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USATSI

Former Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst will join Texas' staff as an offensive analyst, according to multiple reports. He will hold the title of special assistant to the head coach, a similar role that former TCU coach Gary Patterson served in Austin last season.

Chryst was highly successful at Wisconsin, winning three Big Ten West titles and posting an 86-45 record in seven-plus seasons. The former Badgers quarterback won Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 2016 and 2017 with the program posting a combined 24-4 record in that span. However, Chryst was let go after the Badgers limped to a 2-3 start in 2022. The Badgers ultimately hired former Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell and North Carolina assistant Phil Longo to modernize Chryst's offense. 

The marriage of Chryst and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian could prove to be a fruitful one. By the end of his tenure, Chryst's offenses at Wisconsin were criticized for being archaic. Sarkisian is on the cutting edge of modern passing concepts and has the top quarterbacks from the classes of 2021 and 2023 to grease the wheels. However, Chryst has coached some of the most productive rushing offenses in college football, which will be a strong advantage as the Longhorns prepare for life without top running backs Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson. 

In addition to Chryst, Sarkisian brought on former NFL assistant Joe DeCamillis and longtime FCS assistant Payam Saadat in similar special assistant and analyst roles. Both have been added to the Texas staff directory. Decamillis was a tenured special teams coordinator in the NFL and served in that role on Super Bowl-winning staffs with the Los Angeles Rams and Denvers Broncos. 

Saadat has worked as a defensive line coach and defensive coordinator in the Western U.S. for most of his career, with a brief FBS jump as co-defensive coordinator at Army from 2009-13. While he never coached with defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, Saadat had close proximity with jobs across Washington, Oregon and California. Similarly, Kwiatkowski worked his way up the ranks. 

Chryst (offense), Saadat (defense) and DeCamillis (special teams) all appear to take on similar leadership roles as Patterson did when he joined the staff in 2022 following 22 years leading the Horned Frogs. In an off-field role, Patterson oversaw a defense that jumped from No. 99 to No. 23 in scoring as the Longhorns improved from 5-7 to 8-5. 

Analysts have exploded in popularity over the past several years, especially for members of the Nick Saban tree. Sarkisian started his Alabama career as an analyst in 2016 before eventually taking over as full-time offensive coordinator in 2019. Patterson similarly found success with the help of an analyst in 2017 at TCU: Current Frogs coach Sonny Dykes. Especially as revenue gaps explode, staffing has become one of the biggest advantages in college football.