[Update]: The Dallas Morning New is now citing a source saying that no job offer has been made to Austin and that a hire is not imminent. According to the same source, Austin did not meet with Brown and is not scheduled to meet with Brown tomorrow. Do with that what you will. --GoBR--
So much for Randy Shannon. A day after the university posted a list of job qualifications that eliminated every candidate except for Florida DC Teryl Austin and North Carolina DC Everett Withers, Chip Brown of Orangebloods is reporting that Austin will be the next Texas defensive coordinator. According to the Statesman, 247Sports is also reporting that Austin is Mack's guy.
At 45, Austin has experience in both the NFL and college over a nearly 20-year coaching career. After spending seven seasons in the NFL, Austin returned to college last season to coach the Gators' defense when Urban Meyer's first choice to replace Charlie Strong bolted for the NFL after only a month in Gainesville. The 2010 season represented Austin's only experience as a defensive coordinator after coaching defensive backs for the entirety of his career. Like Will Muschamp's group, the Gator defense was negatively impacted by the poor play of the offense, finishing ninth in total defense, but 31st in scoring defense.
Unlike Shannon, there isn't much known about Austin as a recruiter, but he will probably earn a reputation good or bad in the near future because his first order of business is going to be making sure that all the commitments on the defensive side of the ball stay committed. Fortunately for Austin, it appears that SA Sam Houston DT Quincy Russell is the only commit currently wavering, at least publicly.
Austin will also have to decide how he's going to fill out his defensive staff. Obviously, Duane Akina is currently in place as the defensive back coach, but Texas needs a defensive tackles coach and a linebackers coach. Since Muschamp coached the linebackers, there's really only one open position on the staff to fill the two roles unless Austin decides to coach linebackers or Oscar Giles becomes the defensive line coach instead of working solely with the defensive ends.
It's not the "big splash" hire that a lot of Longhorn fans wanted and Scipio Tex is accurate in calling Austin a "blank slate" as a defensive coordinator and recruiter. In the short term, it probably doesn't decrease the pressure on Mack Brown. In fact, it may increase the pressure to hire names for the offensive coaching staff that Texas fans can feel excited about. However, the value of Austin's hire won't truly be known until the Longhorns take the field in the fall of 2011 and Mack Brown has to be desperately hoping that he is getting this right.
There has not yet been an official announcement from the athletics department.