Jedd Fisch reportedly loses Arizona coordinator to SEC program
Jedd Fisch will be in the market for a defensive coordinator after Johnny Nansen was reportedly hired at Texas as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, according to 247Sports.
Nansen is a familiar face for a pair of coaches on the Longhorns’ coaching staff.
Nansen was on coach Steve Sarkisian’s staff at Washington from 2009-13 and went with Sarkisian to USC in 2014. Nansen was also on the same staff as current Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski in 2000 at Montana State.
He coached a solid defense for the Wildcats during the 2023 season, and it will be remembered for the team going 10-3, its fourth 10-win season in school history. What’s more, the unit forced 6 takeaways that led to 28 points in the comeback win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.
Arizona’s defense was 5th in the Pac-12 in total defense during the 2023 season, as it gave up 358 yards per game.
Arizona’s defense this past season went from yielding 36.5 points per game in 2022 to giving up 20.8 points per game during the 2023 season, which ranked No. 26 in FBS. That defensive improvement helped Arizona go from 5-7 in 2022 to 9-3 this season.
BREAKING: Steve Sarkisian hiring former assistant Johnny Nansen as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, sources tell @mzenitz and myself.https://t.co/1Op9aPZKky
— Chip Brown (@ChipBrown247) January 6, 2024