Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and team gesture after the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Texas Longhorns Part Ways With Another Assistant Coach

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Zach Dimmitt | Last updated Jan 2, 2026 8:23 PM ET

The Texas Longhorns continue to shake up their coaching staff following the end of the 2025 season.

Per reports from CJ Vogel of OnTexasFootball, the Longhorns will not retain nickels coach Keynodo Hudson after he spent two years on Steve Sarkisian's staff. He previously held a role as a defensive analyst.

This is just the latest change to the Texas coaching staff since the end of the regular season, as the sidelines will look much different next year.

Texas Coaching Staff Changes Continue

Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Along with not retaining Hudson, the Longhorns fired defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, defensive backs coach Duane Akina and running backs coach Chad Scott.

In return, the team hired defensive coordinator Will Mushcamp and running backs coach Jabbar Juluke along with bringing back Blake Gideon to the defensive staff, per Inside Texas.

Prior to being hired at Texas as defensive analyst, Hudson was the cornerbacks coach at Ole Miss.

Hudson also had coached at Florida Atlantic (2017-2018), Illinois (2019-2020) and Western Kentucky (2021-2023).

Sarkisian has already addressed the departure of Kwiatkowski and Akina, and will certainly speak on the other changes later this offseason.

“We appreciate all that Pete Kwiatkowski has done for the program in his five years coordinating our defense and are grateful for Duane Akina’s efforts in returning to the program this past year,” said Sarkisian. “They are both tremendous coaches and people who worked extremely hard for Texas Football and the players they coached. We have had a great deal of success, are thankful for the roles they played in that, and wish them the best."

“At this time, we just felt it was best for our program to move in a different direction, and having the opportunity to hire Will Muschamp provides us the leadership to take our defense to another level. Will is a guy I’ve known for a long time, always admired and is as good of a defensive mind and coach as I’ve ever coached against. His defenses are relentless; he absolutely gets the best out of his staff and players and is such an extremely well-respected coach. I know Longhorn Nation knows him well, he led some incredible defenses here on the Forty, and I’m so fired up to be bringing him back to Texas. He’ll be an awesome addition to our staff.”