Steve Sarkisian’s Texas staff set to take massive blow as New Orleans threat looms large 

Steve Sarkisian's Texas Longhorns are set to lose another member of their coaching staff, as Terry Joseph, defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach, is leaving for the New Orleans Saints according to reports. Joseph had been at Texas since 2021 when he came over from Notre Dame.

In his time at Austin, he had turned the Longhorns secondary into one of the best in the country. He was part of the coaching staff that mentored Thorpe Award winner Jahdae Barron. Joseph also worked with Malik Muhammad who is expected to be one of the top defensive backs in the country this year.

As a unit, the Longhorns had one of the best secondaries in the nation in 2024. The team ranked seventh in the country with just 173.8 yards allowed per game.

Terry Joseph's best work of the year came in the CFP semifinal game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. In that game, the Texas secondary limited WR Jeremiah Smith to one catch for three yards. Smith had torched Tennessee and Oregon for 13 receptions, 290 yards, and four touchdowns before facing the Longhorns.

One of Terry Joseph’s main attributes is his ability to assess and develop talent. While at Notre Dame, he recruited Kyle Hamilton to the Fighting Irish. The veteran assistant also had players like Barron, Ryan Watts, and Muhammad at Texas and he helped recruit 5-star freshman Jonah Williams to Austin.

The secondary coach is the cousin of current Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. He will inherit a Saints secondary that ranked 28th in the NFL with 238.5 yards per game allowed.

A New Orleans native, this will be his first stint as an NFL coach. Joseph is the third assistant to leave Texas after the 2024 season, with former safeties coach Blake Gideon leaving for Georgia Tech and running backs coach Tashard Choice moving to the Detroit Lions.

Longhorns AD Chris Del Conte speaks about Steve Sarkisian's decision to do away with spring game

As has been widely reported, there will be no Orange-White Game this year in Austin. Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns are part of a wave of teams that decided to do away with the game due to player wear-and-tear concerns.

Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte shared some details on what a new event in place of the game could look like in an interview with On Texas Football on Saturday. Del Conte mentioned that the spring event will be a fan fest that will include a meet-and-greet. He didn’t go into the details but defended Steve Sarkisian’s decision to cancel the game.

“The health and wellness of our student-athletes is most important," Del Conte said. "It’s unusual, playing a 16-game schedule, but every year, we want to play that 17th game. I applaud Steve for his thinking, I understood it. I understand the disappointment, but you have to look at it in its totality."

More details about the event are expected to be released in the next few days.