247Sports exactly right about how much Sarkisian has to prove in 2022

I don’t want to lead this off by saying that I think that in some form or fashion that second-year Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian will be put on the hot seat right away this fall. That just shouldn’t be the case. Barring a Texas loss to the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks in the regular season opener at home on Sep. 3, Sarkisian shouldn’t be mentioned in the hot seat conversation right away this fall.

But if one thing is true in this conversation, it’s the fact that Sark and his staff have a lot to prove this fall. Texas obviously can’t have another disastrous five-win season with a tragic losing streak through the thick of Big 12, but they don’t have to be perfect either.

Sark and the Longhorns don’t need to win a double-digit number of games this season or take home the Big 12 crown just to stave off the hot-seat conversation heading into the 2023 offseason. Yet, Texas needs to show ample strides on both sides of the ball to spark some optimism about the future of this program both on the field and on the recruiting trail.

And this type of sentiment is something that is echoed in a recent list from 247Sports that tabs Sark as one of the head coaches that does have a lot to prove around college football during the 2022 season. This 247Sports list including coaches with a lot to prove this fall essentially notes that Texas needs to find a way to take the next leap for this program.

Steve Sarkisian and Texas football can prove their progress this fall right away

Texas added more than enough weapons to at least win eight games this season if you include a bowl. Adding all the weapons that the Longhorns got out of the NCAA Transfer Portal so far this offseason such as quarterback Quinn Ewers, wide receiver Isaiah Neyor, tight end Jahleel Billingsley, etc., should be more than enough to help at least boost the win total a bit next season.

If you add in the 2022 recruiting class, you get more than enough additions to the roster to help move the needle in terms of success in the win column this fall. Sark and the Longhorns staff just need to prove this fall that they can get it done on the field.

Sark and his staff have done a lot to prove how good they are on the recruiting trail. Prove that on the field too.

Texas will truly have the opportunity to prove the strides they’ve made as a program this offseason through a difficult non-conference slate out of the gates this season. In two of the first three weeks of the regular season, the Longhorns are set to battle two likely top 25 preseason teams in the Alabama Crimson Tide and UTSA Roadrunners.

Texas finished up last season with a record of 5-7 (3-6 Big 12), missing out on bowl season for the first time since 2016. Sark and the Longhorns will open up the 2022 regular season on Sep. 3 at home against Louisiana-Monroe.