Tag: Steve Sarkisian

Who are the Top 10 highest paid head coaches in college football?

With Nick Saban’s retirement, who has become college football’s highest-paid head coach?

The job of a Power 5 head football coach is extremely arduous, especially in the age of NIL and the ever-growing transfer portal, as we’ve now seen several former head coaches leave their positions to take on coordinator positions due to the head-ache-inducing responsibilities.

However, for those who have stayed for the challenge, you can’t say they haven’t been well compensated, making the average American’s household income look like child’s play. Look, that’s just a fact, and like CEOs of Fortune 100 companies, every individual who holds top rank receives most of the profit because, at the end of the day, they receive the blame for anything that goes wrong within the organization.

Sticking with college football, the retirement of former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, one of the few coaching G.O.A.Ts in football history, has shifted the salary rankings. Still, for die-hard CFB fans who know their stuff, the top 5 highest-paid head coaches won’t be surprising reveal.

For Texas A&M, paying off Jimbo Fisher’s salary for the next decade certainly stings, but at least new head coach Mike Elko’s salary ($7 million per year) is a bargain for now!

Here are the Top 10 highest-paid head coaches in college football entering the 2024 season, courtesy of 247Sports’ Grant Hughes.

Saturday Down South writer says Texas is ‘poised to take over the SEC’

“Steve Sarkisian is on his way to building a monster at Texas,” writes one Saturday Down South writer.

The Texas Longhorns made a statement in a dominant 10-point win over Alabama last fall. Apparently it was heard loud and clear by Saturday Down South a publication that covers the SEC.

Some are ignoring the Longhorns’ first 12-win season since 2009, but one college football writer isn’t. Saturday Down South’s Matt Hayes wrote the following of the team as it enters the SEC.

“It’s all set up now. The timing is perfect, the investment has been made and Steve Sarkisian is on the way to building a monster at Texas.

A monster that can take over the SEC.”

Hayes went on to detail everything that is going right for Texas heading into the top conference. The list includes the team’s monetary advantages, recruiting, immediate impact portal players and retirement of Alabama’s Nick Saban as reason to believe in the Longhorns moving forward. It led Hayes to the following conclusion.

“Sarkisian is about as close to a lock at winning a national title at Texas — much sooner than later — as anyone since the Mack Brown golden years of the 2000s.”

Head coach Steve Sarkisian certainly came to Texas at just the right time. If you recall, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers once decommmited from former head coach Tom Herman while the program endured a mess of a culture and on-field product in Austin.

After Sarkisian got added to the fold not only did Ewers return, but fellow five-star quarterback Arch Manning committed to Texas. Sarkisian then hired an elite staff, transformed Texas’ wide receiver and offensive line recruiting and won 12 games and a conference title in Year 3.

Texas is now in position to become a consistent winner, and one that could thrive in the SEC.

We are under no illusion that the Longhorns are going to take over the conference. The level of competition at the top is too strong. They certainly can compete and win a national title out of it. The raised level of competition challenged Texas to play to a higher standard. Now the team is living up to its potential.

Sarkisian and company still haven’t achieved their ultimate goal but they have an opportunity to reach it. They will work towards making the goal reality in the near future.

College football’s top 10 highest-paid coaches in 2024

Steve Sarkisian lands at No. 3 with a $10.3M salary for the upcoming season.

Several college football coaches received raises and contract extensions this offseason. Continue reading “College football’s top 10 highest-paid coaches in 2024”

Longhorns giving Sarkisian contract extension is eerily reminiscent to Texas A&M’s mistake with Fisher

Sir Winston Churchill once said, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” and that quote could never be more true.

Sir Winston Churchill once said, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” and that quote could not be more true when it comes to what’s reportedly going to happen in Austin this week.

According to Wescott Eberts, a team site producer at Burnt Orange Nation, the University of Texas System Board of Regents is meeting this week to give football head coach Steve Sarkisian a massive contract extension.

The decision is giving some Texas A&M fans deja vu to when Jimbo Fisher was given a big extension in 2021 after his third year in Aggieland.

Sarkisian led his team to No. 3 in the nation and the College Football Playoff, compared to Fisher who finished No. 5 and was left on the outside looking in. The overall point is that both Texas football programs chose to give their coach $50 million more in guarantees after a one-loss season in year three.

The Longhorns and their fans aren’t paying close enough attention to what’s going on in College Station. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be doomed to repeat history.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Details of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s new contract revealed

Steve Sarkisian is set to become one of college football’s highest-paid coaches.

Steve Sarkisian is set to become one of college football’s highest-paid coaches. Continue reading “Details of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s new contract revealed”

Navigating a season that could see Texas play Georgia more than once

The Georgia game in Austin might not mean as much if the Longhorns lose to the Bulldogs in Round 2.

The Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs will play in Austin on Oct. 19. It may not be the only time they play in the 2024 season.

Texas and Georgia are viewed by many, including those close to the Georgia program, as the primary contenders for the SEC championship. What does that mean for the Longhorns? It could mean two battles against the top team in college football over the past three seasons.

If Texas is to make the College Football Playoff in 2024, there’s a strong possibility it will have to face Georgia twice to get there. That’s to say nothing of the possibility of a third game should the two teams advance far enough in the postseason.

Many view Georgia’s road trip to Austin as the Longhorns’ biggest game of the season. After all, it could position Texas for its first No. 1 ranking since Oct. 26 of the 2008 season prior to its upset loss to Texas Tech. But do the Longhorns sell out to beat the Bulldogs in Austin or do they save their best play calls for a more meaningful rematch?

Like it or not, Texas was dependent on scheme over the past season. It was dependent on head coach Steve Sarkisian’s offensive ingenuity to go 12-2. But how much of his Georgia game planning do you want to expend in Round 1, and do you hold anything back for a potential national title game against the Bulldogs?

The above questions are those Texas might wrestle with, or they may trust that other weaknesses will present themselves before a rematch. But this team is constructed to win a national title, and those opportunities have been few and far between in recent seasons.

Texas has a playoff quarterback in Quinn Ewers who returns a playoff offensive line and running back room. It brings in two playoff transfer receivers in Alabama’s Isaiah Bond and Amari Niblack with several key returning players from a playoff defense. It’s a golden opportunity to win it all. How Sarkisian plays the season could have a role in how far the team advances.

Sarkisian has built a national title contender, and to win one he might have to beat Georgia. But does he have the depth of creativity to beat them twice?

Former Texas QB Chance Mock praises Texas’ size, athleticism

Chance Mock sees a big difference between the players the Longhorns and Aggies currently have.

Texas is building explosive athletes. Former Longhorns quarterback Chance Mock is taking notice. Continue reading “Former Texas QB Chance Mock praises Texas’ size, athleticism”

11 Longhorns invited to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine

It’s the most for the Longhorns in the last 15 years.

The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine will begin on Feb. 26 in Indianapolis. Continue reading “11 Longhorns invited to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine”

Former NFL QB Eli Manning discusses why Arch Manning is staying put

“He picked Texas because that’s where he wants to be.”

Texas quarterback Arch Manning isn’t going anywhere. That’s not breaking news to anyone who has listened to Manning and his family in comments about his time in Austin. That doesn’t mean national media is done speculating.

Manning’s uncle and former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning had the following to say about Arch’s decision to stay put.

“He picked Texas because that’s where he wants to be. That’s where he wants to play football. He likes coach Sarkisian and his offense and what they’re doing…

Obviously, I think the plan was Ewers would maybe go in the NFL but he’s there.

It’s another year for for Arch to mature, learn the offense, get bigger and stronger in the weight room, and always be prepared to play. You never know what’s gonna happen.”

No matter how often the Manning family reiterates Arch’s plan to stay the quarterback room will have some level of national interest. Nevertheless, Manning wants to be a Longhorn and get developed by Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian. The signal caller will get set for his second season in Austin in the spring.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian backs Quinn Ewers as Texas’ QB for 2024

There is no quarterback controversy, and there shouldn’t be.

It’s Quinn Ewers’ team. The two-year starting quarterback received public backing from his head coach Steve Sarkisian for another season as the team’s leader.

Sarkisian said the following of a third year of Ewers to Texas to media on Wednesday.

“I don’t think Quinn was a finished product yet. I think there’s plenty of room for growth and improvement and development in his game going into year three.

I do think his experience and maturity are all going to be things we can benefit from. We’re going to need his leadership.”

Sarkisian’s comments perhaps balance out the notion that the starting quarterback is being given the job. He’s not about to let his quarterback get big-headed or complacent. But he knows he’s got a playoff signal caller leading his team.

Ewers has already earned the job. Yet while his head coach noted how much the starter can improve, the 11% improvement from his first season in completion percentage indicates that we could see another leap in Ewers’ final season in Austin.

Texas’ head coach noted that while backup quarterback Arch Manning has steps to take of his own before starting, he has high expectations for the five-star quarterback.

“I think Arch has got an extremely bright future. We’re very fortunate to to have him on our roster. He’s got great leadership skills, got a great skill set.”

Manning will compete for the job like any other backup. Sarkisian’s comments won’t preclude him from an opportunity to prove to be the better option. But Texas doesn’t need an upgrade.

Ewers possesses the same five-star talent as Manning, but his readiness to lead another playoff run is what separates the two. The Texas starter has seen more defensive looks, taken several more game reps, thrown more passes and won more games than most quarterbacks at the college level. He knows what playoff football looks like and knows how to beat an SEC powerhouse on the road.

Someday, Arch Manning will have an opportunity to earn a statue in front of DKR-Memorial Stadium. He can bring that impact when his time is all said and done. But Ewers can win Texas a title this year, and that’s the team’s primary goal.

Texas has its starting quarterback. Ewers will look to lead the Longhorns back to the College Football Playoff again when they next take the field.