In 1993, he accompanied fellow Penn State assistant Jim Caldwell to Wake Forest where he served as secondary coach.
[2] His tenure as defensive coordinator ended following the Gators' 37–24 victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2011 Outback Bowl, and head coach Urban Meyer's resignation in December 2010.
On January 26, 2011, it was announced that Austin had been hired as the secondary coach for the Baltimore Ravens, and helped lead them to a Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
[4] With Austin calling the defensive signals, the Lions finished second in the NFL in points against and total yards against, leading the franchise to an 11-5 record and wild card playoff berth.
Following the end of the Lions season, Austin interviewed the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, and San Francisco 49ers for vacant head coaching jobs.
[7] Despite this, Austin was still considered a top head coaching candidate and interviewed with the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans.