Report: Georgia Tech Set To Hire Texas Safeties Coach Blake Gideon To Be Its New Defensive Coordinator

Five days after former defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci left for the NFL, Brent Key has found a new defensive coordinator for Georgia Tech. According to multiple reports, the Yellow Jackets are set to hire Texas associate head coach/safeties coach Blake Gideon to take over for Santucci.

Georgia Tech is set to hire Texas associate head coach/safeties coach Blake Gideon as its new defensive coordinator, sources tell me and @ChipBrown247 for @CBSSports/@247Sports.

The former Texas All-Big 12 safety helped Texas rank No. 3 nationally in scoring defense in 2024.… pic.twitter.com/BDzFWstBIc
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 6, 2025

#Texas #Longhorns safeties coach Blake Gideon is leaving Steve Sarkisian's staff after four seasons to become the defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, sources have told myself and Matt Zenitz of @247Sports.https://t.co/vqPtxGixYA
— Chip Brown (@ChipBrown247) February 6, 2025

Gideon has been coaching safeties for the Longhorns since 2021 and was a former All-Big 12 defensive back with the Longhorns and a four-year starter. This past season, the Longhorns had one of the top defenses in the country and Gideon has a reputation as a good recruiter. He has never been a defensive coordinator however and that could be an adjustment for Gideon. Texas ranked No. 1 in the country in passing yards per attempt (5.69 ypa) and No. 1 in passing yards per completion (9.52) in the country this season.

One thing to watch now is for any staff shakeup on that side of the ball. Most defensive coordinator hires are going to want to bring in their own staff, but nothing has been reported yet when it comes to that. Keep an eye on that moving forward.

Gideon is going to need to build on the progress that Santucci made this past season. Georgia Tech is replacing a lot of snaps on the defensive line but brings back impact player Jordan van den Berg up front. The linebackers are bringing most of their snaps back aside from Trenilyas Tatum and have made important additions through the portal. The secondary is losing seniors Warren Burrell and LaMiles Brooks, but also returns Ahmari Harvey, Rodney Shelley, and Clayton Powell-Lee, and is bringing in new talent through the portal, but also high school recruiting with four-star players Tae Harris and Dalen Penson. There is talent on The Flats for Gideon to work with, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. The pass rush was not very good last season and might be the No. 1 question mark on the roster heading into the spring.

Here is more on Gideon, courtesy of texaslonghorns.com:

An All-Big 12 defensive back at Texas (2008-11) and special teams coordinator at Ole Miss and Houston, Blake Gideon was named safeties coach for the Longhorns on January 22, 2021.

The 2023 season was highlighted by the consistency of veteran Jerrin Thompson, the emergence of former walk-on Michael Taaffe, true freshman Derek Williams Jr. and the leadership of transfer Jalen Catalon. Thompson and Taaffe own a share of the team lead with three interceptions each, while Williams led all defensive backfield newcomers with 42 tackles and 24 solo tackles.

In 2022, Texas featured the emergence defensive backs Jahdae Barron and Jerrin Thompson as well as veteran Anthony Cook, who each registered career years to earn honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference accolades from the league’s coaches. Barron had a team-leading 11.5 tackles for loss and had an interception return and fumble return for scores. Thompson led all defensive backs with 83 tackles and tied for the team lead with seven pass breakups, both career bests, while Cook posted career highs with 61 tackles (35 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss and five pass breakups.

Gideon returned to Austin after spending one season as special teams coordinator at Ole Miss. He helped the Rebels rank 17th nationally in kickoff return defense (17.45 ypr) and 23rd in kickoff returns (23.95), including a 100-yard touchdown return by Jerrion Ealy against LSU. Punter Mac Brown, who was a Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist, averaged 46.6 yards per punt on 28 attempts, which would have ranked fourth nationally in average, however it did not reach the 3.6 punts per game minimum used by the NCAA. Ole Miss did not allow a blocked punt during the season.

Prior to his time at Ole Miss, Gideon served as the special teams coordinator and nickelbacks coach at Houston for one season. Houston was No. 1 in the country in both blocked punts (five) and blocked kicks (six). The Cougars led the American Athletic Conference in kick return defense (17.6) and net punting (43.6).

Under Gideon's guidance, punter Dane Roy was named a finalist for the 2019 Ray Guy Award. Roy ranked first in the AAC and is seventh nationally with a 46.9 yards per punt average. Roy's 46.9 yards per punt average in 2019 set a Houston single-season record.

Prior to Houston, Gideon was cornerbacks coach at Georgia State in 2018. He spent the previous two seasons on staff as the defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator at Western Carolina. In 2017, Gideon helped coach a Western Carolina defense that ranked No. 15 nationally in passing yards per game allowed and No. 20 in pass efficiency defense.

Gideon began his coaching career as a defensive quality control assistant at Florida in 2014 before moving on to Auburn to serve as a defensive graduate assistant.

Gideon signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals following the 2012 NFL Draft. He was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad in October 2012 and trained with the club until retiring in May 2013.

Gideon was a four-year starter at safety and two-time team captain at Texas, where he played under head coach Mack Brown and defensive coordinators Will Muschamp and Manny Diaz. He started all 52 games during his career at safety with the Longhorns, which represents the second-most consecutive starts on school record. He helped Texas to a 12-1 record and No. 3 final ranking while starting as a true freshman in 2008 and played a key role in leading the Longhorns to a 13-1 mark, Big 12 Championship, berth in the BCS National Championship game and a No. 2 final ranking in 2009.

A four-time honorable mention All-Big 12 selection and two-time team captain, Gideon posted 276 tackles (166 solo), 10 INTs, 20 PBU, two sacks, eight TFL, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a blocked punt for his career. As a senior in 2011, he was named to the Thorpe Award watch list and was a team captain. He started all 13 games with 82 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, four pass breakups and one fumble recovery that year. He was also a captain as a junior in 2010, and posted 68 tackles (42 solo), two INTs, four PBU, one sack, three TFL, one forced fumble and one blocked punt. As a sophomore, Gideon collected six interceptions to go along with 62 tackles (35 solo), two TFL, five PBU and a fumble recovery. The six INTs tied for seventh on UT’s single-season list. He preceded that with Freshman All-America honors after starting all 13 games as a true freshman and finishing third on the team in tackles with 64 (41 solo) to go along with seven PBU, a TFL, a forced fumble and eight pressures. "

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