Jerry Gray Hired As Texas DB Coach

The chips are all falling into place. MB is putting together a Dream Team of football coaching talent.

When does Spring ball start?

Just when you think it can’t get any better, it does.

Good luck Coach Akina. We appreciated every last drop of sweat you poured into the program.

Best wishes to Akina, who served a fantastic 10 years, but… wow. Just, WOW. Jerry Gray back on the 40!

What. An. Offseason.

Bring on spring practices!

I cannot believe he took this position but I am thrilled and glad he is willing to work under a younger guy like Diaz.

The DBs are really lucky to get the opportunity to learn from a great one; and Gray is one of the greatest. I was lucky enough to be on the 40 acres and watch him play. He was incredible and he saved our team many a time.

If A. Williams had any info. that this was going to happen and still jumped early he is mush between the ears.

I really never thought this could possibly happen.

…I think a lot of us might bicker about how to grade Harsin, Diaz, and possibly even Wyatt and Davis, with responses possibly as low as B-. But I really have a hard time believing anyone could view the Gray hiring as anything but an A+.

Great hire but we still need to fill the O-Line vacancy. Statesman reporting that the private jet is back in Madison for another attempt at Bostad.

Let this be done so we can get back to football – national signing day and spring ball are not too far off.

That Duane Akina had decided to leave, while shocked the first thing I said was," Is there any chance we get Jerry Gray? I hope that it’s a “big name” hire to replace Akina." I seriously doubted that he would take the DB position that he already held in Seattle. I am very excited to see him back in burnt orange. One of my all time favorite longhorns. Mack, hit this one out of the park.

Akina was pushed out? They had to have all talked about this beforehand. There’s no way Mack could have made a hire that fast. The Seahawks just finished playing in Chicago. Akina left yesterday. Surely this was all hashed out a long time ago. Manny Diaz is great. I have no complains about him at all, but I wonder why Mack didn’t hire Gray for the DC job. Anyway, I’m a young buck so I’d never heard of him, but he sounds like a home run of a hire. When will I learn to stop panicking every time someone leaves and trust in Mack’s abilities? He never ceases to amaze me.

I think he becomes the DC in waiting if Diaz moves on in a couple years which has been his modus operandi. Jerry Gray might be the right guy to head up ST too if Texas doesn’t hire a specific ST coach.

He’s perfect DC material if the Diaz experiment fails.

Where is the message board terrorist beergut? I’d love to hear how Jerry was Texas’ 9th choice to replace Akina, and how no coach wants to come to Texas because we went 5-7 last year.

Sinking ship my ass. Bring it next year Gooner and Aggy.

and it’s about time. I would also like to see our OLine coach come from the pro ranks.

Jonathon Gray from Aledo?

But does anyone know the latest news on Inside Texas about Christian Westerman.

Suck my beergut…beergut!

Splendid! I watched JG play a lot of games for the Horns. My view is the best Horn defenses were from his era. We can be better now – better than anything we’ve seen from Muskamp, for sure.

Hook ’em!

is if Mack can schedule the opening game next season against Muschamp’s Florida Gators. A bowl game perhaps?

that position and assistant coaches in the NFL don’t have a union, and that if there is a lockout they wouldn’t have their salary guaranteed next year. If this is true it would make what might seem like a lateral move more understandable.

I’m sure they’ll divide up the duties to a certain extent, as usual, but I’m trying to parse the options for the official ST coordinator.

I do wonder how well he’ll adapt to the reduced practice schedule from the NFL? It’s one thing to be a great teacher in 60 hours a week, but quite another to be a great teacher in 20.

there is tremendous value in bringing back someone who understands the tradition of your school, and is excited to be back at his alma mater

I am a firm believer that in this day and age of spread offenses, some of the best defensive coordinators to be had are people with a background in coaching the secondary, because they tend to build everything from the back going forward. Manny Diaz’ primary experience is as a linebackers coach, although he spent some time as a safety coach at Middle Tennessee and at North Carolina State. However, add Gray into the equation, and you have a secondary coach with coordinator experience in the NFL (which can only help in recruiting) which means Diaz only needs to worry about the front seven. This is pretty much the perfect hire for texas.

As for the speculation about how this came down, I don’t think it is a secret that Gray wanted to come back to texas, he said as much after taking the job. Once it became clear that Akina was out, I’m sure it didn’t take long for Mack to call Gray, and even less time for Gray to say ‘yes’. I don’t think there was some conspiracy out there where Mack was trying to undermine Akina; if he wanted to get rid of him, he’d have done it long ago. I think Mack always knew in the back of his mind that if Akina ever left, he could always contact Gray about filling the position. Giving him the title of assistant head coach also makes the move look less like a step down, and also recognizes his experience in the Leage. Giving him that title is a way of paying him the proper respect.

Any comments from our young DB recruits on the hire?

Jerry Gray is going to be an incredible coach and any DB that wants to be an All American will have Austin on their map.
He is ready to work under Diaz and make this team win. What a phenomenal hire and I can’t wait to watch his DB’s play. I would trade Boom for him anyday. DB U, baby.