Texas linebackers coach Jeff Choate hired by Nevada, but will still coach Longhorns in CFP
Texas assistant football coach Jeff Choate was officially announced as the new head coach of Nevada on Monday afternoon, but that doesn’t mean the Longhorns’ co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach plans to miss the upcoming College Football Playoff.
At his introductory press conference, Choate told NevadaSportsNet on Monday that he plans to fully invest in the Nevada program until Dec. 15, when Texas (12-1) resumes its full practice schedule in order to prepare for its CFP semifinal matchup against Washington Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
“I think there’s two things that go into that,” Choate said. “No. 1, my primary responsibility is to these young men at (Nevada) at this point. But (Texas) Coach (Steve) Sarkisian has been through these experiences, too, as an assistant coach taking a head coaching role.
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“How many times are you going to get to play for a national championship? It’s not really about me. It’s about providing consistency for the players on the defensive side of the ball so that when we go to install meetings or we go to practice, the rhythm of their day is the same. The balancing act is really going to be once we start bowl practices.
"The good news is, I’ll pretty much be here rocking and rolling until the 15th," Choate continued. "We’re not practicing (at Texas) until the 15th. There’s going to be some long days, but I think the right thing to do is to provide consistency and stability for the guys in the program there and finish the mission at Texas. In the interim, I will have had a chance to put the pieces in place to move this thing forward. A lot of the guys will be off campus during that time anyway.”
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Choate, 53, also was a finalist for the Nevada job prior to the 2022 season when it went to Ken Wilson, who was recently let go after back-to-back 2-10 seasons.
A veteran who spent almost a decade coaching high school football in Idaho, Choate has spent the past 21 years in college football, including stops at Boise State, Washington, Washington State and Florida. He also spent four seasons as the head coach at Montana State and led the Bobcats to two FCS playoff appearances in his final two seasons with the team, including a loss in the national semifinals in 2019.
Choate has worked at Texas since Sarkisian arrived in 2021and has helped develop players such as all-Big 12 linebacker Jaylan Ford, a former three-star recruit from Frisco who has emerged as one of the top players in the nation at his position over the past two years. Choate also helped turn the Longhorns into one of the top rushing defenses in the nation, with Texas now ranking third in the country with 80.8 yards rushing allowed per game.
Sarkisian praised Choate for his role in helping Texas reach the CFP, and he said Nevada is getting "tremendous leader in every way, and (he) will do great things for Wolf Pack football."
"I’m so happy for Coach Choate and his opportunity to lead the program at Nevada," Sarkisian said in a statement. "He’s a tremendous coach, such a high-energy guy, and is passionate about the players. He has tons of experience and all the traits you want in a head coach. We’re so grateful for everything he did for Texas and are excited that he’s going to continue to coach with us through the CFP.”
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas football's Jeff Choate takes over Nevada, will still coach CFP
