Steve Sarkisian says coordinator change was ‘needed,’ will free him up on offense
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Speaking with reporters on Friday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian called the decision to fire defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski a “tough call,” but added that “sometimes change is needed.”
The Longhorns parted ways with Kwiatkowski on Thursday after 5 seasons of leading the defense. In a release announcing the departure, Texas also announced that Will Muschamp had been hired to replace Kwiatkowski. Sarkisian said the change will free him up to focus more of his energy on the offensive side of the football.
“We have plenty of issues. I don’t think any program in the country is perfect,” Sarkisian said. “One thing that really helps me with Will is his head coaching experience, having been in this conference at Florida and at South Carolina, his experience being under coach Saban, us speaking the same language. I feel very comfortable with Will being the head coach of that defense.
“That allows me and frees me up a little bit more time from an offensive perspective. Instead of robbing Peter to pay Paul, I’m able to let him go do his thing on defense. He can really be a great leader over there and head coach over there, which allows me to get back to doing the things that I believe I’m really good at.”
Texas went 9-3 during the regular season. Although they earned upsets over 3 teams ranked in the AP Top 10 at the time of the game, losses to Florida and Georgia helped keep the Longhorns out of the College Football Playoff.
In the loss to Georgia in Athens, Texas managed just 10 points. The Longhorns lost 29-21 to Florida in Gainesville. They also lost 14-7 at Ohio State to open the season.
Texas ranked 62nd this season in adjusted EPA per play on offense, according to Game on Paper. In Sarkisian’s first 4 years with the program, Texas never ranked outside the top 40. UT enters the postseason ranked 23rd in adjusted EPA per play allowed on defense. A top-25 finish would be a third in as many years.
“Sitting in my chair, sometimes you’ have’ve to make the tough call, and any time you have the opportunity to bring in quality coaches … you want to take advantage of those opportunities when they’re there,” Sarkisian said.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
