Georgia Tech adds highly touted SEC assistant as defensive coordinator

On Thursday, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team made a significant addition to its coaching staff.

The Yellow Jackets are hiring Texas safeties coach Blake Gideon as the program's defensive coordinator. The news was first reported by Matt Zenitz and Chip Brown of 247Sports.

Under Gideon's leadership last season, Texas finished No. 3 nationally in scoring defense and No. 7 in pass defense. The Longhorns also led the country in interceptions, averaging 1.4 per game. Safety Andrew Mukuba was named Third Team All-SEC after recording 41 tackles, eight pass breakups and five interceptions in 2024.

After being hired by Lane Kiffin as Ole Miss' special teams coach in 2020, Gideon returned to his alma mater in 2021 to coach safeties. Duing his tenure, the Longhorns appeared in the College Football Playoff twice, including two playoff victories last season.

As a player, Gideon made 52 starts for the Longhorns from 2008-2011, where he was a four-time All-Big 12 honoree. After two seasons in the NFL, he began his coaching career as a quality control coach under Will Muschamp at Florida in 2014. He spent one season at Auburn as a graduate assistant, then coached at Western Carolina, Georgia State and Houston from 2016-2019.

He replaces Tyler Santucci, who left the Yellow Jackets to become the linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens. Tech's defense made significant progress under Santucci's leadership last season, finishing No. 54 in yards per game, a 69-spot improvement from 2023.

Gideon becomes the fifth coach added to Georgia Tech's staff this offseason. The Yellow Jackets are coming off back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since 2013-2014. The team opens the 2025 season on Aug. 30 at Colorado.