Texas football coach Johnny Nansen was arrested overnight Wednesday and charged with driving while intoxicated, according to Steve Sarkisian.
After working with Sarkisian at Washington and USC, Sark hired Nansen at Texas before the 2024 season. Currently, he coaches UT's inside linebackers and is a co-defensive coordinator. In 2026, Nansen agreed to a contract extension that is set to run through the 2027 season and pay him $1.2 million annually.
Sarkisian told the media about Nansen's misdemeanor DWI charge at his weekly conference on Thursday. Sark said it was too early to determain whether Nansen will coach this weekend against UTSA. The 52-year-old assistant was not at the Longhorns' practice Thursday.
"We had an unfortunate situation last
evening," Sarkisian said. "Coach Nansen was charged with misdemeanor DWI. 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."
Texas Longhorns co-defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen was arrested for DWI after a three-vehicle crash Wednesday night on Loop 360 in Austin: https://t.co/CFet8sTPri pic.twitter.com/G8XVQ7PNwn
— KVUE News (@KVUE) September 17, 2026
According to the Austin Police Department, officers responded to a three-vehicle crash on the South Capital of Texas highway at 8:55 p.m. Wednesday night. Nansen was the driver of one of the vehicles, and he "displayed signs consistent with possible impairment. Officers conducted standardized field sobriety tests and observed multiple clues of impairment."
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Texas Longhorns ILB coach Johnny Nansen arrested on suspicion of DWI
