Will Muschamp Set to Bring Georgia Bulldogs Style to Texas Defense

Steve Sarkisian made a shocking decision to his coaching staff on Thursday afternoon, deciding to part ways with Pete Kwiatkowski, who's been the program's defensive coordinator since Sarkisian's arrival in Austin.

Sarkisian made the move on from Kwiatkowski and hired Will Muschamp to be the Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator for the 2026 season.

Muschamp is no stranger to the SEC, with stops at LSU, Auburn, Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia, and finding success in the conference by being part of three national championship teams, two in Athens and one in Baton Rouge, all of which should help the Longhorns' defense moving forward.

What Will Muschamp Brings to the Texas Defense

Texas Longhorns Football Will Muschamp — Georgia Bulldogs defensive analyst Will Muschamp reacts before the 2022 CFP college football national championship game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

At a press conference on Friday, Sarkisian addressed the decision to hire Muschamp and what the long-time coordinator can bring to the Longhorns' defense that is littered with talent. One of the biggest things that Sarkisian highlighted was Muschamp's time with Georgia and what he will bring with him to Austin from the Bulldogs defense.

"I think we're going to probably play some of those (Georgia) themes, of which they play defensive football too," Sarkisian said.

Muschamp has been a part of Kirby Smart's staff for the past five seasons, serving in several roles, from an analyst to special teams coordinator to co-defensive coordinator.

The two most impactful seasons in his tenure were 2022 and 2023, when Muschamp was the co-defensive coordinator, where the Bulldogs won back-to-back national championships. Both teams featured some of the strongest defenses college football has ever seen.

Sarkisian also mentioned the mentality of a defense that is needed to succeed in the SEC and against some of the other top teams in college football. And Sarkisian knows that someone like Muschamp, who has won multiple national titles in the SEC, will have that mentality he needs.

"I do think there's a mentality you have to have in playing defense in this league," Sarkisian said. "And we did it at a high level... But I think to get to where we want to go and to beat some of those top four or five teams in the country right now, there's a style of play that you have to play, and you have to do it against the best. It's not about doing it against kind of the teams down here, it's those upper echelon teams,... I do think there's a style that I believe in, that I've grown up understanding that is needed to beat some of these upper echelon teams and to do it at a high level."

Sarkisian went into detail on Muschamp's scheme and how he sees what's already in place at Texas fitting into what Muschamp likes to do on the defensive side of the ball, while also understanding that there's still room to grow for the Longhorns defense both in player personnel and then learning Muschamp's defense.

"We've got some body types that fits his style and scheme," Sarkisian said. "I think Colin (Simmons) is a great fit for what he's looking for. I think Lance Jackson, you know, Zina (Umeozulu), those guys are great fits at that field side, strong side. And, I do think the athleticism in the secondary, the interchangeable parts, the length that we have back there... I just know the style in which we want to play to fit the structure that he has."

"I think we have a lot of pieces in place now. There'll probably be a few things that we need to sure up, but we've got a lot of good pieces, a lot of good parts, a lot of good-looking football players that are smart, that are competitive, that I think will adapt quickly to his structure," Sarkisian added.