Steve Sarkisian Reveals Reason Behind Texas' Will Muschamp Hire

Will Muschamp’s return to Austin was certainly one of the more surprising moves of the offseason for the Texas Longhorns.

Former defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski had long fielded impressive defenses during his time at Texas and helped return the unit to its former national championship-caliber form.

So why make a change? Kwiatkowski was a proven commodity, and the defense showed no signs of slowing down.

But according to head coach Steve Sarkisian, sometimes opportunities are too big to pass up. And hiring Muschamp looked to be one of them.

Sarkisian Wanted to Take Texas' Defense to Another Level

Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator Will Muschamp prepares for a game against the Rice Owls. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Speaking on Always College Football with Greg McElroy, Sarkisian opened up about the decision for the first time in detail since the initial hire.

And when Muschamp became available, Sarkisian saw a rare opportunity.

"When that opportunity presented itself, I just said, 'This is a chance for us to go to another level defensively,' and we went for it," Sarkisian said.

The veteran coach brings one of the most decorated defensive résumés in college football. Before serving as head coach at Florida and South Carolina, Muschamp built elite defenses at LSU, Auburn and Texas. During his first stint in Austin from 2008-10, the Longhorns reached the Big 12 National Championship Game and had the No. 1 defense in the country.

That doesn't mean it was easy to move on from Pete Kwiatkowski, though.

"You know, it was not easy," Sarkisian said. "I'll be honest with you, it's not an easy one because I have a ton of respect for PK and the job that he did here, from where we were when we started Day 1 to where we got to.”

Still, there is no denying the on-field product was beginning to slip.

Sarkisian explained that after significant staff turnover on the defensive side, he felt the team wasn't as unified as it needed to be. Thus, a change was necessary.

"I felt like if I could get a guy in here that could really kind of galvanize all of that, allow me to focus a little bit more on offense, because I felt like I was kind of more and more defensively," Sarkisian said. "We need to get back to playing offensive football the way we need to play around here, too."

Muschamp is expected to change all of that. And so far, Sarkisian has been pleased with the results.

"I like the level of intensity that Will brings, the rapport with the players,” Sarkisian said. “But I like the style of play. We're aggressive, we're in your face, and I think that's what it takes."

That aggressive approach could be just what Texas needs to bring this defense back to its former glory. And whether that ultimately pays off is to be determined in the fall. But if early reports are any indication, Muschamp looks more than capable of taking this unit to new heights in 2026.

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