 After the 1996 season, he was fired from OSU.In 1997, he served as the secondary coach at Louisiana Tech.From 1998 to 2002, he was the defensive coordinator for the University of New Mexico, where he and head coach, Rocky Long, developed a blitz-happy 3-3-5 defensive scheme that produced NFL first-round draft pick Brian Urlacher, who played in New Mexico's "Loboback" position, a cross between a linebacker and safety.