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Texas Longhorns cornerbacks coach Jay Valai became the latest member of former head coach Tom Herman’s staff to tweet goodbye to his players on Monday, becoming the fifth Longhorns assistant to do so.
Crazy Year but still a Blessed One!!Love my boys and the growth they have had on the field as players, but more importantly off field as men. Wishing all the success in the world to My “Day 1” Dudes!!
— Coach Jay Valai (@JayValai) January 11, 2021
Much Love and GOD Bless pic.twitter.com/6G5aSrQtog
New Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is expected to hire Terry Joseph from the Fighting Irish to coach the cornerbacks or perhaps the entire secondary. Former Texas safety Blake Gideon is also expected to join the staff in some capacity including special teams coordinator.
With connections in the Metroxplex from his time as a trainer following his playing career at Wisconsin, Valai is considered a rising star in the coaching industry, but he does have limited experience as an on-field assistant.
In 2016 and 2017, Valai was a defensive quality control coach at Georgia, then he spent one season in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018 as a defensive quality control coach and assistant defensive backs coach.
Valai’s first big break as an assistant came from Chris Ash hired Valai during his final season as the head coach at Rutgers. After Ash was terminated and subsequently took the Texas defensive coordinator position with the Longhorns, Valai followed him to Ash.
So although the cornerbacks improved during Valai’s only season on the Forty Acres, it appears that Sarkisian wants more experience on his coaching staff.