Texas Football: 3 top assistant coach targets for Sark early on

Newly hired Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian will face an immediate challenge with the program in assembling the staff around him.

Changes all along the coaching staff for the Texas football program are likely to be on the way in the very near future. Texas made the move on the morning of Jan. 2 to part ways with now former fourth-year head coach Tom Herman just after the conclusion of the 2020 season. And Herman is to be replaced by the current Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator and the Broyles Award winner Steve Sarkisian.

The hiring of Sark was pretty surprising when it was announced by Texas athletic director Chris del Conte. This came shortly after the Longhorns pursuit of the former Ohio State Buckeyes and Florida Gators three-time National Championship winning head coach Urban Meyer ended without any fruitful results for the program.

Sark is also a former offensive coordinator from the NFL ranks with the Atlanta Falcons from a few years back. He also served as head coach of the Washington Huskies and USC Trojans (for five and two years respectively) from 2009-2015.

Moreover, Herman wound up finishing out his tenure on the Forty Acres over the course of four years with a record of 32-18. He was a perfect 4-0 in the postseason during his time as Texas’ head coach. That came after Herman and the Longhorns rounded out the 2020 season with a record of 7-3 (5-3 Big 12), with their postseason matchup resulting in a dominant 55-23 win over the Colorado Buffaloes back on Dec. 29.

Texas does give Sark a talented roster that can contend for a Big 12 Championship right away. The next steps for Sark will be to finish out his 2021 recruiting class less than one month ahead of National Signing Day, and to piece together his coaching staff.

Here’s a look at three potential early targets for the assistants on staff for the Longhorns under Sark’s direction.