Texas to hire ex-Wisconsin, Pitt coach Chryst

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterMay 30, 2023, 03:34 PM ET
Close
- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
- Graduate of Northwestern University.

Texas is hiring former Wisconsin and Pitt coach Paul Chryst as a special assistant to head coach Steve Sarkisian, a team official confirmed to ESPN.

Chryst will work with the offense in a similar role to longtime TCU head coach Gary Patterson, who worked with Texas’ defense as a special assistant to the head coach last season.

The 57-year-old Chryst went 67-26 at Wisconsin before being fired Oct. 2, a day after the Badgers fell to 2-3. He went 19-19 in three seasons at Pitt before returning to Wisconsin, where he had served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2006 to 2011.

Chryst also held coordinator roles with Oregon State, Illinois State and the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders. He landed his first full-time coaching role in Texas with the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football in 1991.

A quarterback at Wisconsin, Chryst led his alma mater to 10-win seasons in four of his first five years, including top-10 finishes and Cotton and Orange Bowl titles in 2016 and 2017. He twice earned Big Ten Coach of the Year and helped the Badgers to three division titles and a Rose Bowl following the 2019 season.

Texas also has hired longtime NFL special teams coach Joe DeCamillis as a special assistant to the head coach. DeCamillis coached special teams for seven different NFL teams, most recently the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 and 2022.