Steve Sarkisian listed under coaches ‘facing the most pressure’ in 2022

Steve Sarkisian is facing tons of pressure entering his second season as the head coach of Texas.

The Longhorns did not fare well in year No. 1 of the Sarkisian era. A 5-7 record is never acceptable at a blue blood program like Texas. Despite the struggles from a year ago, expectations are still through the roof in Austin.

CBS Sports names Sarkisian as one of six coaches “facing defining campaigns in 2022.” Here is what Chip Patterson said about the second year head coach of the Longhorns.

Texas went 5-7 in Sarkisian’s Year 1 and lost six of the last seven games, including letting Kansas walk it off with a game-winning two-point try in overtime in Austin. It wasn’t an issue of competitiveness, as we saw the Longhorns suffer one-score losses to the three best teams in the conference (Baylor, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma) but there’s also the built-in frustration of not being able to convert any of those opportunities into quality wins — particularly when flipping any one of the five one-score losses would have made Texas bowl eligible instead of missing out on the postseason for the first time since 2016.

2022 could sway the trajectory of Texas football for years to come. A bounce back season will build huge momentum and show progress in the right direction. Another bad season would create some concern about Sarkisian’s future.