Longhorns recruit former Georgia defensive analyst Garrett Cox, expected to work with linebacker corps and gain competitive edge against the Bulldogs.
Over the past few seasons, the Texas Longhorns have established themselves as one of college football’s premier programs, coming just one game short of reaching the national championship in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons. However, a disappointing 2025 campaign saw Texas miss the postseason entirely, despite entering the year as the preseason No. 1 team in the country.
Now, the Longhorns are turning their attention toward reestablishing themselves as a postseason contender and finally clearing the hurdle they have not surpassed since 2005: winning a national championship.
One of their first major steps toward the goal came before the season even concluded. Texas parted ways with defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and hired Will Muschamp to fill the role.
This is great news for Longhorns fans, as Muschamp served as the team’s defensive coordinator from 2008 to 2010, overseeing some of the program’s strongest defensive units and playing a key role in Texas’ run to the 2009 national championship game. Most recently, Muschamp worked as a defensive analyst and co-defensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Now, Texas appears to be tapping into the Georgia pipeline once again, hiring former Georgia staff member Garrett Cox as a defensive analyst under Muschamp.
Cox started his career as a student assistant at Georgia and moved into coaching at Georgia Southern in 2007. He later gained experience at several major programs, including TCU, Michigan, Tennessee, and Alabama.
He was brought back to Georgia in 2025 by head coach Kirby Smart, following a brief overlap with Smart during their time at Alabama. With the Bulldogs, Cox served on the defensive staff, focusing primarily on his role as a linebacker specialist.
Thanks to the connection he built with Muschamp at Georgia, Cox is now expected to join the Texas staff and once again work closely with the linebacker unit.
There are several reasons why the decision to bring Garrett Cox to Austin makes sense, but many believe head coach Steve Sarkisian may be making this move a bit personal, particularly when it comes to Georgia. The Bulldogs have been one of the most dominant programs in college football, not only within the SEC but also on the national stage as well, winning three of the last four SEC championships and two of the past five national titles.
Texas has struggled against Georgia over the past two seasons, facing the Bulldogs three times without securing a single victory. One of those losses came in the SEC Championship game, and their most recent matchup ultimately kept Texas out of the playoffs last season.
So, it appears that Sarkisian is beginning to tap into Kirby Smart’s staff in an effort to finally get Texas over the hump against Georgia. Bringing in defensive coaches who are not only highly credible but may also have insight into Georgia’s game plans could be exactly what the Longhorns need to compete at the highest level and win big games. And even though Georgia isn’t on the schedule for Texas next season, Texas will be very well prepared if they were to meet the Bulldogs in the SEC championship or postseason.
Although it may seem like Sarkisian is poaching from the Georgia staff, the story may be overblown. Will Muschamp has long been recognized as a defensive mastermind and has already done an exceptional job with the Texas Longhorns program before, and clearly aims to replicate it. So when a defensive coordinator joins a new staff and implements a game plan, bringing in a familiar face like Garrett Cox could simply be Muschamp’s way of ensuring he has a key defensive analyst who already understands his vision and coaching philosophy.
Having worked under legendary coaches such as Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Jim Harbaugh, and Sonny Dykes, Cox brings a wealth of experience and a few tricks up his sleeve. With a resume like that, regardless of his Georgia ties, it’s no wonder Texas would want him on its staff.