Report: Texas to hire long-time defensive backs coach Duane Akina

According to Orangebloods’ Anwar Richardson, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is set to hire Arizona‘s Duane Akina to his staff. A spot was open due to Terry Joseph recently leaving in favor of a job in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints.

The search to find a replacement did not last too long. Earlier on Monday, On3’s Pete Nakos reported Akina was one of three names to watch for the job. Now, a familiar face and fan-favorite assistant is now returning to Austin.

“According to my sources, veteran defensive backs coach Duane Akina has been hired to replace Terry Joseph,” Richardson said via X. “Akina spent more than a decade with the Horns from 2001-2013. He coached at Arizona last season.”

Akina has spent the majority of his career at three places — Arizona, Stanford, and Texas. He began in Tuscon ahead of the 1987 season and stayed there for nearly a decade and a half. Mack Brown then brought him onto the staff in 2001 as Akina served in multiple roles. One remained constant throughout his time on the 40 Acres though, always coaching the defensive backs.

When Brown was fired, the decision to not retain Akina was made by Charlie Strong after taking over the program in 2014. Akina then worked under David Shaw for nine seasons before the head coach was also fired at Stanford.

The cycle appears to be restarting as Akina was hired at Arizona in 2023 as an analyst before being promoted to defensive coordinator this past season. Leaving for Texas 25 years ago, a similar move is made to complete Sarkisian’s staff moving forward.

Texas not to host spring game ahead of 2025 season

The past few seasons have led to rapid changes in college athletics. That includes NIL and the transfer portal, which have reshaped how rosters are built and led to tampering at times. With that, coaches like Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns are considering the future of other events, like spring games.

Now, while speaking to Kay Adams, Sarkisian confirmed that the Longhorns are the latest to cancel their spring game.

“No we’re not going to have a spring game,” Sarkisian said.

Sarkisian went on to explain that Texas is taking a slightly different approach to its offseason training program. He compared it to the NFL and OTAs, saying, “So it’s going to be a little bit different approach.”

On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this report