Texas Football: Longhorns Hire New Cornerbacks Coach
Texas defensive coordinator Chris Ash took his first step toward building his assistant coaching staff with the hiring of cornerbacks coach Jay Valai.
Valai worked with Ash at Rutgers for the last two years. Prior to that, he was a quality control assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs from and at Georgia, helping the Bulldogs reach the national title game back in 2017.
A Texas high school product, Valai was a standout at Colleyville Heritage prior to singing to play at Wisconsin where he was a two-time All Big 10 honoree.
Valai is respected among his peers, earning a reputation as an excellent teacher and recruiter. His ties to the area should only bolster his ability to get top-notch players onto the Forty Acres.
“Jay is an outstanding young coach who I believe checks all the boxes when it comes to his ability to coach on the field as well as relate to, connect with and develop players,” Texas head coach Tom Herman said. “As a Texas native, he has a passion for our state, knows it well and will also be a tremendous recruiter for us. Chris Ash coached him as a player, hired him as a coach and thinks the world of him. I really enjoyed my time visiting with Jay and was really impressed by what he’ll bring to our program. We’re thrilled to add him to our staff.”
“First and foremost, this is the blessing of a lifetime,” Valai said. “Growing up as a kid in Texas and watching Aaron Ross and Michael Huff and all these guys play, and being part of the culture that is Texas high school football, which is second to none, I’m just elated. I’m beyond proud and blessed to be able to represent all of that every minute of every day and to be joining the staff at Texas. To work with a guy like Chris Ash, who is one of the best defensive minds in football and is a tremendous human being, and with the greatness of Coach Herman who is pushing this program to the next level, it’s something I am truly blessed to be able to do.”
