The question that has haunted Longhorns fans for over a decade, “is Texas back?”
Fans of college football have endlessly mocked the once power of the sport for their many failed attempts at returning to prominence, but the stars appear to be aligning for Steve Sarkisian and company. The 2023 season has the makings of being “the year” for Texas, which if you poll any Longhorn fan prior to every season since 2010 you’d probably get the same response.
However, when looking around the landscape of the Big 12 and even the country itself, Texas has every reason to have confidence. The Big 12 is as up for grabs as it has been in years with Oklahoma on the decline, and notable programs such as Ohio State, Alabama, and Georgia are replacing stars all over the field. This has many Longhorns fans and media members alike, certain that Texas will finally get over their hump of stumbling.
In a recent article by 247Sports, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian who is fresh off a 8-5 season was featured as a coach on the verge of his first national championship victory. Joining him were names such as Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Penn State’s James Franklin, and Florida State’s Mike Norvell among others.
His ability to recruit, access the resources that the great state of Texas has to offer, and the overall trajectory stemming from last season were cited as to why Sarkisian was featured despite never having a 10-win season.
Across 10 seasons and three different programs, Steve Sarkisian never posted a double-digit win total. Despite the lack of a national championship caliber season on his resume, the Texas head coach lands on this list because of the upward trajectory on which he appears to be leading the Longhorns and the wealth of resources at his disposal. Texas continues to stockpile talent, and it has one of the most loaded quarterback rooms in the nation ahead of the 2023 season, so expectations in Austin are high after the Longhorns won eight games last fall. If Sarkisian gets the most out of his players, Texas is a CFP candidate.
Sarkisian brought in the No. 3 recruiting class in the country headlined by five-star quarterback Arch Manning and five-star linebacker Anthony Hill. He also added five massive transfers from the portal that all will likely start or at the bare minimum be vital contributors off the bench.
The pressure on Sarkisian, while it is at an all-time high, has been placed on the shoulders of quarterback Quinn Ewers. The former perfectly rated recruit showed flashes of prominence last season, but also had fans questioning if he should be pulled for Hudson Card late in the season. If Sarkisian can channel his ability to be a quarterback guru to help Ewers take those next steps, the 2023 season could end up being Texas’ best chance to contend nationally since Colt McCoy’s final season.