Blake Gideon (born July 25, 1989) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach and former player. He is currently the defensive coordinator at

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

. As a player, Gideon started all 52 games at

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

during his college football career at

The University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

, which ranks second in school history. Afterwards, he played professionally for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

and the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

of the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

High school

Gideon was a two-time all-state selection at

Leander High School Leander High School is a secondary school in Leander, Texas, United States, and is part of the Leander Independent School District. It was established in 1983 and was the only high school in district, until the establishment of Cedar Park Hig ...

in football. On the gridiron, Gideon recorded 300 tackles, 10 INTs, six forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and 14 TDs in his three years as a starter. He also lettered in baseball and track and field.

College career

As a freshman

, Gideon dropped a potential game-sealing

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

against the

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...

Red Raiders. On the very next play, with just one second remaining, Texas Tech wide receiver

Michael Crabtree Michael Alex Crabtree Jr. (born September 14, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, twi ...

caught a game-winning touchdown pass, ending Texas’ undefeated season and dashing its hopes of reaching the

2009 BCS National Championship Game The 2009 BCS National Championship Game (branded as the 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship Game for sponsorship reasons) was an American football game played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on January 8, 2009. It was the nationa ...

. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

described Crabtree’s dramatic score as "arguably the biggest touchdown of the college football season." Due to a tiebreaker, Texas instead earned a berth in the

Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area since 1971. From its beginning until 2006, the game was hosted at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has be ...

. As a sophomore for the Longhorns, Gideon started every game and emerged as a defensive cornerstone, recording five

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

. He helped anchor a unit that allowed just 251 yards per game — the third-best total defense in the nation. Gideon started all 52 games as safety during his college career. His 52 consecutive starts rank second all-time at Texas. He was named to the 2011

Jim Thorpe Award The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athle ...

watch list and was a four-time honorable mention All-Big 12 selection. Gideon posted 276 tackles (166 solo), 10 INTs, 20 PBU, two sacks, eight TFL, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a blocked punt during his college career. He was said to have been a "coach on the field."

Professional career

Gideon went

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in the

2012 NFL draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

and was signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

on April 30, 2012. He completed training camp with the Cardinals but was waived on August 21. On October 9 he was signed by the Broncos to their

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. He was placed on the reserve/retired list on May 21, 2013, but the Broncos still hold his rights if he desires to return.

Coaching career

On August 24, 2014, Gideon joined the Florida Gators as a defensive quality control coach. Gideon had played the first three seasons of his college career for the Longhorns under Gators head coach

Will Muschamp William Lawrence Muschamp (born August 3, 1971) is an American football coach and former player who is a defensive analyst at the University of Georgia. He previously served as the Bulldogs' co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach from 2022 ...

, who was the defensive coordinator at UT at the time. In 2015, Gideon joined the Auburn Tigers as a graduate assistant. He was given the defensive backs coach duties at Auburn during preparation for the 2015 Birmingham Bowl vs. Memphis after Travaris Robinson joined Muschamp’s staff at South Carolina. Gideon would follow Robinson and Muschamp to South Carolina in January 2016 as a linebackers and special teams graduate assistant coach before accepting a full-time position at Western Carolina, where he was the defensive backs coach for 2 seasons. In Spring 2018, he joined the

Georgia State Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the second large ...

Staff as the cornerbacks coach. In January 2019, Gideon was hired by newly named head coach

Dana Holgorsen Dana Carl Holgorsen (born June 21, 1971) is an American college football coach. He is currently the offensive coordinator at the University of Nebraska. He served as the head football coach at West Virginia University from 2011 to 2018 and the Un ...

to coach safeties and be special teams coordinator at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

. Gideon was hired by

Lane Kiffin Lane Monte Kiffin (born May 9, 1975) is an American football coach who is the head coach at Ole Miss Rebels football, Ole Miss. Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC Trojans football, USC from 2005 to 2006, head coach of the National Foo ...

to join him at Ole Miss starting with the 2020 season. After one season in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, Gideon returned to his alma mater to be the safeties coach on

Steve Sarkisian Stephen Sarkisian (; born March 8, 1974)Stephens, Ken. – "QB Genealogy – Steve Sarkisian is latest in long line of talented BYU quarterbacks". – ''Dallas Morning News''– December 31, 1996. is an American football coach and former player ...

's inaugural

Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate team representing the University of Texas at Austin (variously Texas or UT) in the sport of American football. The Texas Longhorns, Longhorns compete in the NCAA Division I Football B ...

staff in 2021. The Longhorns won a Big 12 Championship in 2023 and earned back-to-back

College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual single-elimination tournament, knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, D ...

appearances. On February 7, 2025, Gideon was hired as the

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...

for the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The teams have also been nicknamed the ...

References

External links

Texas Longhorns player bioWestern Carolina Catamounts profileGeorgia State Panthers profileHouston Cougars profileOle Miss Rebels profileTexas Longhorns coaching profileGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gideon, Blake 1989 births Living people Players of American football from Texas American football safeties Texas Longhorns football players Arizona Cardinals players Denver Broncos players People from De Leon, Texas Western Carolina Catamounts football coaches Georgia State Panthers football coaches Houston Cougars football coaches Ole Miss Rebels football coaches Texas Longhorns football coaches Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football coaches