Tag: Steve Sarkisian

Texas’ Steve Sarkisian ‘borderline obsessed’ with winning national title

Nobody wants to win Texas a national championship more than Steve Sarkisian.

Steve Sarkisian is tirelessly pursuing a national title at Texas. The Longhorns’ head coach shared to media on Wednesday that he is almost obsessed with that championship pursuit.

Sarkisian said the following of that push to bring a title back to Austin.

“I came here to win a championship. If I can get one, I want to get two. I’m borderline obsessed with it at this point. I know what it tasted like last year. I know how close we were, and I couldn’t wait to get back. Hopefully that’s what our team really starts to exude, is this obsession with being the best.”

Those who scoff at the above statement were the same who believed Sarkisian would never make a four-team playoff or win a conference title at Texas. They lost their seat at the discussion table last offseason.

Sarkisian can win a title at Texas. Whether he will or not is up for debate, but the trajectory of his program is objectively impressive. The resurrected head coach just won 12 games, shellacked head coach Nick Saban’s Alabama in Tuscaloosa in unprecedented fashion, won the Big 12 title and made the College Football Playoff. The ceiling, at the very least, is already far higher than detractors placed it.

Some believed Texas was a place you couldn’t win at anymore. They viewed the Forty Acres as an untenable place for championship culture and development. How does the culture and development look now?

Any and all success Texas has achieved over the last season should be credited to Sarkisian. He built an elite staff, transformed recruiting at quarterback, offensive line, wide receiver, cornerback and edge, built a culture, developed players and is giving a schematic advantage that the program hasn’t seen in a long while. He’s not done yet.

Sarkisian has done a seemingly impossible task: After arguably the worst decade in program history, he has Texas “SEC ready” after just three seasons in Austin. But the job isn’t finished, and he’s aware. He’s borderline obsessed with maintaining a contender. His mentor Nick Saban likely ingrained that level of focus by example if not explicitly.

It will take obsession from Sarkisian to consistently compete at an SEC level while at Texas, but it appears he already understands that assignment. He will look to put together a second playoff run in as many seasons in 2024.

Everything Steve Sarkisian said to the media on national signing day

“We didn’t sign one player today, which is indicative of how college football has changed and evolved.”

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian spoke with the media on national signing day. Continue reading “Everything Steve Sarkisian said to the media on national signing day”

Bleacher Report predicts Texas EDGE Trey Moore to have All-American impact

Trey Moore could be a difference maker for the Longhorns in 2024.

Texas landed several of the highest rated players in the transfer portal this offseason. Continue reading “Bleacher Report predicts Texas EDGE Trey Moore to have All-American impact”

Golden Era: The Houston transfer that could take over college football

Two Texas wide receivers are viewed by ESPN analysts as players who can shape the College Football Playoff race.

Matthew Golden is set to star at Texas. The Houston transfer wide receiver might not have the acclaim that fellow receiver transfer Isaiah Bond has out of Alabama. He does have a unique skill set that could take college football by storm.

ESPN analyst Tom VanHaaren sees Golden as a player who could “shape the 2024 College Football Playoff race.” He said the following of Golden’s potential impact at Texas.

“I don’t know how many fans have heard of Houston receiver (Matthew) Golden, who might be overlooked in Texas’ transfer receiver haul. Golden has had 13 touchdown receptions the past two seasons and despite playing in just nine games this season he had 404 yards and six (touchdown) receptions. Texas is losing (Adonai) Mitchell and Xavier Worthy, the team’s top-two leaders in receiving yards and touchdowns. Golden, Bond and Bolden will help replace that production and will be vital to Texas’ success in the SEC and getting back to the playoff.”

Golden was a recruiting target for Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and company out of high school. The Top 150 recruit in 247Sports’ individual rankings secured over 25 scholarship offers including the likes of Texas, LSU, TCU, Arkansas and Baylor. Now, Golden will bring his talents to Austin.

Interestingly enough, another ESPN analyst in Tom Luginbill sees a different Texas receiver shaping the College Football Playoff race, and it isn’t Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond. Luginbill said the following of Oregon State transfer receiver Silas Bolden.

“The Longhorns might be losing some key parts of its offensive attack to the NFL draft — the highest-profile prospect being receiver Adonai Mitchell. However, while the focus has been on the addition of receiver Isaiah Bond from Alabama, (Silas) Bolden could be a Swiss Army knife in the offense. Coach Steve Sarkisian loves players who can line up in multiple spots to create mismatches. Bolden can contribute as a ball carrier on jet sweeps and end arounds. He’s a speedy space players who gives (starting quarterback) Quinn Ewers another threat on the perimeter.”

There appears to have been a consensus built that the receiving class Texas has assembled in the transfer portal has potential to make a significant impact in 2024. Which player of the trio makes the most impact doesn’t matter. What matters is that the unit appears to be in good hands.

We will have a better idea of what each player can bring in the Texas offense following the Orange and White game.

Always College Football: Texas football could be entering ‘golden era’

ESPN’s Matt Barrie has the Texas Longhorns entering a golden era of football.

Texas is a winner again. The proof of concept from a 12-win season, Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth has national media giving the Longhorns due credit.

The retirement of Alabama head coach Nick Saban has some thinking the team has staying power with more room at the top of the SEC. Former Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy said the following of the Longhorns’ positioning heading out of the month of January.

“It’d be hard for me to look at the SEC right now and not think that the biggest winner in January are the Texas Longhorns.”

Some believe Texas is taking Alabama’s spot opposite Georgia atop the SEC. That’s not necessarily the case long-term, but there’s a sense it will be the case in 2024. ESPN’s Matt Barrie echoed that sentiment on McElroy’s podcast, Always College Football.

“I think Texas is headed to a spot where they just had to believe. Recruits, college football and the public had to believe that Sark could get it done at Texas. The proof is there. I think you are going into another golden era of Texas football.”

A golden era of Texas football implies at least one national title. That’s what Longhorns faithful are hoping to see. Frankly, they have reason for optimism after seeing the team make a College Football Playoff in Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s third season.

Barrie went on to discuss why he believes the Longhorns are set up for success.

“(Sarkisian has) proved it in the portal. They’re loaded again. Quinn Ewers coming back is the smartest thing he could have done, to play to play one more year of college football. If I was ranking SEC teams going into next year, Georgia sets the standard as they always do, but you need to legitimately talk about Texas 2, 3 and 4, and do it convincingly.”

Texas is set up for another playoff run in 2024. It will look to put it all together over the offseason.

Texas hires Miami Dolphins assistant Kenny Baker as DL coach

Texas announced its defensive line coach on Thursday.

The Texas Longhorns have a defensive line coach. On Thursday, news broke that the Longhorns had chosen former Miami Dolphins and Western Kentucky assistant Kenny Baker as its defensive line coach.

Baker served as the Dolphins assistant defensive line coach in 2023 after building an impressive reputation in the college ranks at Western Kentucky. More importantly, it appears Baker is a good teacher and culture fit for the team which is all you could ask for at the position.

Culture fit, of course, includes having strong recruiting traits at Texas. The team is uninterested in being average in any sense much less in talent acquisition.

Some will have questions over his ability to recruit because of lack of experience at the college level. But in football hires, traits translate more than track record. It’s why Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian coached in the playoff last season while former national title winner Jimbo Fisher is getting paid not to coach.

Whether or not Baker has the traits will be revealed over the next few seasons. Nevertheless, he has the work ethic and NFL pedigree to potentially win over top recruits.

Texas proved it could recruit defensive linemen without a defensive line coach this week. Baker will look to prove he can leverage the power of the Texas brand in recruiting as the team’s next defensive line coach.

Texas is the only CFP team to have a returning head coach for 2024

Out of the four teams that reached the 2023 College Football Playoff, only Steve Sarkisian will return as head coach of the same team.

Out of the four teams that reached the 2023 College Football Playoff, only Steve Sarkisian will return as head coach of the same team. Continue reading “Texas is the only CFP team to have a returning head coach for 2024”

Greg McElroy says Texas has a 70% chance to make the CFP in 2024

Many are believing the Texas Longhorns will be a serious threat next season.

The 2024 Texas Longhorns football schedule puts them in a prime position to make back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances. Now that the playoff field is expanding to 12 teams, it’s almost a lock. Continue reading “Greg McElroy says Texas has a 70% chance to make the CFP in 2024”

Texas receives prediction for 202 four-star WR Kelshaun Johnson

Texas’ wide receiver room is stacked and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down with Steve Sarkisian’s next target for the 2025 class.

Texas’ wide receiver room is stacked and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down with Steve Sarkisian’s next target for the 2025 class. Continue reading “Texas receives prediction for 202 four-star WR Kelshaun Johnson”

Former Alabama TE Amari Niblack commits to Texas

Texas loves those Bama boys!

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns have found themselves another former member of the Alabama Crimson Tide to join their team in 2024. This time it is former five-star tight end Amari Niblack.

Sark and the Longhorns have already lured away star receiver Isaiah Bond from the Crimson Tide and now, with Niblack’s Thursday night commitment, Texas has a new dynamic duo.

Niblack played sparingly as a true freshman for Alabama in 2022 before stepping into a much more prominent for the Tide in 2023 where he caught 20 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns. Niblack had a sense for the big play too averaging over 15 yards per reception as a sophomore.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor the NCAA transfer portal for more news and updates.

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