Steve Sarkisian’s Strong Move Announced for Ex-NFL Mastermind as Texas Suffers Tough Blow to ACC Underdogs

While CFB Saturdays remain vacant, a couple of ancillary offshoots help fill the air. Whatever your opinions on it, the transfer portal at least provides some zest between January and spring football. But most schools have concluded their business, and National Signing Day is also past us. The drama in this sport doesn’t cease, though. The coaching carousel is perpetually rotating and picks up speed this time of year. Steve Sarkisian and Texas have had a member of staff hop off this proverbial ride. Their search for a replacement has led them towards, quite frankly, what will be a massive coup.

The Longhorns have lost safeties coach Blake Gideon to Georgia Tech. While this may come across as a step down in program stature, Gideon took a leap individually. He’ll now serve as defensive coordinator for the Yellow Jackets. That said, Blake Gideon was also associate head coach (defense) in Steve Sarkisian’s personnel. He represents a big void that shall need to be duly filled. As such, Sark is shooting for what will ironically be a reverse-Blake Gideon. Not a step up in role for an up-and-coming coach. But a bit of a step down for an experienced NFL staffer trying to build back rep. Texas are reportedly eyeing a coach who served as DC for the Atlanta Falcons last season.

Over the Orangebloods YouTube channel, hosts Alex Dunlap and Cody Carpentier dissected the search process for the Longhorns’ next safeties coach. They relayed a shortlist of 4 names reporter and channel contributor Anwar Richardson said are Steve Sarkisian’s “focuses” for the role. The list includes Duane Akina– Arizona DB’s coach; Cory Sanders– asst. coach for the secondary at Pitt; Mike Mickens– Notre Dame DB’s coach; and Jimmy Lake. Lake was let go by the Falcons last month after just one season at the franchise. That doesn’t deter Carpentier, though. He put the 4 names in the pecking order of who he’d like to see come to Austin the most.

“I’ll go Jimmy Lake first…Duane Akina second…Mike Mickens from Notre Dame third,” he remarked. It’s not difficult to see why Lake would be the ideal candidate. The 48-year-old has worked as a defensive backs coach, assistant coach, and DC across 4 NFL franchises. He’s been a head coach for the Washington Huskies, too, a program he fulfilled different capacities for across 8 years. One poor year in ATL alongside a first-year HC in Raheem Morris is nothing more than a small blemish on a stacked resume. His experience traversing both rungs of the football ladder will help keep one of the best secondaries in the sport continue doing so seamlessly. Texas were the #3 pass defense across FBS last season.

Steve Sarkisian’s an offensive guy, but his modus operandi last season was deterred. The defense picked up slack from an offense that left a lot to be desired. Heading into their sophomore year in the SEC, Texas have a target on their backs. Making it to the conf. championship straightaway will earn them respect but also earn them the wrath of their contemporaries. Alex Dunlap claimed, “Sark wants to move fast on this and get it done by this weekend. So I think we’re going to be probably hearing something pretty soon.” Dunlap didn’t immediately concur with his co-host about his hierarchy. He came into the discussion believing a different contender supersedes Jimmy Lake as an option. 

Steve Sarkisian’s search ideally condenses down to Jimmy Lake and one other contender

“My order is kind of different from yours, Cody,” said Alex Dunlap. “Whenever I look more and more into Mike Mickens…I mean, dude, I was impressed by Notre Dame. I thought that they had a good defense, and I think that guy’s done a good job.” The Irish, indeed, had a good defense, ranking #2 against the pass, which is what you’re looking for when judging a DB coach. Despite his praise for Mickens, Dunlap is skeptical about Steve Sarkisian’s chances of onboarding him.

“I don’t really see why he would go from being a DBs coach to a safeties coach. I think that he probably could make more money in Texas…there’s thought that maybe he would want to get away from Marcus Freeman,” he said. The reason Dunlap alluded to a move away from Freeman is because he’s a defensive guy himself, and Mickens may want to stamp his own authority on defense. Gain some more leverage. Albeit, Dunlap then walked back on this, citing the fact Texas has 2 co-defensive coordinators, so there won’t be much room for maneuvering there either.

Dunlap also brought up an issue with Mickens. It’s the fact that he’s spent almost all of his years coaching in the states of Iowa and Indiana. Two places where Texas doesn’t have a recruitment presence. Hence, Mickens won’t be of help recruiting high school talent for the Longhorns. Sensationally, this led to a bit of an epiphany for Dunlap.

“As I talk through it, I was thinking maybe I would put [Mickens] at the top. But maybe not. Maybe you’re right…Lake and Akina, I think, would be my top two,” he concluded. Seems like all roads lead to Jimmy Lake. It remains to be seen whether Steve Sarkisian and the powers that be think so, too. A final decision is imminent.