The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
Craig Naivar, a 24-year coaching veteran with extensive experience in the state of Texas, enters his third season at Texas in 2019. He will be the co-defensive coordinator this season in addition to continuing to coach the safeties group. He was the Longhorns’ special teams coordinator in each of his first two seasons.
Naivar has spent 19 of his 24 years in coaching in the state of Texas. In addition to his time at UT, he has coached at Houston (2015-16), twice at Texas State (2004-06, ‘11-13), along with Rice (2007-10), Sam Houston State (2000-03) and Hardin-Simmons (1994-95). In that time, he has also served as either a defensive or special teams coordinator or co-coordinator for 22 seasons.
Naivar mentored two freshmen to All-Big 12 recognition in 2018. Safety Caden Sterns was named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, while kicker Cameron Dicker earned second team All-Big 12 honors. Safeties P.J. Locke and Brandon Jones also received with honorable mention All-Big 12 recognition.
In 2017, the Longhorns featured one of the nation’s top punt units, led by punter Michael Dickson. Dickson, the 2017 Ray Guy Award winner, Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year and unanimous All-American, averaged a school-record 47.4 yards per punt. UT’s net punting average of 44.2 was the best in the country.
At safety, Naivar mentored his group to new heights. DeShon Elliott became a Thorpe Award finalist under his watch, totaling six interceptions and returning two of them for touchdowns, to go along with 63 tackles, 8.5 TFL and three forced fumbles. Safety Brandon Jones finished with 61 tackles and a forced fumble, while Antwuan Davis (2), Jason Hall (1) and John Bonney (1) had interceptions at the position.
In his two seasons at Houston, he served as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, helping the Cougars to a 22-5 record, which is the fourth-best win total in the FBS in that span.
Houston posted a 9-4 record in 2016, including wins over No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 3 Louisville. The Cougars became the first program nationally to defeat two top-five teams. UH featured the nation’s fourth-ranked rush defense (100.2 ypg), in addition to the nation’s 13th-best defense in total yards allowed (319.6 ypg). Houston was third nationally with five defensive touchdowns and allowed just 23.5 points per game.
A significant amount of pressure came from the team’s two safeties as Garrett Davis and Khalil Williams combined for 13.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. Williams was also third on the team with 69 tackles, while Davis was fifth with 65. Primarily a special teams player in 2015, Davis developed into a second-team All-American Athletic Conference selection in 2016 under Naivar.
His first season at Houston saw a defense that led the nation with 35 takeaways while ranking eighth nationally in rushing defense (108.9 yards per game) and 20th nationally in scoring defense (20.7 points per game). The Cougars went to their first New Year’s Bowl in 30 years, had their second 13-win season in program history and won their 11th conference championship by claiming the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship. With a 38-24 win over No. 9 Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Houston ended the season ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls, its highest finish since ranking No. 5 in 1979, and just the sixth time in program history to finish in the top 10.
Trevon Stewart and Adrian McDonald anchored the middle of the Houston secondary and earned first-team and second-team All-AAC honors, respectively. Stewart set the program’s career fumble recovery mark with 10 after recovering four in 2015, the second-best total in the nation. McDonald set the Houston career interceptions record with 17 after pulling in four in 2015. He went on to sign a free agent contract with the San Diego Chargers.
In his lone season at Kentucky, Naivar tutored two Freshman All-Americans on special teams in kick returner Stanley Williams and kicker Austin MacGinnis. MacGinnis, who was also named first-team All-SEC, set five UK records in his collegiate debut season, including totaling 21 field goals. That number led the SEC and all NCAA freshmen. He finished with a school-record 104 points – equaling the SEC lead – and was one of only five kickers in the nation with three field goals of 50-plus yards. He was the first Kentucky kicker named to the All-SEC team, having been named to the team by both the SEC coaches and Associated Press.
Williams led Kentucky in kickoff returns with 19 returns for 511 yards and a 26.9 average. He ranked second nationally among true freshmen in kickoff return average, and 13th overall.
UK punter Landon Foster earned second-team Academic All-America honors. Foster punted 66 times for a 42.6-yard average.
The Wildcats ranked 22nd nationally with 15 interceptions in 2014 after recording just eight picks in the two seasons prior to Naivar’s arrival. Safety A.J. Stamps led the team with four interceptions and was second with nine PBU.
Naivar arrived at Kentucky from Texas State, where he was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach for three seasons. He produced defensive lineman Michael Ebbitt, the 2011 Independent Defensive Player of the Year, along with two additional All-Independent Team selections in defensive end Jordan Norfleet and defensive back Xavier Daniels. He had two second-team All-WAC honorees in 2012 in linebacker Joplo Bartu and cornerback Darryl Morris before adding a second-team All-Sun Belt pick in 2013 in safety Justin Iwuji. Bartu and Morris went on to sign as free agents in the NFL, each playing multiple seasons.
Naivar spent four seasons at Rice first as co-defensive coordinator coaching the safeties and then as the special teams coordinator coaching the defensive line.
Led by All-America punter Kyle Martens, the Owls were sixth in the nation in net punting. Rice ranked 26th in the nation in punt returns and had the nation’s 10th-best kickoff returner, Charles Ross, who averaged 29 yards per return. Kicker Chris Boswell also earned first-team All-CUSA honors, as did Bradshaw in the secondary.
Naivar coached at Texas State from 2004-06, where he was defensive coordinator and safeties coach. That term was highlighted by the 2005 season, when the Bobcats posted an 11-3 record and advanced to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs. Texas State ranked in the nation’s top 25 in scoring defense and total defense while generating 33 turnovers. His first season as Texas State saw defensive lineman Fred Evans named the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year before being named an AFCA All-American, Southland Conference Player of the Year and Southland Defensive Player of the Year in 2005. Evans was one of two defensive players to be named Southland Conference Player of the Year under Naivar, as defensive back Walter Musgrove earned the Southland Conference Student-Athlete of the Year honor in 2006. The two were part of a defensive group that earned seven first-team All-Southland Conference honors in Naivar’s first three seasons with the Bobcats.
Naivar was a graduate assistant at New Mexico before landing at Southern Illinois as special teams coordinator and defensive line coach.
From there he coached at Sam Houston State, serving at various times as defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, safeties coach and defensive line coach.
A native of Taylor, Texas, Naivar was a four-year letterman, playing safety and quarterback, and was team captain at Hardin-Simmons University. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Hardin-Simmons and began his coaching career there, helping lead the Cowboys to the NAIA Division II Playoffs in 1994 and 1995.
He and his wife, Michelle, have one daughter, Jordan, and one son, Gunner.
CRAIG NAIVAR COACHING ASSIGNMENTS
| Years | School | Positions |
| 2019 | Texas | Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties |
| 2017-18 | Texas | Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties |
| 2015-16 | Houston | Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties |
| 2014 | Kentucky | Special Teams Coordinator/DL |
| 2011-13 | Texas State | Defensive Coordinator/Safeties |
| 2010 | Rice | Special Teams Coordinator/DL |
| 2007-09 | Rice | Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties |
| 2004-06 | Texas State | Defensive Coordinator/Safeties |
| 2002-03 | Sam Houston State | Defensive Coordinator/Safeties |
| 2000-01 | Sam Houston State | Special Teams Coordinator/DL |
| 1998-99 | Southern Illinois | Special Teams Coordinator/DL |
| 1996-97 | New Mexico | Graduate Assistant |
| 1994-95 | Hardin-Simmons | Special Teams Coordinator |
