Evaluating the impact of staff additions for Texas under Steve Sarkisian

Steve Sarkisian made a few under-the-radar hires to his staff this offseason. He brought on three assistant coaches, with each having a specialty. Of the three, the offensive end had the biggest name, with former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst making his way down to Austin. It’s just the latest example of Texas having a former head coach on staff.

On3’s J.D. PicKell discussed the impact these hires, specifically Chryst, can have on Texas. While it may not directly affect with 2023 record, PicKell believes it can do nothing but help the Longhorns. He compared the move to Gary Patterson wearing burnt orange last season, helping out Pete Kwiatkowski on the defensive end.

“I don’t know if it’s going to change the week to week for Texas,” PicKell said. “I think if Chryst name came to Texas’ staff, you’d probably have the same result. It might be one of those things where it just helps to have an extra set of eyes. Like Gary Patterson helping last year.

“I have to imagine that helped the defensive side of things. I mean, you have a Power Five head coach overseeing different elements of your program. It only helps, many hands make light work.”

Erich Nahlin of Inside Texas gave his reaction to Chryst joining the staff, breaking down how he meshes will coaches and players already inside the program.

Chryst will be making his first ever move into the Big 12 and if he stays in 2024, the SEC. He was the Pittsburgh head coach from 2012 to 2014 and then was hired by Wisconsin in 2015. A long tenure in Madison came to an end during the 2022 season, with the Badgers turning to Luke Fickell.

However, more than just Chryst was brought to Texas. Payam Saadat is going to help out on the defensive side of the ball, while a special teams-specific coach was brought on as well. Jeff Banks is the on-field staff member for the unit but will now have a helping hand from Joe DeCamillis — a two-time Super Bowl Champion.

To some extent, Sarkisian is doing what Nick Saban would be doing at Alabama. Adding highly experienced coaches to the staff as off-the-field specialists. The names Sarkisian has been able to pull in are impressive as well.

Moves that may not directly help Texas earn another win on the field but certainly big enough to have an impact on the program.