Texas is expected to hire Arkansas-Pine Bluff special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Chris Forestier to its support staff, sources told FootballScoop on Friday. He will be a special assistant to the head coach, similar to the role Joe DeCamillis filled last season, sources said.
Forestier joined the UAPB staff in March. He spent the last two seasons as a special teams analyst at Houston, where he faced off against Texas in their only season as Big 12 bunk mates this past October. In 2023, Houston blocked three kicks, returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, and senior Mark Fleming ranked in the top five in the conference by averaging 7.15 yards per punt return.
DeCamillis, a former NFL special teams coordinator, spent 2023 as a special assistant to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, but is now the associate head coach and special teams coordinator at South Carolina. Texas also employs Jeff Crosby as a senior analyst for special teams in addition to assistant head coach, special teams coordinator, and tight ends coach Jeff Banks.
An LSU graduate, Forestier spent six years on staff at LSU, working primarily with special teams and concluding as interim special teams coordinator for the 2022 Texas Bowl. He also worked as a graduate assistant at Northwestern State from 2014-15, coaching linebackers and special teams.
Texas is looking to build off a Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff appearance. From a special teams perspective, Texas loses All-Big 12 returner Xavier Worthy, kick returner Keilan Robinson, and punter Ryan Sanborn. The Longhorns added Second Team All-Big 12 returner Matthew Golden from Houston and the Pac-12's second leading kick returner in Oregon State transfer Silas Bolden, and return kicker Bert Auburn, who was placed on scholarship earlier this week.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.