, a longtime assistant coach, joins Steve Sarkisian as a co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
Texas’s Austin Chip Brown of Horns247 and Matt Zenitz of 247Sports were informed by several sources that Arizona defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen, who assisted Steve Sarkisian at USC and Washington, will be joining Sarkisian as the Longhorns’ new inside linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator. Texas officially announced the hiring on Saturday night.
I’ve known Johnny for a long time, and I have the utmost regard for him,” Sarkisian said in a release. He is well respected in our industry, possesses a plethora of knowledge and expertise, and is an excellent recruiter. He’s a dynamic coach that excels in helping his athletes reach their full potential.”
Jeff Choate, 49, was replaced by Nansen after he accepted the head coaching job at Nevada. From 2009 to 2013, Nansen worked with Sarkisian at Washington. In 2014, the 49-year-old and Nansen moved to USC together.
It was a simple decision when Coach Sark contacted,” Nansen stated in a statement. Working in a state like Texas, with all of its rich history and tradition, is a dream come true, and getting back together with Sark is a major part of it as well, Nansen added. “I’ve been fortunate to grow as a coach through him, and I look forward to doing that again. He gave me a chance at Washington and USC.”
In 2000, while Nansen was at Montana State, he worked alongside Pete Kwiatkowski, the current defensive coordinator at Texas.
One person with knowledge of the issue told Horns247, “The hire makes sense because Johnny and Sarkisian and Johnny and PK (Kwiatkowski) have history together.
Arizona’s defense under Nansen improved from allowing 36.5 points per game in 2022 to 21.1 points per game this season, good for a No. 29 ranking in the FBS. Arizona improved their record from 5-7 in 2022 to 9-3 this season thanks to that defensive improvement.
The Wildcats, who finished 10-3 after defeating Oklahoma 38-24 in the Alamo Bowl, are ranked No. 25 in the country in terms of run defense, allowing 118.2 yards per game on the ground. Jacob Manu, a sophomore first-team All-Pac-12 linebacker who leads the conference in tackles (116), tackles per game (8.9), and sacks (8.5), is coached by Nansen.
In addition to ranking second in the Pac-12 and 22nd nationally, Nansen was instrumental in developing Arizona’s 2022 signing class, which featured the program’s first-ever five-star recruit in wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. Including his five seasons on Sarkisian’s staff at Washington from 2009 to 2013, Nansen has experience as an assistant coach on both sides of the ball.
At UW, Nansen was Sarkisian’s defensive line and special teams coach from 2009 to 2011. In 2012, Nansen started serving as Sarkisian’s associate head coach, overseeing special teams and running backs. In 2014, he moved to USC alongside Sarkisian.
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