Steve Sarkisian has revived the Texas Longhorns. Ever since Mack Brown and the Horns lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2009 National Championship game, Texas wasn't quite the same... until Sark came to town.
Over his four seasons at Texas, Sarkisian has taken the Longhorns from a losing football program to a team that has appeared in back-to-back College Football Playoffs – not to mention winning the Big 12 title in 2023 and making its way to the SEC Championship in 2024.
However, with great success comes great attention... or however, the saying goes. Because of Sarkisian's remarkable success with the Longhorns in less than five years, people across the country are taking notice of the Texas head coach.
Recently, with Black Monday kickstarting the NFL's coaching carrousel, Sarkisian has become a focus of conversations about head coaching positions at the next level.
Texas HC Steve Sarkisian is expected to draw interest from NFL teams this offseason, per @AdamSchefter.
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 5, 2025
Sarkisian previously coached in the NFL with the Raiders and Falcons. pic.twitter.com/YuFMcz9zIh
Sarkisian worked with the Raiders, when they were still based in Oakland, as the team's quarterbacks coach in 2004 and was the Atlanta Falcons' offensive coordinator from 2017 through 2018. Sarkisian's success with Texas is undeniable which makes him a prime candidate to do the same kind of reconstruction and turnaround with an NFL organization.
Texas Longhorns under Steve Sarkisian:
- 2021: 5-7 overall
- 2022: 8-5 overall, loss in the Alamo Bowl
- 2023: 12-2 overall, loss in the Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
- 2024: 13-2 overall, wins in the CFP first round and Peach Bowl (CFP quarterfinal)
Texas is still battling its way through the 2024-25 season as the Longhorns and Sarkisian prepare to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl for their College Football Playoff semifinal matchup. However, most talk about Texas is focusing on Sark's possible move to the NFL.
As of now, Sarkisian is making approximately $10.6 million annually at Texas and his current buyout hovers around $54.4 million – which will decrease every year that he stays with the Horns.
While nothing is definitive at the moment, Texas fans may need to brace themselves for yet another head coaching change despite the Longhorns' incredible success over the last two seasons.