Former Alabama assistant Robinson joins Georgia as co-defensive coordinator.
ATHENS, Ga. — Former Alabama cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson has been named Georgia’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
Robinson’s hiring came three days after Alabama coach Nick Saban announced his retirement. Alabama hired Kalen DeBoer from Washington on Friday.
In the hiring announced by Georgia on Saturday, Robinson will assume the role formerly held by Will Muschamp, who will move into a defensive analyst position in order to spend more time with his family. Muschamp’s son, Whit, will be a freshman on Vanderbilt’s team.
Muschamp had been co-defensive coordinator with Glenn Schumann, who now will share leadership of the defense with Robinson.
Robinson was South Carolina’s defensive coordinator from 2016-2020 before working for one year as Miami’s cornerbacks coach and three seasons at Alabama.
Travaris has 17 years of college coaching experience, including over a decade in the SEC mentoring some of the top defenses statistically in the NCAA,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said in a statement.
Sarkisian gets extension at Texas
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ first Big 12 championship since 2009 and the program’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff earned Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian a four-year contract extension through 2030, the school announced Saturday.
Financial terms of the deal, which must be approved by the school’s Board of Regents, were not released. Sarkisian’s initial contract paid him nearly $6 million in 2023, and it’s expected his new deal will push him closer to $10 million annually and among the top-paid coaches in the country.
“Coach Sark is an incredible coach, a first-class person and tremendous leader of men,” Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife said. “Coach Sark has brought the pride and passion back in our program. We’re so fortunate to have him and we’re looking forward to many more exciting years ahead.”
Texas finished 12-2 and ranked No. 3 after a 37-31 loss to Washington in a national semifinal that came down to the final play. The Longhorns won the Big 12 in their final season in the league. Texas moves into the Southeastern Conference next season.
Sarkisian, 49, is 25-14 in his three seasons at Texas. His name had briefly surfaced as a candidate for the job at Alabama after Nick Saban retired earlier this week. But even before Saban retired, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte had said the university was considering a raise and extension for Sarkisian.
Former WSU quarterback Ward off to Miami
Cam Ward, who finished fourth among all FBS quarterbacks in passing yards per game this past season, announced his commitment to Miami on Saturday night.
Ward is transferring in from Washington State, making that decision almost two weeks after saying he would forgo his final year of eligibility for the NFL Draft. But he visited the Hurricanes last month and they evidently remained on his radar throughout the process.
He threw for 311 yards per game in 2023, behind only Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., Oregon’s Bo Nix and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU in the national rankings.
Ward has thrown for 13,876 yards and 119 touchdowns in his four college seasons — the first two at FCS member Incarnate Word, the last two at Washington State. Only six players at the FBS, FCS, Division II and Division III levels had thrown for more yards in their careers when the 2023 season ended than Ward’s total.
He figures to immediately be atop the quarterback depth chart at Miami, which saw starter Tyler Van Dyke transfer after the regular season ended to Wisconsin. The Hurricanes also used presumed returnees Emory Williams and Jacurri Brown as starters in 2023; Williams broke his arm in a late-season game against Florida State and Brown played in Miami’s loss to Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Miami — which went 7-6 this season — also added Albany transfer Reese Poffenbarger to its quarterback room this offseason. He transferred in after leading the Great Danes into the FCS playoffs and leading that division with 3,603 yards passing and 36 touchdowns in 2023.
Oklahoma hires Alley as co-DC, promotes Valai
NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma football has added Zac Alley as a co-defensive coordinator.
The 30-year-old Alley joins Jay Valai and Todd Bates as co-defensive coordinators, the team announced Saturday.
Alley spent the last two seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. He was defensive coordinator at Louisiana-Monroe in 2021.
Alley worked under Oklahoma coach Brent Venables as a graduate assistant at Clemson from 2015 to 2018 when Venables was defensive coordinator and linebackers coach there. In those four seasons, with Alley working primarily with the defensive tackles and linebackers, Clemson posted a 55-4 record and won two national championships.
Alley’s defense at Jacksonville State last season ranked fourth in the country in opponent yards per rush (2.8), eighth in tackles for loss yardage (414), ninth in turnovers gained (25) and 10th in interceptions (16). The Gamecocks went 9-4 and defeated Louisiana in the New Orleans Bowl.
Venables also announced assistant coach Valai has earned the addition of “assistant head coach for defense” to his title. Valai’s official title is now assistant head coach for defense/co-defensive coordinator/pass defense/cornerbacks and nickelbacks.
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