Early possible candidates for Texas to replace co-DC Jeff Choate

Intro [Music] what is going on YouTube Andrew Miller from hookom headlines.com and the hook horn show coming back at yall today with uh a quick breakdown of some early candidates to watch for uh for Texas to uh potentially replace uh co-defensive coordinator and linebackers Coach Jeff Cho um I did an article on the site earlier this week talking about uh you know some some potential candidates name to watch breakdown there of like uh one or two guys that I know have been mentioned as possible candidates for this job uh just some background on this I I'm sure if you followed Texas news and football headlines that that you've seen uh that you've seen something on this recently but uh co-defensive coordinator and linebackers Coach Jeff Cho um currently in his third season at Texas took the uh head coaching vacancy with the Nevada Wolf Pack I believe that was last week he's expected to uh continue uh in his his role at Texas through the postseason while kind of splitting duties with the Nevada uh with the Nevada program trying to build out that staff uh that roster and everything uh heading into signing day here in a couple of weeks so um you know he'll be very obviously very busy coming up but or in in the coming weeks and I'm honestly kind of surprised that he will be splitting duties just given the magnitude of signing the early signing period in in this day and age of college football with the transfer portal you know how important it is to have at least like some structure to your staff and things like that CH has obviously been imperative to uh you know the development of this defense specifically at linebacker um Pete Kowski is the guy that has the play calling duties on defense for Texas but you know Cho has been responsible for developing this linebacker core that's been very impressive this season you know was seriously improved last year uh with guys like Jaylen Ford you know deserving at least to win the Big 12 defensive player of the year rising up as like a second team All-American from some of the major media outlets and um you know Demar Vian overshown also performing at an all Big 12 level and this year you know you saw Texas um have another All-American caliber season from jayen Ford at linebacker Anthony Hill broke onto the scene as you know one of the most impactful true freshman linebackers in the nation and you know one of the most impactful just true freshman on defense in general in the Big 12 this season and um David Benda uh another guy at the linebacker core in his SI excuse me fifth year at Texas that has developed and really uh become a Force a linebacker here in the last I I would say 15 months or so um he's really found a role for himself at weak side linebacker and uh could potentially be coming back for a six season at Texas and I think um you know all these guys that have developed so well under Jeff Cho he deserves a lot of credit for you really how this entire Texas defense has blossomed in the last in the last three years you know Texas has ranked top 10 in adjusted defensive efficiency DFI in the last two seasons after you know having some rough outings in 2021 uh during the first year under Sark and kowsky Jeff Cho so um you know Texas got a big big role to fill here um but there are some quality candidates out there I have no doubt that Texas is going to be willing to uh spend a lot to fill this position because again Cho was just such an important member of the defensive staff and for this list uh I am only going through external candidates there are some potential internal candidates that they could be considered for this role um but this is only looking at guys that that could be brought in from another school or potentially the NFL level as well I know that Texas has looked there before for previous hires Chris Jackson the last positional coach Texas hired on staff was um from the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars wide receivers Early candidates to possibly replace Jeff Choate coach so um yeah let's go and get into the list uh the first name up is Bobby April um he's the Stanford defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in his first year with the Cardinal this fall um and I guess before I get into it with uh Bobby April and the other four candidates I wanted to mention in this list um you know I I'm just going to take a brief overview of you know these guys backgrounds why they would fit at Texas and the potential pros and cons of Texas looking to hire them um there's only one or two of these guys like I mentioned earlier that I've seen that had some mention or potential connection to Texas that that you know could be on a potential short list to to fill uh Cho's job uh this coming off season but Stanford DC/LB coach Bobby April yeah let's go and get started here with Bobby April you know April really made a name for himself uh in the NFL in the early to mid-2010s and then at Wisconsin as as linebackers coach uh for I believe it was three or four years yeah four years from uh 2018 to 2022 um you know he coached up multiple Pro linebackers in the NFL uh namely Lorenzo Alexander two-time pro pro bowler with the Buffalo Bills in the 2010s um in the NFL he was a coach with the Eagles Bills and Jets for six seasons um in the early to mid-2010s and then uh in 20188 took outside linebackers coach job at Wisconsin uh held that for a few seasons uh Wisconson was really spectacular linebacker while he was there um developed multiple all big 10 players um had an All-American there recently with uh with Nick herbick he was a former four-star linebacker um that is one of the best linebackers they've had there in the last decade you know Wisconsin as a as an as a defense also was one of the best units in the nation um from 18 to 2022 uh they ranked top five in Total Defense in each of April's last three years there and the run defense specifically was really good um ranking in the top five in the Big 10 uh each of his last three seasons there um April's uh kind of development and um recruiting parales at Wisconsin ended up earning him his first uh college football defensive coordinator job at Stanford under uh head coach Troy Taylor uh during the off season uh talking about this past offseason um you know Stanford is a is a team that's largely rebuilding right now after uh after the David Shaw era came to an end last year um and so Troy Terry trying to rebuild things there paon Stanford's mov to the ACC next season but um you know there were some speed bumps this uh this fall for sure for April's defensive unit at Stanford they ranked 132nd in Total Defense and points allowed per game they were given up a lot of points in the Pack 12 this year um so you know that's something to potentially watch out for that you know it he did have some issues with with the play calling duties this fall but you know they're really in the first steps of a rebuild there and um you know there there's a lot of changes going on and so I I think it's probably too early to tell to I think the pros for him potentially being candidate at Texas for one um is just his development um you know his development track record in the NFL and in college this is something you can sell to prospective recruits and transfers um and even guys on the current roster you know uh Chris Jackson I Ed as an example before of a Texas hire that had NFL experience and that's something that can resonate with a lot of these guys on the roster and a lot of prospective recruits that you can develop them at such a high level and Texas has really done a nice job in the last few years under Sark staff in developing NFL level talent that really wasn't there under the Tom Herman and Charlie Strong uh coaching regimes in the 2010s and then in 2020 and so you know I think Bobby April is the type of hire that you know you can rely upon to develop these NFL caliber linebackers um he did it multiple times at Wisconsin um and he's developed at a high level in the NFL and so um you know the argument against him here is obviously as results of Stanford this year but he's not he doesn't have to take the play calling duties at Texas that that that is a job that belongs to PK so um you know I think specifically in like a codc and linebackers uh coach role like Cho held at Texas these last three years um could be a good fit for April and again he's someone that's recruited well um recruited some of the highest rated uh defensive prospects that Wisconsin signed in the late 2010s and in early 2020s I mentioned Nick herbig All-American linebacker earlier um he was a high fourstar recruit that Wisconsin signed um a few classes ago and see how that turned out for them um and so again April I think would be a quality candidate for Texas just as you know someone in recent years that has been considered one of the Rising Stars among defensive coaches in college football um next one up on the list is Alabama S/T Coordinator/OLB coach Coleman Hutzler going to be a name that's pretty familiar to Texas fans uh that's uh Alabama special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach Coleman hudley um if Texas were to hire someone like or hudler that would be a retread because he was uh he was on staff uh with Tom Herman in 2020 um as the co- defensive coordinator and I believe linebackers coach for one season and so um you know familiar with Texas to some degree and you know someone that definitely has a lot of Co or SEC coaching experience uh Hustler is currently I believe in his second year at Alabama as the Special Teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach um before he was at Alabama he was at ol um his special teams coordinator Under head co head coach Lane kein in 2021 so that was the uh first role that he held after uh some of the coaching staff turnover with Steve sarkeesian in 2021 at Texas um but he's also coached at Florida South Carolina um I believe there was one other yeah actually that would bring it up to four yeah so Alabama all Miss South Carolina and Florida nearly a decade of coaching experience in the SEC in various roles including linebackers coach and special teams coordinator um and again he's already been a codc at Texas um he's found a lot of success at some of these SEC programs too um when he was the St coordinator at uh at ol Miss um he coached up one of the top ranked special teams units in the SEC uh ranking top three in the conference in uh net yards per punt return or net yards per Punt and yards per punt return um so found some success there and then at Alabama um he's coached up arguably the best linebacker group in the nation in the last two seasons um you know you got guys like Will Anderson Dallas Turner Chris brazwell that are allamerican you know early round NFL draft pick sort of guys you know Will Anderson a top five pick in the NFL draft last year um and then Dallas Turner and Chris brazwell both having big years this season at Alabama um hutler uh also at Alabama's coached up one of the better special teams units um I believe they've ranked in the top two in uh in yards per Punt and uh kick return yards in the last two seasons in the SEC um so again he's produced good results there um at South Carolina in Florida uh he again was finding a good amount of success uh he won the brwals award in 2017 as the top special teams coordinator or excuse me as the top assistant coach in the nation but he was special teams coordinator at South Carolina at the time um and so I mean just for multiple reasons I think Hut Hustler could be a good option if he's willing to come back to Texas um you'd probably have to break you know kind of break up in the checkbook here he'd probably be a pretty expensive higher but again someone with good track record on the recruiting Trail uh doing well with producing Talent on the field and getting his guys in the right place to succeed and obviously has helped produced a lot of NFL Talent uh between his time at multiple different stops in the SEC with Texas headed to the SEC in 2024 um I think that higher would make sense on quite a few levels um next up I wanted to mention is uh Tony Gibson uh he's fifth year NC State NC State DC/LB coach Tony Gibson defensive coordinator and linebackers coach uh someone that also has a lot of experience coaching in the Big 12 he was at West Virginia uh for a while under uh Dana hogerson um but you know Gibson's rise really has taken place during his time at NC State in the last like yeah last half decade or so um arguably been one of the best I think defensive coordinators not just in the ACC but in the entire power five in the early 2020s um NC State's consistently fielded one of the best defensive units in the FBS um in each of the last three seasons they've ranked in the top 25 in uh in adjusted defensive efficiency Total Defense um and I believe in the top 30 in points per game so um he's done a spectacular job there uh big reason why Dave Dorne and the Wolf Pack have won at least eight or nine games in each of the last three seasons want he State one of the better teams in the ACC this year as well um you know Gibson someone that has a ton of coaching experience at the Collegiate level I believe well over two decades at this point um served in multiple different roles and multiple different FBS programs Michigan Arizona pit included in the mix along with as I mentioned before NC State and West Virginia um and specifically if you're talking you know talking about linebacker development and linebacker recruiting Talent of valuation something he's got a Keen Eye for as well um he's developed I believe it's now developed and coached three all ACC first team linebackers uh in the last three seasons at NC State so in as many years um most recently uh all ACC first teamer pton Wilson this year someone again that has multiple all ACC selections at linebacker deny State Gibson I think it would be a really good option for Texas if you're just looking at it from like the complete package perspective again um award- wise he's been nominated for the boals award the previous two years um I don't believe he was this year but that's kind of interesting because NC State was again another top defensive unit in in the FBS and so um you know I I think he would be a good option if you're looking externally um depending on if he's willing to take that move to go from you know play calling duties at NC State probably for a pay it would have to be for a pay raise to Texas but you know he'd have more resources here be able to coach in the SEC I believe that would be for the first time in his college coaching career is like a you know with with the title at least of codc um and so there there's an argument to be had that he could be uh solid defense codc and I think that there's definitely some Intrigue um behind the idea of hiring someone like Gibson to fill this role for uh Texas um and then the last name on the list I wanted to talk about is uh the uh fifth year Utah linebackers coach Colton Utah LB coach Colton Swan Swan this was someone that I saw mentioned on it as a potential uh candidate for Texas to replace uh Jeff Cho in the codc and linebackers coach role um Swan someone that has found again similar to like Bobby April at Wisconsin just a ton of success developing linebackers at a high level and it you know he's had to turn over multiple like all Pack 12 linebacker units in his in his 5 years at Utah and um he hasn't really skipped a beat doing that in terms again Talent valuation development putting guys in the right place to succeed he's one of the best in the business I think among defensive coaches that are kind of rising stars in college football right now you know Utah it it's hard to make an argument that anyone evaluates and develops defensive Talent specifically a linebacker better than Utah and does so with a bunch of like overlooked like three star low fourstar guys um you know one of the one stat that I saw uh from Swan is you know in the last two seasons at Utah He's consistently fielded uh three starting linebackers that graded out in the top 10 in the Pack 12 at their position um Utah is the only program to do that you know in 2021 Swan had two NFL guyses at linebackers specifically All-American and NFL draft pick I believe a first rounder in 2022 uh Devon Lloyd and you know they lost both those guys during the 2022 off season and so um they've really again having skipped a beat and replacing those guys Utah again has had one of the most dominant defensive units especially in run defense in the power five uh they've ranked the top two in each of the last three seasons in run defense um and then in uh defensive line yards they've ranked in the top three in the Pack 12 in every single year that uh swan has been at Utah so um you know I think in the way of like someone that's a clear Rising Star right now in the power five and that you know has multiple years of a proven track record of development again just having that Keen Eye for talent um swan is a I think is a great option for Texas to potentially replace Cho um you know Texas likes those guys with those West Coast connections um you know Texas has had success with Utah flips before mind you Jaylen Ford um again all Big 12 linebacker All-American uh second teamer was a Utah commit before Texas flipped flipped him I believe that was in the 2020 class um 2020 or 2021 yeah 2020 um and so there's no questioning Utah when it comes to developing Talent finding Talent on the recruiting Trail uh so Swan you know getting someone from that Kyle Whittingham coaching tree I think would be a fantastic move um but yeah those are the four guys I wanted to mention among some early candidates to potentially replace Jeff Cho uh and some just brief backgrounds about their resumés and what they could bring to Texas um you know there's going to be other names thrown around I think and some potential uh in internal candidates that that could be in the mix as well CU Texas does have a deep coaching staff uh with a lot of resources as well so anyway um stay tuned on the site will continue to cover as more developments come along uh for the codc search to replace Cho this off entering the off season but you know until then Cho's going to be helping the team prepare for the playoff kind of finish the job he started this year and in the last three years for Andrew Miller hook headlines.com the hok horn show that's pretty much it hok