The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach (Defense)/Safeties
An All-Big 12 defensive back at Texas (2008-11) and special teams coordinator at Ole Miss and Houston, Blake Gideon was named safeties coach for the Longhorns on January 22, 2021.
The 2023 season was highlighted by the consistency of veteran Jerrin Thompson, the emergence of former walk-on Michael Taaffe, true freshman Derek Williams Jr. and the leadership of transfer Jalen Catalon. Thompson and Taaffe own a share of the team lead with three interceptions each, while Williams led all defensive backfield newcomers with 42 tackles and 24 solo tackles.
In 2022, Texas featured the emergence defensive backs Jahdae Barron and Jerrin Thompson as well as veteran Anthony Cook, who each registered career years to earn honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference accolades from the league’s coaches. Barron had a team-leading 11.5 tackles for loss and had an interception return and fumble return for scores. Thompson led all defensive backs with 83 tackles and tied for the team lead with seven pass breakups, both career bests, while Cook posted career highs with 61 tackles (35 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss and five pass breakups.
Gideon returned to Austin after spending one season as special teams coordinator at Ole Miss. He helped the Rebels rank 17th nationally in kickoff return defense (17.45 ypr) and 23rd in kickoff returns (23.95), including a 100-yard touchdown return by Jerrion Ealy against LSU. Punter Mac Brown, who was a Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist, averaged 46.6 yards per punt on 28 attempts, which would have ranked fourth nationally in average, however it did not reach the 3.6 punts per game minimum used by the NCAA. Ole Miss did not allow a blocked punt during the season.
Prior to his time at Ole Miss, Gideon served as the special teams coordinator and nickelbacks coach at Houston for one season. Houston was No. 1 in the country in both blocked punts (five) and blocked kicks (six). The Cougars led the American Athletic Conference in kick return defense (17.6) and net punting (43.6).
Under Gideon's guidance, punter Dane Roy was named a finalist for the 2019 Ray Guy Award. Roy ranked first in the AAC and is seventh nationally with a 46.9 yards per punt average. Roy's 46.9 yards per punt average in 2019 set a Houston single-season record.
Prior to Houston, Gideon was cornerbacks coach at Georgia State in 2018. He spent the previous two seasons on staff as the defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator at Western Carolina. In 2017, Gideon helped coach a Western Carolina defense that ranked No. 15 nationally in passing yards per game allowed and No. 20 in pass efficiency defense.
Gideon began his coaching career as a defensive quality control assistant at Florida in 2014 before moving on to Auburn to serve as a defensive graduate assistant.
Gideon signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals following the 2012 NFL Draft. He was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad in October 2012 and trained with the club until retiring in May 2013.
Gideon was a four-year starter at safety and two-time team captain at Texas, where he played under head coach Mack Brown and defensive coordinators Will Muschamp and Manny Diaz. He started all 52 games during his career at safety with the Longhorns, which represents the second-most consecutive starts on school record. He helped Texas to a 12-1 record and No. 3 final ranking while starting as a true freshman in 2008 and played a key role in leading the Longhorns to a 13-1 mark, Big 12 Championship, berth in the BCS National Championship game and a No. 2 final ranking in 2009.
A four-time honorable mention All-Big 12 selection and two-time team captain, Gideon posted 276 tackles (166 solo), 10 INTs, 20 PBU, two sacks, eight TFL, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a blocked punt for his career. As a senior in 2011, he was named to the Thorpe Award watch list and was a team captain. He started all 13 games with 82 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, four pass breakups and one fumble recovery that year. He was also a captain as a junior in 2010, and posted 68 tackles (42 solo), two INTs, four PBU, one sack, three TFL, one forced fumble and one blocked punt. As a sophomore, Gideon collected six interceptions to go along with 62 tackles (35 solo), two TFL, five PBU and a fumble recovery. The six INTs tied for seventh on UT’s single-season list. He preceded that with Freshman All-America honors after starting all 13 games as a true freshman and finishing third on the team in tackles with 64 (41 solo) to go along with seven PBU, a TFL, a forced fumble and eight pressures.
Academically, he was a two-time member of UT’s Athletics Director’s Honor Roll and graduated in December 2011 with a degree in kinesiology and health.
A native of Leander, Texas, Gideon is married to the former Mary Catherine Abernathy, and they have a son, Barrett, and daughter, Catherine. His father, Steve, was the head coach at Leander High School before retiring.
