Will Muschamp is Already Having Major Impact on Texas Longhorns Defense

After the first day of spring practice, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian gave a glowing review of his defense.

Georgia Bulldogs co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp against the TCU Horned Frogs during the CFP national championship game at SoFi Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 2026 season is officially in motion as the Texas Longhorns kicked off spring practice today.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian fielded a number of questions after the event, some of which surrounded his new-look defense.

After firing long-time defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkoski and replacing him with Will Muschamp, who served in the same role for Texas from 2008-2010, Sarkisian seems to already be impressed by his new hire.

Sarkisian Impressed by New Defensive Coordinator's Presence

Texas Longhorns safety Earl Thomas celebrates a play with defensive coordinator Will Muschamp during the 2010 BCS national championship game | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

While it is hard to discern much from just one day of spring ball, the energy of Muschamp is already evident according to Sarkisian.

"There is something about Will and his presence," Sarkisian said. "You definitely feel [it] on the field, he's an active coach."

Comments like that are par for the course for Muschamp, who has gained a reputation for being a fiery leader over his lengthy coaching career.

Take a look:

WILL MUSCHAMP IS BACK AT TEXAS!!!!!

We had 2 top 10 defenses when Muschamp was there. This man made @TexasFootball defense great.

Watch this clip to see Muschamp cussing out a young Acho. 🤣🤣

pic.twitter.com/ppSnikumr4

— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) December 18, 2025

As noted by former Longhorns linebacker Emmanuel Acho, Muschamp oversaw one of the golden eras of Texas football.

After finishing 51st in total defense in 2008, Muschamp's unit skyrocketed to third in 2009, helping Texas to their most recent National Championship appearance. Muschamp's final year in Austin saw him leading them to the sixth-best defense before he took a job replacing Urban Meyer as the head coach of the Florida Gators.

After spending the 2010s with the Gators, Auburn Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks, Muschamp took a defensive analyst role with the Georgia Bulldogs in 2021 but became their special teams coordinator shortly before the season.

Muschamp took over as co-defensive coordinator for the Bulldogs ahead of the 2022 season. That season Georgia finished with the tenth-best defense and won the national championship, a feat they repeated the very next season.

He spent one more year as defensive coordinator before stepping into an off-field analyst role to spend more time with his family. Now, it seems he is ready to jump straight back into coaching.

Other Thoughts on the Defense

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian observes the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Sarkisian was also impressed by the effort of the defense while learning a new scheme.

"I love the effort our defensive front played with, breaking from the stack, getting to the ball," Sarkisian said.

Longhorns fans can expect a lot of getting to the ball and effortful defensive front play from Muschamp, whose scheme is as aggressive as he is.

While there is a long way to go before the season starts, Sarkisian is impressed by the early returns from his aggressive switch at defensive coordinator.