The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Sarkisian completes assistant coaching staff, adding Jeff Choate
01.28.2021 | Football
The Longhorns head coach announced the final piece to his assistant coaching staff with the addition of Jeff Choate as co-Defensive Coordinator and Inside Linebackers Coach, as well as several support staff positions.
Austin, Texas – Texas Head Football Coach Steve Sarkisian has finalized the assistant coaching staff with the hiring of Montana State head coach Jeff Choate as the Longhorns' co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach, he announced on Thursday. Sarkisian also announced his Chief of Staff, Jason Grooms, as well as four new assistant coaches for athletic performance.
"Jeff is an awesome final piece to an assistant coaching staff that, as I've said before, I'll put up against anyone in the country," Sarkisian said. "He is a highly-respected, accomplished coach who has a long history of working with outstanding defenses and developing players. When you watch the players he's coached, they play hard, are fundamentally sound and he clearly does an exceptional job with them. His experience as a head coach, extensive background with special teams and wealth of knowledge in many areas will be a tremendous asset to our staff, as well. And, in talking to him about the job, I could really tell he's passionate about football, brings a ton of energy to everything he does and cares deeply about the players. He'll be a great culture fit with our staff and players, and I'm excited about all he'll bring to our program.
"The camaraderie among our coaching staff is already strong, we're off to a good start recruiting, I like where we're headed from a football standpoint and the players are understanding the expectations and getting on the same page, as well. All in all, I feel really good about where we are at this point."
The head coach at Montana State for the past four seasons, JEFF CHOATE joins the Longhorns as co-Defensive Coordinator and Inside Linebackers Coach. After building up the program in his first two seasons in Bozeman, Choate led the Bobcats to back-to-back FCS playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019, including advancing to the semifinal game in 2019. That was the Bobcats' deepest postseason run since 1984, and in his final two seasons there, he led the team to a 19-9 record. Prior to his time at Montana State, Choate spent several years coaching alongside Texas Defensive Coordinator and Outside Linebacker Coach Pete Kwiatkowski at both Washington and Boise State. The 28-year coaching veteran spent 16 years as an assistant coach at the college level, most recently as special teams coordinator and defensive line coach for two seasons at Washington (2014-15). Prior to that, he spent one year as special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Florida (2013), and one season as linebackers coach at Washington State (2012), following a six-year stint in various roles at Boise State (2006-11). He served as special teams coordinator all six seasons in Boise while coaching running backs (2006-08), linebackers (2009) and nicklebacks (2010-11). Choate spent 2005 at Eastern Illinois and 2003-04 at Utah State as a special teams coach. He re-launched his career as a collegiate coach, serving as a graduate assistant at Utah State in 2002, where he worked with the defensive line and then special teams and safeties, after he began tutoring linebackers at his alma mater, Montana Western in 1992-93. He spent eight years in between at the high school level from 1994-2001. A native of Saint Maries, Idaho, he earned his bachelor's degree from Montana Western in 1993, where he played linebacker.
In addition to the assistant coaching staff, Sarkisian has also hired veteran football administrator Jason Grooms to serve as the Longhorns Chief of Staff.
"We also added a critical piece to our support staff with Jason Grooms taking on our Chief of Staff role," Sarkisian said. "Jason is an extremely organized, hard-working and dedicated guy who came highly recommended and will head up our administrative efforts and manage all of our football operations. We're happy he's joining us, and I know Torre Becton is thrilled to have his four assistant coaches for athletic performance in place, as well. Those guys are already putting in the work with the team in off-season workouts and will play a critical role in our success as a program."
JASON GROOMS joins the Longhorns staff after spending the past seven seasons at Vanderbilt with the first as director of football operations (2014) before being elevated to an assistant athletics director in 2015. Prior to his time in Nashville, Grooms served in the same capacity at Ohio University, again, first as director of football operations (2005-10) before being promoted to assistant athletic director for his final three years (2011-13). A 2001 graduate of Ohio with a bachelor's degree in sports sciences, he served as a student assistant under Bobcats head coach Jim Grobe from 1997-2000. He began his post-graduate career as a coach by joining Grobe at Wake Forest as a graduate assistant working with the defense from 2001-02 before getting his first full-time position at East Tennessee State as outside linebackers coach and video coordinator. He went on to serve as outside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator at Elon University in 2004 before returning to Ohio University to be the first Director of Football Operations there under head coach Frank Solich. An active member of the American Football Coaches Association since 2001, he served as president of the AFCA's Director of Football Operations group in 2017. He has been a trustee for that organization since 2018. A native of Frankfort, Ohio, he completed his master's degree in recreation and sports sciences from Ohio in 2011.
Texas has also added four assistant coaches to its Athletic Performance staff. That group will work under the direction of the Longhorns' new Director of Football Performance, Torre Becton.
CORY CASTRO comes to Texas after spending the past five seasons as an assistant athletic performance coach at Cal in 2020. Prior to his time at Cal, Castro served as the head strength and conditioning coach at Lamar, beginning in 2014. Castro spent six months in 2014 as a weightlifting intern at the Gayle Hatch Weightlifting Club. From 2012-13 Castro was a graduate assistant at Louisiana-Monroe. During his time as an undergrad, Castro spent time as a strength and conditioning intern at Texas and Kent State. He earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science from John Carroll University in 2012, where he was a four-year letterwinner in football. He went on to earn a master's degree in applied exercise science from Louisiana-Monroe in 2013.
ISAIAH GONZALES spent the past four seasons as an assistant athletic performance coach at Cal. Gonzales was the Director of Football Sports Sciences at Cal, which included monitoring and interpreting of Catapult GPS and Sparta Science. He also worked with Cal's men's rowing program. Prior to arriving in Berkeley, Gonzales spent four years at Seattle University (2013-17) as a coordinator of strength and conditioning. During the summer of 2014, Gonzales was a football strength and conditioning intern Washington. He also served as a football strength and conditioning intern at New Mexico (2013) and Louisville (2009). He earned his bachelor's degree from UNM in 2013 and a master's degree in sports administration and leadership from Seattle University in 2015.
MARKUS JAMES joins the Texas Football staff after spending four seasons as an assistant athletic performance coach at Cal. Prior to Cal, James spent one year at James Madison University in 2016, serving as the assistant director of strength and conditioning for its football program. From 2010-15, James spent six seasons serving as a strength and conditioning coach at South Carolina State. A 2010 graduate of S.C. State, James was a defensive lineman for the Bulldogs for four seasons, helping them win back-to-back MEAC championships (2008-09) and advancing to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs each season. As a senior, James was named to the All-MEAC Second Team.
JOE VAUGHN begins his role at Texas after serving as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Kansas State this past season. A two-time All-Big 12 center at Kansas who was tabbed the league's Offensive Newcomer of the Year in 2003 and the Jayhawks' Offensive MVP in 2004, Vaughn began his strength and conditioning career at his alma mater in 2005-06. He spent time as a strength and conditioning coach at Oklahoma before returning to Kansas for five years from 2007-11. Vaughn followed that with seven seasons in the NFL, serving as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before getting out of the business for a couple of years and working in real estate. He earned his bachelor's degree in applied and behavioral science from Kansas in 2006.
"All of these additions are all gas and no brakes guys," Sarkisian said. "They'll come to work every day with the drive and determination to play their part in helping our players grow and develop in all facets of their lives and be all about building a championship program."
2021 Texas Football Coaching Staff
Jeff Banks: Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach
Jeff Choate: Co-Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach
Andre Coleman: Wide Receivers Coach
Bo Davis: Defensive Line Coach
Stan Drayton: Offensive Run Game Coordinator and Running Backs Coach
Kyle Flood: Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach
Blake Gideon: Safeties Coach
Terry Joseph: Defensive Passing Game Coordinator and Secondary Coach
Pete Kwiatkowski (quit-COW-ski): Defensive Coordinator and Outside Linebackers Coach
AJ Milwee: Quarterbacks Coach
Torre Becton: Director of Football Performance
