Hard as it is to believe, it was a year ago today that Texas fired Tom Herman. At that point, Jay Valai's already fast-moving journey hit warp speed.
A four-year letterman at Wisconsin, Valai's playing career ended with a loss to TCU in the Rose Bowl, and later that year he began his adult life operating a sports training facility in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, a position he maintained until 2016, when he joined Kirby Smart's Georgia staff as a quality control coach.
From there, things took off.
2016-17: Quality control coach, Georgia
2018: Assistant defensive backs coach, Kansas City Chiefs
2019: Cornerbacks coach, Rutgers
2020: Cornerbacks coach, Texas
When the calendar flipped to 2021, things really got moving.
Jan. 3, 2021: Texas fires Tom Herman
Jan. 20, 2021: Houston announces Valai as cornerbacks coach
Feb. 1, 2021: Philadelphia Eagles hire Valai as cornerbacks coach
Feb. 12, 2021: Alabama hires Valai as cornerbacks coach
And now, a year to the day after Valai's tour of the nation began, he's on the move again as multiple reports (including from On3 and ESPN) indicate on Monday that Valai is expected to join Oklahoma's staff as cornerbacks coach. The Crimson Tide still have one game to play, so Valai is not expected to report to Norman until next week.
In one year's time, Jay Valai managed to coach in the Group of 5, the NFL, spend a full year at Alabama and work on both sides of the Red River Rivalry.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.