"It's a great day," Haley said. "It's a dream come true. Football in the state of Texas is unbelievable. Having an opportunity to be a part of that, and coming up in coaching I've worked in the state a couple of times, and just knowing the rich tradition and the history of Texas football is so exciting. Growing up it was always a dream to coach college football in the state, and the greatest accomplishment would be to coach college football at The University of Texas, which now I have the opportunity to do, and I can't wait."
During Haley’s time at LSU, he coached nine defensive linemen who were selected in the NFL draft, including first round picks Michael Brockers and Barkevious Mingo.
"Brick is a guy we're so excited to be bringing to our staff," Strong said. "He has such a great reputation for developing defensive lineman and has developed so many great players over the years. I really enjoyed getting to know him during his visit with our staff. You could tell right away that he's a great fit for us because he's very driven, focused and takes a lot of pride in his work. He just brings so much experience as a coach having worked not only with the defensive line, but also as a defensive coordinator. He's recruited this state for years and extensively in the Houston area, so he knows the state and can hit the ground running there, as well."
Before his time at LSU, Haley spent two seasons as defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears. He also spent time in the college ranks as a defensive assistant at Mississippi State (2004-06), Georgia Tech (2002-03), Baylor (where he was defensive coordinator from 1999-01), Clemson (1998), Houston (1997), Troy State (1994-96) and Austin Peay (1991-93).
Haley said he’s crossed paths with Strong in coaching many times over the years.
"I've known Charlie for a long time, not in a situation of working for him, but I knew what kind of person he is, and I've always respected the things he's done on and off the field," Haley said. "Having an opportunity to go and visit with him and sit down and talk football, it was really pretty cool. We were picking each other's minds and talking about ball, and getting to know him in an off-the-field setting was great. To actually sit down and have some quality time to visit was awesome."
In addition to Haley, Strong also hired Jeff Traylor to coach the Longhorns’ tight ends and special teams.
Traylor was the head coach at Gilmer High School in Texas for the past 15 seasons and won three state championships.
"Honestly, I was extremely happy in my hometown (of Gilmer)," Traylor said. "This is where I was raised. There were only a couple of schools I would consider leaving for, and one of those schools called. Having an opportunity to coach at The University of Texas is a dream come true."
The addition of Traylor is a coup for Strong for its recruiting in east Texas.
"Jeff's a tremendous football coach who has built a program at Gilmer that has had unbelievable success," Strong said. "He's a guy that we've watched, admired and really gotten to know. The thing about Jeff is he's just so passionate about the game and his players. We had a chance to get him in for an interview and around our staff, and he really impressed all of us. He has a great deal of knowledge and experience and having coached in this state for so long, really knows Texas. East Texas has so many great players that it really helps us to have a guy like Jeff on staff that knows the area so well. We're excited to have him on board."
The hires of Haley and Traylor round out Strong’s staff for the 2015 season.
For more Texas news, visit Orangebloods.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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