News continued to trickle out about the Texas Longhorns coaching staff on Wednesday, as defensive line coach Oscar Giles will either remain employed by the Longhorns under new coordinator Chris Ash or is expected to remain on staff, according to reports, including the breaking news from Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods.
Giles is the only defensive coach retained so far — news of co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Craig Naivar’s departure broke earlier on Wednesday and the fate of cornerbacks coach/recruiting coordinator Jason Washington is still unknown.
With Ash expected to coach the safeties, Texas is currently in the market for a linebackers coach and likely a defensive tackles coach. Based on what head coach Tom Herman said before the Alamo Bowl, he’ll balance the offensive and defensive staffs for the first time by adding another defensive line coach.
Giles is a Texas alum who spent nine seasons working under Mack Brown after serving as a graduate assistant in 1999 and has coached the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year twice in his three years since returning to Austin — Poona Ford in 2017 and Charles Omenihu in 2018.
Both players improved tremendously under Giles, who had a strong reputation for developing talent from his first stint as a coach on the Forty Acres, including two Ted Hendricks Award winners in Jackson Jeffcoat and Brian Orakpo.
As a recruiter, Giles has come under criticism for failing to land top in-state talents like K’Lavon Chaisson and DeMarvin Leal, but the three-man front used by former defensive coordinator Todd Orlando clearly didn’t do Giles any favors. So Herman and Ash are probably hoping that the new scheme will help provide a boost for Giles on the recruiting trail.
Giles will now focus on landing Bastrop Cedar Creek defensive end Alfred Collins and luring Manor defensive end Princely Unmanmielen back into the class.