Texas is set to head into its final non-conference game with an off-field distraction hanging over the program.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday that co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Johnny Nansen was arrested Wednesday evening on a misdemeanor DWI charge. The announcement came just days after the Longhorns’ comeback win over Ohio State.
Nansen was not at practice on Thursday, and Sarkisian said the staff is still sorting through what comes next.
“We had an unfortunate situation last evening. Coach Nansen was charged with a misdemeanor DWI,” Sarkisian said.
“We obviously are aware of the situation. I'm still gathering facts.
I'm still monitoring the situation. We're obviously disappointed, but that's all I really have on that at this time.”
Asked whether Nansen would be back on the sideline for Texas’ game against UTSA in Austin, Sarkisian didn’t have an answer yet.
“I don't know yet,” Sarkisian said. “We're still gathering information and monitoring the situation. We'll have more for you as we get closer to the ball game.”
Nansen, 52, joined Texas in 2024 and has built a long coaching résumé across the West. He played linebacker at Washington State and later coached at Idaho, Idaho State and Washington.
At Washington, he rose to assistant head coach, then held the same title at USC. He went on to serve as UCLA’s defensive line coach in 2020 before becoming Arizona’s defensive coordinator in 2022.
At Texas, Nansen has been one of Sarkisian’s key assistants. He handled play-calling duties for the defense in last season’s Citrus Bowl against Michigan after the program parted ways with defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski. He also helped hold things together after Will Muschamp arrived and before his own defense could be fully installed.
“Coach Nansen will call the defense,” Sarkisian said last season. “I don't think that would be fair to coach Muschamp to come in and call somebody else's defense, and we just don't have quite enough time to get that thing installed.
So Coach Nansen will call it. He's got a great staff around him, with Coach Clark, Coach Baker, Coach Hudson.”
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The awkwardness lingered because the moment landed in real time, when patience matters most and everyone is watching how a program handles it. Sarkisian also took responsibility for his own conduct during the interview, while the broader issue around Mannings interaction with Rowe appeared to be moving toward closure even as the Longhorns tried to keep the focus on the football. [Read more 🡒]