Will Muschamp Brings History of Success Back To Texas

Will Muschamp is returning to the Forty Acres, reassuming his duties as the Longhorns defensive coordinator.

Georgia Co-Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp looks on before the start of the SEC championship game against Texas in Atlanta, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. | Joshua l. Jones Athens Banner-Herald USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas football has parted ways with defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and has hired Will Muschamp to take his place. Kwiatkowski was fired along with defensive passing game coordinator Duane Akina, in a move that comes as a surprise ahead of the team's Cheez-It Citrus Bowl matchup against Michigan.

Muschamp, who previously worked as Texas's defensive coordinator between 2008 and 2010 under head coach Mack Brown, has demonstrated his success in developing defenses. In fact, Texas's 2010 BCS starting defense is one example of Muschamp's success while with Texas.

Looking Back at the 2010 BCS Game Defensive Roster

Oct 1, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp directs his team against the Texas A&M Aggies at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Eleven players from the 2010 BCS Texas defense were selected in the NFL draft under Muschamp, according to former Texas linebacker Emmanuel Acho. Four of these players were taken in the first and second rounds of the draft.

Up front, four defensive linemen were drafted. Sergio Kindle and Lamarr Houston were each selected in the second round as the 43rd and 44th picks in the 2010 NFL draft. They were accompanied by Sam Acho, who was taken in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft, and Kheeston Randall, who was selected in the seventh round in 2012.

At the next level of the field, three linebackers were drafted from this 2010 roster. Rod Muckelroy was taken in the fourth round of the 2010 draft and Keenan Robinson was selected two years later in the same round of the 2012 draft. Robinson was joined by Emmanuel Acho, who was drafted in the sixth round in 2012.

In the secondary, four players were selected for the Longhorns. The biggest of these names is the lone first-round selection among this squad, safety Earl Thomas. Thomas was drafted with the 14th overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2010.

AJ Williams, Curtis Brown and Chykie brown were the rest of the Longhorns drafted out of the Texas secondary, going in the second, third and fifth round respectively. Among the defensive backs was safety Blake Gideon. While Gideon was not drafted, he is currently the defensive coordinator for Georgia Tech.

Under Muschamp, the Longhorns developed impressive talent, and he'll look to resume that process when he returns to the Forty Acres. After leaving Texas, Muschamp held two head coaching positions at Florida and South Carolina, and most recently served as co-defensive coordinator with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Parting ways with Kwiatkowski, who had been with Texas since 2021, Texas now looks to work its way back into a playoff position with Muschamp aiding head coach Steve Sarkisian.