(BCSNN) — After a 10–3 season that fell short of expectations, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian made a significant offseason move, hiring veteran coach Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator in hopes of restoring the program’s defensive identity.

Muschamp, 54, returns to Austin after spending the past three seasons on Kirby Smart’s staff at Georgia. Once labeled Texas’ “coach‑in‑waiting” during his first stint with the Longhorns, Muschamp had been viewed by some as nearing retirement. Instead, he steps back into a prominent role at a program he has long been connected to.

Speaking with reporters Friday, Muschamp outlined the traits he seeks in players — an answer that began with familiar coaching language before shifting into a pointed critique of unnamed programs.

“Somebody that embraces work ethic, somebody that wants to improve and get better every single day, somebody that wants to get coached hard and developed,” Muschamp said. “In our society right now, sometimes that’s easy to spot that they don’t, and we’ve got to make sure we stay away from those guys who don’t want to get developed and coached the right way.”

He later emphasized academics as a core expectation.

“They got to have a good transcript,” Muschamp said. “Actually, our players go to school here at Texas. We actually go to class. Not like some other places.”

Muschamp did not name specific programs, but his comments arrive at a time when academic engagement varies widely across college football, particularly in the NIL era.

Sarkisian has repeatedly pointed to academics as a foundational piece of Texas’ turnaround. In 2024, he detailed the program’s GPA progression since his arrival — from a 2.33 team GPA and a 5–7 record in 2021 to a 2.98 GPA, a Big 12 championship, a College Football Playoff berth and a school‑record 11 NFL Draft picks in 2023.

“We use an adage around our place: who you are some of the time is who you are all of the time,” Sarkisian said.

It's nice that Texas wants to put an emphasis on academics now. It wasn't that long ago (2019) that the Longhorns were bragging about the record-breaking 2.89 team GPA that got the program and school roasted by well, everyone that could spell, GPA.

Texas enters 2026 with expectations that remain high, even after a season viewed internally as a missed opportunity. Muschamp’s return brings experience, familiarity and a demanding standard — qualities the Longhorns believe can help stabilize a defense that struggled in key moments last fall.

While the hire does not guarantee immediate transformation, the program’s leadership views it as a step toward reinforcing the culture and consistency Sarkisian has worked to build. And now, academics are important too, for the moment.