Texas made positive strides under second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian this season.
The Longhorns concluded the 2022 campaign with a 8-4 regular-season record and an Alamo Bowl appearance, an improvement from the 5-7 finish a year prior.
The notable development of numerous players on the roster was also evident, something that had been lacking in Austin over the previous several years. However, there were still blown leads and inconsistent play from Sarkisian’s squad at times.
On3’s Jesse Simonton recently ranked the best second-year coaching jobs in college football for the 2022 season. Sarkisian landed fairly low on the list, only ahead of Auburn’s Bryan Harsin.
Here’s what Simonton had to say about Sarkisian’s performance in Year 2.
Texas finished the regular season 8-4, and for a team that (mostly) started a freshman quarterback and multiple freshmen offensive linemen, some might think, “Not bad.”
But under Sarkisian, the Longhorns have a propensity to cough up wins. It happened three different times in 2022, losing second-half leads to Alabama, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. While TCU had all the magic this fall, Texas was probably the “scariest” team in the Big 12 but just couldn’t put all together for four quarters every Saturday.
Still, the arrow is trending up in Austin. Sarkisian’s staff has the Longhorns playing sounder defense, and Texas’ OL should be among the best nationally in 2023. While Quinn Ewers is likely the starting quarterback next fall, Sarkisian just capped Year 2 by landing a guy named Arch Manning — ever heard of him? — and the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class.
The 2023 college football season will be crucial in determining which direction Sarkisian’s tenure in Austin likely goes.
Simonton’s full rankings are below.
- Josh Heupel, Tennessee
- Bret Bielema, Illinois
- Lance Leipold, Kansas
- Shane Beamer, South Carolina
- Jedd Fisch, Arizona
- Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
- Steve Sarkisian, Texas
- Bryan Harsin, Auburn
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