Houston had a defensive coordinator opening for less than one day.
After announcing that David Gibbs had left the program - and then see him move across the state to Texas Tech - Tom Herman announced Monday night the hiring of Utah State defensive coordinator Todd Orlando to the same position on his staff.
“When you look at the success Utah State has had defensively over the last two seasons, we are excited to add Todd Orlando as our defensive coordinator,” Herman said in a statement. “His defensive style is both aggressive, as evident by the sacks and tackles for loss number, and opportunistic, ranking among the nation’s best in turnovers.”
Orlando served as Utah State's defensive coordinator for two years, helping the Aggies stand as one of three teams (Alabama and Stanford being the others) to rank among the top 12 nationally in scoring defense both seasons. Utah State also finished 12th in yards per play allowed, 13th in yards per carry allowed, 17th in pass efficiency defense, tied for 10th in turnover margin and tied for second in tackles for loss allowed this fall en route to a 10-4 season.
Orlando previously served as the defensive coordinator at Florida International (2011-12) and Connecticut (2005-10).
Incoming head coach Herman knocked a number of hires out on Monday, announcing the additions of Craig Naivar (assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator/safeties), Jason Washington (special teams coordinator/cornerbacks), Drew Mehringer (wide receivers) and Corby Meekins (tight ends).
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.