sources told CBS Sports on Friday. The 34-year-old Lanning interviewed at Texas this week, as did Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom and Mississippi State defensive coordinator Zach Arnett.

Lanning, 34, is considered a rising star in the industry. Georgia coach Kirby Smart plucked the Kansas City native from Mike Norvell’s Memphis staff following the 2017 season. After a year as outside linebackers coach, Lanning was elevated to coordinator in 2019 when Mel Tucker left for Colorado.

Lanning fits the mold for what Texas is likley looking for in their next head man on defense. They have the spots filled for defensive line and secondary, which means the defensive coordinator would likely handle the linebacker position. Lanning’s defense for Georgia ranked top 15 in total defense.

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Locked on Longhorns Podcast: Football Friday, Steve Sarkisian’s staff

Cami Griffin joins Patrick Conn on Friday’s edition of the Locked on Longhorns Podcast to discuss the hype surrounding Steve Sarkisian.

Cami Griffin joins Patrick Conn on Friday’s edition of the Locked on Longhorns Podcast. Continue reading “Locked on Longhorns Podcast: Football Friday, Steve Sarkisian’s staff”

Texas Football Recruiting: Five-star WR Kevin Coleman announces top schools

Five-star Kevin Coleman has released his top seven schools and Texas made the cut. Alabama and Georgia are the top remaining challengers.

Five-star prospect Kevin Coleman released his top seven schools on Thursday and Texas made the short list. Alabama, Arizona State, Florida State, Georgia, Oregon and Penn State are still in contention for the wide receiver.

Coleman is the No. 3 wide receiver in the country out of the 2022 recruiting class according to the 247Sports composite. He’s listed as the No. 18 overall player and is the top recruit in his home state of Missouri.

Coleman released a top 13 list back in late October. Programs such as Auburn, LSU, Notre Dame and USC are now cut from that list.

With Steve Sarkisian now taking over as the head coach, recruiting at the wide receiver position is expected to take a significant leap. It helps that DeVonta Smith became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Desmond Howard did it in 1991.

Texas has found itself in favorable positions with some of the top receivers in the country and Coleman is one of the main targets. The Longhorns have not landed a five-star wide receiver (Mike Davis) on 247Sports since 2010.

Armani Winfield’s commitment was the first receiver to lock down their spot in Texas’ 2022 class. With a major quarterback expected to join as well, the top receivers in the country should be flocking to Austin to play under coach Sarkisian.

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Report: Texas running back Keaontay Ingram enters the transfer portal

Texas Longhorns junior running back Keaontay Ingram has put his name in the transfer portal according to 247Sports.

Another domino fell for the Texas Longhorns on Thursday night with running back Keaontay Ingram entering the transfer portal. Continue reading “Report: Texas running back Keaontay Ingram enters the transfer portal”

5 reason why Bill O’Brien will succeed as Alabama’s OC

Alabama Crimson tide football will have another play caller for the 2021 season, former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien.

Nick Saban is no stranger to making new staff hires, as the ‘Saban coach tree’ is constantly expanding. This time, the seven-time national championship winning coach will say goodbye to offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian for the second time.

With Sarkisian accepting the head coaching job at Texas, Saban was left with a hole to fill at the offensive coordinator position.

The hire has been made, and former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien will be the Crimson tide’s offensive playcaller for the 2021 season.

O’Brien was fired from his position with the Texans only a few games into his seventh season with the franchise.

Some may seem to think the decision is questionable, seeing the terms in which he departed from Houston.

However, if there’s one thing college football fans have learned over the years, it’s not to question Nick Sabans decisions.

Here are five reasons why the Bill O’Brien hire was a homerun for Alabama:

USA TODAY Sports lists Texas in way-too-early Top 25 college football rankings

In the way-too-early college football rankings for the 2021 season, USA TODAY Sports lists Texas at No. 20 overall.

As is every year, the hype surrounding the Texas football program is through the roof. Continue reading “USA TODAY Sports lists Texas in way-too-early Top 25 college football rankings”

Chris Ash could join Urban Meyer’s staff in Jacksonville

According to Jeremy Fowler, Chris Ash is a name to watch for to join Urban Meyer’s staff.

Texas’ dream head coach hire was Urban Meyer. The administration and big-money donors pushed hard for the one-time Florida and Ohio State head coach to come to Austin. He turned the Longhorns down.

Now, he will head to the NFL for the first time in his career, accepting the head coaching job with the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the No. 1 overall pick, presumably Trevor Lawrence, Meyer will be working on a rebuild.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Chris Ash is a name he is “watching for” to join Meyer’s staff. Ash was the defensive coordinator at Ohio State under Meyer before taking the head coaching job at Rutgers.

Ash still does not know his fate as the current defensive coordinator at Texas. Steve Sarkisian has a list of names he is working through. Alabama’s defensive coordinator Pete Golding and Mississippi State’s Zach Arnett are also in the running.

Fowler also reports Ash would be the defensive backs coach in Jacksonville. According to 247Sports, Dan Mullen and Florida offered him to join their staff as well.

Sarkisian has said he would like to fill out his coaching staff “sooner rather than later.” Choosing his defensive coordinator is the most important hire that he has left.

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Texas and Steve Sarkisian need to go big game hunting

Texas’ newest head coach didn’t take long to get started when Steve Sarkisian landed a top wideout. Now he needs to go fishing.

The first move of the Steve Sarkisian era in Austin happened shortly before the new Texas head coach got off of the plane. Continue reading “Texas and Steve Sarkisian need to go big game hunting”

Longhorns Wire Roundtable: Who will be the defensive coordinator for Texas?

Longhorns Wire staff members each select the candidate that they believe will be the defensive coordinator for Texas next season.

Now that Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has arrived to the Forty Acres, you can bet that there will be plenty of movement in regards to his coaching staff in the coming days.

We’re aware of a few names that Sarkisian would like to bring on board, but there’s still several vacancies to fill. The most important hire that he will make is the defensive coordinator position.

It was reported by Horns247 that Sarkisian is set to meet with defensive line coach Oscar Giles and defensive coordinator Chris Ash regarding their futures with the program. Ash just completed his first season at Texas under former head coach Tom Herman, while Giles has been part of the staff since he was brought back by Herman in 2017. Prior to that, Giles was on staff in some capacity from 2005-2013.

Along with Ash, there have been rumors surrounding Mississippi State’s Zach Arnett and Alabama’s Pete Golding as potential defensive coordinator candidates to join Sarkisian’s staff.

It’s critical to get the staff finalized in order for Texas to finish out the 2021 recruiting class on a strong note. The Longhorns currently have the No. 17 class in the country according to 247Sports composite.

Longhorns Wire staff members weigh in on who they expect to be named defensive coordinator.

Patrick Conn – Chris Ash

I have been torn quite a bit as to who should and who will be named the defensive coordinator for Texas. In my opinion, it begins and ends with Chris Ash. The job he was able to do this past season and the strides they made towards the end of the year give me confidence that he would likely be one of the holdovers from Herman’s staff. It seems like a natural fit. With plenty of changes on the offensive side of the ball, it would be less of a burden to not have a new install on the defensive side.

Cami Griffin – Zach Arnett

I have to give props to Steve Sarkisian for keeping the defensive coordinator search under wraps recently. Outside of the early reports that Texas was targeting Will Muschamp, it’s been fairly quiet since Muschamp turned the opportunity down. Regardless, this gave me the feeling that Sarkisian wants to bring in his own guy. As time continues to pass, I’m curious if Sarkisian is waiting to make this decision until he has a formal interview with Chris Ash. I feel as if Ash could fit well on this defensive staff in some capacity, but likely as the safeties coach. If I had to choose a candidate today, I’d put money on Zach Arnett.

Griffin McVeigh – Chris Ash

For some reason, this has been the position where no candidate has rose to the top as a clear-cut favorite. Personally, I am all in for retaining Chris Ash. When Tom Herman hired him before the 2020 season, it felt as if a positive change would be coming to the defense. It took some time but once Ash made a few adjustments, Texas became one of the top defenses in the Big 12. Retaining him would give him the opportunity to continue the momentum the Longhorns have on defense.

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