AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin is making some changes to its football assistant coaching staff.
- Coach Herman disappointed in team’s performance
- The changes are effective immediately
- Search for replacements underway
Three assistant coaches who have been with the team since head coach Tom Herman took over in 2017 were relieved of their duties Sunday.
The university released the following statement:
After completing the regular season with a 7-5 record (5-4 Big 12) on Friday, Texas Head Football Coach Tom Herman made several adjustments to his assistant coaching staff on Sunday. The changes will be effective immediately as the Longhorns begin bowl preparations and coaches go on the road for the final weeks before the Dec. 18-20 National Signing Day period.
“After taking time, looking back and evaluating the season in its totality, I am very disappointed in our performance in a number of areas in 2019,” Herman said. “7-5 will never be our standard at Texas and I take full responsibility for any and all of our shortcomings and know we need to do a better job coaching across the board. With that said, I do believe the future is very bright, have decided to make some changes to our staff as we head into bowl preparation and look to finish strong in the final weeks of fall recruiting.”
Three assistant coaches who have been with the staff since Herman took over at Texas for the 2017 season have been relieved of their duties. Those coaches are defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Todd Orlando, pass game coordinator/outside receivers coach Drew Mehringer and inside receivers coach Corby Meekins. Orlando and Mehringer will no longer be with the staff, while Meekins will no longer serve as an assistant coach, but will continue on for the immediate future in an administrative capacity.
“I’m truly grateful for everything Todd, Drew and Corby have done, not only for us here at Texas, but in building the program at Houston, as well,” Herman said. “These were very difficult decisions and certainly not an indictment of them as coaches, I just believe we need a fresh set of eyes and infusion of new ideas and energy to help us grow across the board.”
Co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Craig Naivar will assume the defensive coordinator responsibilities on an interim basis, while a national search for Orlando’s replacement begins. Naivar became co-defensive coordinator in 2019 after serving as special teams coordinator/safeties coach his first two years at Texas.
Herman also has removed the offensive coordinator responsibilities from assistant coach Tim Beck, but he will continue in his role as quarterbacks coach through the bowl game. A national search for his replacement as offensive coordinator will begin immediately.
Two members of the 2019 football support staff will take on assistant coaching roles during bowl preparation in football analysts Andre Coleman and Jeremiah George. Coleman will serve as the interim wide receivers coach, while George will be the interim linebackers coach. Before joining the Texas staff this season, Coleman spent the previous six years at Kansas State coaching wide receivers, including two as pass game coordinator (2016-17) and one as offensive coordinator (2018). George played linebacker at Iowa State from 2010-13, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors as a senior. A 2014 fifth-round pick of the New York Jets and four-year NFL veteran, he joined the Texas staff in March 2019. As two of the 10 full-time assistant coaches, they both will also take over responsibilities in recruiting.
In addition to the coaching changes, director of recruiting Bryan Carrington will move into one of the 10 full-time assistant coaching roles on an interim basis in order to assist Herman and the staff on the road recruiting. Carrington joined the Texas staff in 2017.