A 10-win season, an Alamo Bowl win, and minimal losses to the transfer portal – all good things for Arizona heading into the 2024 season.
The coaching staff however, took a significant blow today, as 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz and Chip Brown are reporting that defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen is leaving Arizona for the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach job at Texas. The news comes following the departure of Texas’ Jeff Choate, who was hired as the Nevada head coach this offseason.
Nansen, who is know for his recruiting, was instrumental in Arizona’s 10-win season (the fourth in program history) and five-win improvement over last season. In 2023, Arizona finished with the 30th-ranked defense, up 96 spots from the 126th-ranked defense in 2022.
Nansen’s squad was also the driving force behind Arizona’s 38-24 win over No. 12 Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas last month. The Wildcats’ defense took the ball away six times, leading to 28 points, including a 87-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by safety Gunner Maldonado.
At Texas, Nansen will not only join a program fresh off a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance, but will also be reunited with long time friend and colleague Steve Sarkisian. Sark, who has been at the helm of the Longhorns since 2021, coached with Johnny Nansen at Washington and USC.
Jedd Fisch will now be tasked with hiring his third defensive coordinator in four seasons. Nansen was brought to Tucson from UCLA in 2022 following the departure of now-UMass head coach Don Brown. Fisch and Arizona will also need to be alert for the possibility of player movement and position coaches opting to follow Nansen to Austin.
If Arizona wants to promote from within, senior defensive assistant Duane Akina is the clear cut choice. Akina, who has over 42 years of coaching experience, served as Arizona’s defensive coordinator under Dick Tomey from 1996-2000 during the program’s “Desert Swarm” era, as well as Texas’ co-defensive coordinator from 2004-2007.