Texas Football: Three things Steve Sarkisian must accomplish in his first season

To give people confidence in the Sarkisian hire, a few things must happen. Here are three things he must accomplish during his first season.

Land the big-name recruits

(Photo by Caten Hyde/Texas Athletics Department)

Outside of winning on Saturday, nothing is more important in college football than recruiting. Win in the recruiting world and you will win on the field. Steve Sarkisian’s first full cycle will be the ’22 class after putting on the finishing touches on Herman’s disgraceful ’21 class.

Big names have already committed to Texas early in the year. Four-star running back Jaydon Blue and quarterback Maalik Murphy headline the offense names. After struggling at Aledo High School for years, Bryan Allen Jr. pledged to Texas after once being an LSU commit. Even with being the No. 7 class per 247Sports, more is needed from Sarkisian and his staff.

Five-star OT Kelvin Banks and four-star wide receiver Evan Stewart are must-get prospects. That goes without mentioning the quarterback. On defense, if you could take one player over anybody in the entire class, it would be Denver Harris. North Shore’s five-star cornerback could feature as the highest-ranked player in the class.

Going 9-3 or better with promising signs will boost Texas’ chances with all of the top recruits. Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M remain the main rivals the Longhorns will face until national signing day in December. Those four programs are expected to continue where they left off last season. Their recruiting momentum will not slow down.

An important seven months is ahead of Texas.