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On Texas Football: New special assistant hirings augment Texas staff
On the latest video episode of On Texas Football’s Monday Roundup, Inside Texas’ Bobby Burton and Justin Wells discuss the hiring of three experienced coaches as special assistants by Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian as well as a look at the players that arrived on the 40 Acres over the weekend.
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Sarkisian hired Paul Chryst, former Wisconsin and Pitt coach, as offense analyst, longtime Division I and FCS coach Payam Saadat to help with the defense and Joe DeCamillis, who has more than 30 years of experience as a coach and has won rings in the NFL, to focus on special teams.
Wells and Burton said the hires show that Sarkisian is not afraid to “flex” to get the most out of his team.
“The fact that they took these spots, I think really shows how much faith these coaches have in Steve Sarkisian,” Wells said. “I think they’re showing they see something that’s building here. I think these coaches are saying, ‘you know what, let’s jump on this train because this thing’s going in the right direction.’”
Wells commented that Sarkisian is “taking a page out of the Nick Saban coaching playbook.”
“You can’t have too many good minds on campus,” Wells added. “He’s trying to find a few guys that can help him in any way possible, basically bringing in as many great minds as he possibly can. He’s trying to stack that staff with guys – it’s everything forward, balls to the wall. At the end of the day, hopefully, it pulls out an extra few wins at the end of the season.”
Burton said the move shows that Sarkisian is not “territorial.”
“I like the fact that Sark’s not scared to add people that can add something to a staff,” he said. “It’s not, about territory, right? Some college coaches can be very territorial. I like the fact that Sark’s not being that way.”
Chryst is a proponent of an inside zone rushing attack, an approach that meshes will with Sarkisian’s ideal.
“I think this offense would really flourish with play action,” Wells said. “Last year, we saw that help because of Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson were going to bring safeties up and that’s gonna test defenses. And so now with those two guys gone, you’re gonna have to find that recipe again, you’re gonna have to come up with that because now defenses are not going to be as keyed in on a CJ Baxter or Jonathon Brooks.”
Saadat brings a stop-the-run mentality to the coaching room, said Wells.
“Stopping the run is going to be the biggest key factor for the Texas defense in 2023,” Wells said. “No question about it. Because when you can shut down one side of the ball and that side particularly, you take away a team’s ‘manhood’ in some spaces, you take away a team’s ability to control the tempo, control the line of scrimmage. Listen whoever wins up front, usually wins at the end.”
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