Texas co-defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen arrested on DWI charge

The veteran coach's status for Saturday's game against UTSA is unknown

Sep 17, 2026 at 1:42 pm ET • 1 min read

Texas co-defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen has been charged with misdemeanor DWI, coach Steve Sarkisian announced at his Thursday press conference.

Sarkisian said the school was still gathering information surrounding the situation, and he couldn't provide an update on Nansen's status for Saturday's game against UTSA. Sarkisian also noted that he wants to keep the players' attention on preparing for the Roadrunners.

"We obviously are aware of the of the situation," Sarkisian said, per 247Sports. "I'm still gathering facts. I'm still monitoring the situation. We're obviously disappointed, but that's all I really have on that at this time."

"So you know, we'll have more for you as we get closer to the ball game," Sarkisian added. "For us, you know, at the end of the day, for our players, I think keeping the main thing the main thing.

Nansen is in his second season as the Longhorns' co-defensive coordinator after coming over from Arizona prior to the 2024 season. Previously, Nansen worked under Sarkisian at Washington (2009-11) and USC (2014-15).

While Nansen is listed as the co-defensive coordinator, Will Muschamp has been calling the plays in Austin as the full-time defensive coordinator. In his second stint as the Texas, Muschamp has the Horns off to a strong start after holding a high-powered Ohio State offense to 23 points last week.