Blake Gideon says goodbye to Texas
Former Texas safeties coach Blake Gideon, who will take the defensive coordinator role at Georgia Tech, said his thank yous and goodbyes to the Longhorn football program and its fans on social media on Friday.
[BOOKMARK: Check Inside Texas daily for FREE Texas Longhorns content]
“Not my style, but here it goes. Most exciting and most difficult week of my career. Too many people to thank. Sark (Steve Sarkisian), PK (Pete Kwiatkowski), TJ (Terry Joseph), you’re the best,” Gideon posted. “My guys in the room… I love you, keep setting your alarm, keep stepping into the ring, keep the standard.”
Gideon, a former Longhorn who started all 52 games during his four-year career in Austin, returned t Texas in 2021 when Steve Sarkisian was hired away from his role as offensive coordinator at Alabama. Gideon was the specials teams coordinator at Ole Miss prior to returning to the 40 Acres. Before his stint in Oxford, Gideon coached at Houston, Georgia State, and Western Carolina. Gideon earned Special Teams Coordinator of the Year honors in 2019 for his work with Houston.
Gideon shared Football Scoop’s 2024 Defensive Backs Coaches of the Years honors with Joseph.
“Blake is an outstanding coach who has worked extremely hard for the opportunity to be a defensive coordinator,” Sarkisian said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more grateful for all he did to coach and develop our safeties the past four years. He has great knowledge of the game, is detail-oriented and driven, passionate about the players and builds great relationships with them on and off the field. He is an awesome staff member who was an incredible resource for us as a former player here and in all aspects of our program. We’ll certainly miss him but are excited for this opportunity for him and his family. He’ll do great things for Georgia Tech.”
During his time at Texas, Gideon helped former walk-on Michael Taaffe turn into a second-team All-American. He also coached a number of quality defensive backs in 2024 like Andrew Mukuba, Derek Williams, and Jelani McDonald, all of whom helped Texas to a No. 3 finish in total defense. He also aided Jahdae Barron, who won the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award.
“I grew up in Austin watching Blake as a player, and he was always one of my heroes because of how he played the game,” Barron said in a statement. “Being coached by him was a dream come true. He’s so passionate about the game and really helped instill that in me as a player. Talking to him about ball, and about life, has been one of the best blessings ever. He really helped me understand how to go about business and be a pro, and I appreciate all he did to help me grow and develop during my time at Texas.”
Gideon leaves the safeties room well-stocked for whoever takes his seat. In addition to Taaffe, Williams, and McDonald, the Longhorns also bring back Xavier Filsaime, Jordon Johnson-Rubell, Zelus Hicks, and Jonah Williams.
During his playing career, Gideon tallied 234 total tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, and ten interceptions. He also had two forced fumbles.
[Join Inside Texas TODAY and get 7 days for just ONE DOLLAR!]
Gideon’s return to Atlanta fills a vacancy created by the departure of Tyler Santucci, who left Georgia Tech to be the linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens. Gideon will join Brent Key‘s staff. The Yellow Jackets were 7-6 in 2024.
The post Blake Gideon says goodbye to Texas appeared first on On3.
