Texas handled UTSA comfortably in Week 3, but the 30-6 victory came with one notable absence: Johnny Nansen. The Longhorns’ co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach was serving a one-game suspension following his DWI arrest and remained away from the sideline. With that suspension now complete, Steve Sarkisian has broken his silence on Nansen’s return and future.

According to the head coach, Nansen will rejoin the staff Sunday morning as Texas prepares to travel to Knoxville next week for its SEC opener against No. 15 Tennessee.

“He will be back with the staff tomorrow,” Sarkisian said, as reported by CFB insider CJ Vogel. “Obviously, he’s got some legal issues to work through, and we’ll monitor that as we go.”

What began as a three-vehicle collision on a Texas highway quickly turned into a legal issue for Texas defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen. At around 8:55 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to the crash in the 700 block of Northbound South Capital of Texas Highway, where they reportedly noticed signs of impairment in a 52-year-old driver.

The driver was later identified as Nansen, who was arrested and charged with misdemeanor DWI. After learning about the incident, head coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the situation, expressing his disappointment over what had happened.

“We obviously are aware of the situation. 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,” said the coach to the reporters.

While Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte emphasized that the suspension could be extended if deemed necessary, that does not appear to be the case for now.

Nansen has been a critical part of Sarkisian’s coaching staff. He took charge of the Longhorns’ defense during last year’s Citrus Bowl clash against Michigan, assuming the role on short notice following Pete Kwiatkowski’s departure. Nansen served as the interim defensive coordinator until Will Muschamp took over the role.

“Coach Nansen will call the defense,” Sarkisian said before the Citrus Bowl last season. “I don’t think that would be fair to Coach Muschamp to come in and call somebody else’s defense, and we just don’t have quite enough time to get that thing installed.”

Nansen joined the Longhorns in 2024 for another stint under Sarkisian. The relationship between the two goes way back to their time together at Washington. Hansen coaches special teams, D-line, and RBs under Sarkisian at the Huskies. The bond continued when Sarkisian moved to USC.

However, after Sarkisian left the Trojans, Nansen continued to serve as an assistant in multiple roles under Clay Helton. Following his USC tenure, Nansen also had two brief stops at UCLA and Arizona, respectively.

While Nansen’s return following his suspension is good news for the team, the Texas Longhorns appear to be in a comfortable position. However, head coach Steve Sarkisian has issued a warning to his star quarterback, Arch Manning.

Steve Sarkisian wants Arch Manning to limit the use of his legs

While the Longhorns improved their season record to 3-0, Arch Manning’s uneven outing against the UTSA Roadrunners raised concerns ahead of SEC play. The sophomore quarterback went 17-of-33 for 164 yards, while his reliance on his mobility stood out.

Manning also rushed nine times for 50 net yards, often escaping pressure with his legs rather than patiently working through his reads.

“Arch kind of fell in love with his legs a little bit tonight,” Sarkisian told reporters. “His legs are a really good weapon, they are, he ends up I think with almost 70 yards rushing on the game. But what happens when you go to run, you start speeding up through your progressions, and I think that we don’t want to make a living with him running the ball as much as he ran tonight.

While Sarkisian understands that Manning possesses dual-threat ability, he believes the sophomore should not rely on his legs quite so much. Tougher tests await the Longhorns. The SEC play starts with a marquee matchup against Tennessee in Knoxville.