REPORT: Arizona State’s Larry Porter Hired as Running Backs Coach at Texas

With Bryan Harsin recently accepting the head coaching position at Arkansas State, out of necessity, things were shuffled around from a staffing perspective within the Texas football program.  Co-offensive coordinator Major Applewhite was deservedly handed the play-calling reins and wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt was elevated to co-offensive coordinator along with Applewhite.  The moves were the right ones but left the running backs coaching position open.  That position according to FootballScoop.com has been filled by Arizona State running backs coach Larry Porter.

Sources tell us Arizona State running backs coach Larry Porter is moving to Austin, TX footballscoop.com/the-scoop

 

 

 

— FootballScoop Staff (@footballscoop) January 2, 2013

Porter, a former running back at Memphis in the early 90’s, spent the 2012 season as the running backs coach at Arizona State.  He was the head coach at his alma mater, the University of Memphis, from 2010-2011 but earned his notoriety for developing talent in the backfield at Oklahoma State and subsequently at LSU with friend and head coach Les Miles.  In his time in Stillwater he cultivated Tatum Bell and Vernand Morency into 1,000 yard-rushers and followed Miles to LSU in 2005 where his success would be continued in Baton Rouge.  At LSU Porter served as an assistant head coach and chief recruiter in addition to running backs coach.  Porter’s recruiting talents at LSU earned him the National Recruiter of the Year Award in 2007 & 2009 by Rivals.com.  During his tenure at LSU he oversaw rushing units that included Jacob Hester, Charles Scott and Joseph Addai.

The hire of Larry Porter is stellar in our opinion, as Porter obviously knows the southeast region as it pertains to recruiting.  Porter has proven he knows what to do with tailback talent and with Johnathan Gray, Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron on the Texas depth chart, look for Porter to convert talent into yardage.