The Houston native returns to the Lone Star State after three seasons with the Scarlet Knights.
The assistant coach search undertaken by Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian to replace safeties coach Blake Gideon, who took over as the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets defensive coordinator last week, concluded on Wednesday evening when news broke from Anwar Richard of Orangebloods that Sarkisian tapped Rutgers Scarlet Knights cornerbacks coach Mark Orphey for the role.
BREAKING: Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian has hired Mark Orphey to coach safeties for the Longhorns (Via @AnwarRichardson)@Mark_Orphey had coached cornerbacks at Rutgers since 2022. Recently, Safeties Coach Blake Gideon left Texas to take the DC at Georgia Tech
More on… pic.twitter.com/jRoM98lN98
— Orangebloods.com (@orangebloods_) February 13, 2025
Other outlets subsequently confirmed the news.
The hire marks a return home for Orphey, who graduated from Texas high school football powerhouse Galena Park North Shore before becoming a three-year starter and two-year All-SWAC honoree at cornerback for Texas Southern in Houston.
Orphey started his coaching career at his alma mater after graduating, overseeing his old position, then spent four years at South Carolina as a defensive graduate assistant and quality control analyst bridging the Steve Spurrier and Will Muschamp eras.
Former Texas co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jeff Choate, now the head coach at Nevada, hired Orphey at Montana State in 2017, where the young assistant spent two seasons coaching the secondary prior to accepting the same role under Gary Andersen at Utah State.
Orphey also served as a senior defensive analyst at Alabama in 2021 under Nick Saban, working with the defensive backs and helping to develop game plans.
For the last three seasons, Orphey was at Rutgers. In 2022, his first year in Piscataway, the Scarlet Knights improved their pass defense by 28 yards per game as Christian Braswell developed into an NFL draft pick and Max Melton earned honorable mention All-Big 12 recognition. The following year, Melton became a second-round selection of the Arizona Cardinals after leading the team with three interceptions, becoming the highest draft pick from Rutgers since 2010. Robert Longerbeam joined Melton in becoming an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection and one of two players in the Big Ten with at least 10 pass breakups.
The rising Rutgers defense ranked 16h nationally in total defense that year, including 10th in passing defense as the program posted its best marks since joining the Big Ten in 2014.