OTF Premium How Steve Sarkisian's defensive practice plan has streamlined Will Muschamp's return to Texas

[Jeff Howe]

AUSTIN, Texas — Part of what endeared Will Muschamp to Texas football fans the way Mike Campbell and Leon Fuller did before him was his intensity and demand for physicality, which were traits his Longhorn defenses showed during his first stint as defensive coordinator.

What Muschamp doesn’t get enough credit for is his attention to detail. Playing for Muschamp requires a razor-sharp focus, which bred discipline that helped Muschamp field championship-caliber defenses and change the football culture on the Forty Acres during his three seasons under Mack Brown (2008-10).

Unlike his first tour of duty with the Longhorns, Muschamp’s return hasn’t tasked him with creating something from scratch. It’s more of a case of Muschamp helping Sarkisian clear a hurdle he’s reached along his climb to college football’s summit.

Regardless, Muschamp’s impact in his second Texas tenure is being felt in how the Longhorns practice. The expected Muschamp hallmarks are evident (the “No Thud = No Play” mantra chief among them). Muschamp’s detailing of Steve Sarkisian’s defensive practice plan for spring ball during his media availability last Tuesday, however, revealed how Sarkisian is giving Muschamp the tools he needs to help Texas regain the physical edge it lacked at times in 2025.

For starters, Muschamp is familiar with the way Texas practices because Sarkisian’s practice structure, he said, is similar to what he experienced while working under Nick Saban and Kirby Smart.

From the day he took the job, Sarkisian has implemented a lot of what he learned from Saban during his time as an Alabama assistant coach (2016, 2019-20). Still, Sarkisian using practice periods to run through half-line pass drills, for example, is a sign that Muschamp is getting everything he needs to make his mark on the 2026 squad.

“When you do half-line pass, that's really a great teaching tool for the defense,” Muschamp said. “I hear a lot of offensive coaches, like, 'I never want to do that.' We always did that with Coach Saban because it’s really to teach the principles of the coverage to the defensive players. We do that here. Coach Sarkisian loves it, but he knows that it helps us probably more than it really helps our offense. If (the play is) a full-field read for the quarterback, he's only reading half the field and sometimes there's some coverages that are going to kill any route over there.”

That might not sound like a big deal. But, Sarkisian, who points out time and again that “you get what you emphasize" in practice, tailoring practice periods to Muschamp’s liking speaks to a coach who wants to maximize a shift in defensive philosophy capable of elevating the program to the elusive next rung on the championship ladder.

Muschamp likes the physicality of Sarkisian’s practice. Beyond that, and perhaps more important to Texas getting back to the College Football Playoff, Sarkisian’s understanding that the defense needs live snaps to hone their craft has Muschamp excited about what the team has accomplished in spring practice.

“On offense, you can go out and do routes on air and really improve and get the timing and get all that,” Muschamp said. “On defense, you have to key and diagnose. You have to see something, you have to respond to it the right way, have your eyes in the right spot and in order for us to get better, we've got to go against people.”

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[Jeff Howe]

I don't know if the defensive practice plan Muschamp describes is something that Sark has done previously. With that said, it doesn't matter because he's doing it now.

Sark has a pretty unique background in that he's an offensive play-caller who counts two elite defensive minds (Nick Saban and Pete Carroll) as mentors. They're Sark's two biggest football influences, so he knows what a defensive practice plan looks like.

Muschamp's quote on the practice plan stuck with me. If nothing else, it reinforces why Muschamp was Sark's first choice to run the defense when he took the Texas job, not PK.

It's disingenuous to say PK wasn't a good defensive coordinator. That's simply not true.

Nevertheless, it's becoming clearer by the day that Muschamp and defensive minds from the Saban tree call games and value things that jibe more with who Sark is philosophically.

[Jeff Howe]

For those of you who want to know how half-line pass works in practice, I'm sorry for pulling an Ohio State example, but it's the best I could find on a quick YouTube search:

 

[BigKris903]

Thanks Jeff!! Damn good read.

[HonkEm]

This is an awesome post Jeff. Really enjoyed reading it.

I think your take makes a lot of sense. Sark’s background with Saban and Carroll means he’s always understood what a high‑level defensive practice structure looks like, so it’s not surprising that Muschamp’s approach fits naturally with what Sark already believes.

PK wasn’t a bad coordinator by any stretch, but fit matters when you’re trying to move from “good” to “championship level.” Muschamp comes from the same defensive lineage as Sark’s biggest influences, so the emphasis on live reps, physicality, and detailed teaching lines up more cleanly with Sark’s overall philosophy.

And you’re right - the way Muschamp talks about the practice plan really does reinforce why he was Sark’s first choice from the beginning. It’s not just scheme; it’s the daily structure, the way you practice, and what you emphasize. That alignment is already showing up this spring.

 

[jbseamus83]

Great read.  Love the details we are getting about how practices are run and the areas of emphasis. Keep 'em coming!

[CJ Vogel]

Awesome stuff Jeff!

Hope we get to see some of this in action on Saturday – if we even get a practice on Saturday.

[MJW2327]

Jeff - can always count on you to dive into something like this, pleasure to read, great insight 

[HalfmileHorn]

Incredible coverage Jeff - well done!

[Jarveaux]

I’m kinda starting to like you Jeff . Just quit rubbing your chin. That’s annoying 😂

[Jerky]

Appreciate it Jeff! Good on you to recognize the great Mike Campbell and Leon Fuller.  This type of report with color and insight is one of the reasons I'm glad I joined OTF. 🤘

[Hookem1012]

Everyone just do your job! You understand that?!