Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian didn't mince words when he was asked about facing Oklahoma and former Longhorns receiver Parker Livingstone, who transferred to his former school's rival in the offseason.
"I hope we kick his ass," Sarkisian said at SEC Media Days in July.
Livingstone transferred to Oklahoma after enjoying a breakout season in 2025 with Texas, ranking third on the team in receptions (29) and receiving yards (516) with six touchdown catches after redshirting as a freshman. The former roommate of quarterback Arch Manning hasn't had the same success at Oklahoma so far, although some of that can be attributed to the Sooners' struggling offense
that ranks 120th of 138 FBS teams in total offense.
Livingstone was pushed out by Sarkisian and the Longhorns, who opened up roster spots in the transfer portal to add players like Cam Coleman, Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown, leaving no room — or money — for players like Livingstone.
"After the game, I'm sure I'll give him a big hug," Sarkisian said of the longtime Texas fan-turned Oklahoma receiver. "Before that, we're trying to beat his ass. That's the way it goes."
Why did Parker Livingstone transfer from Texas?
Livingstone never thought he would leave Texas, a school he dreamt of playing for as a kid growing up in the Dallas area.
But that's the current age of name, image and likeness in college football.
"If I didn't have an agent, I would probably still be in Austin right now," Livingstone told reporters in March during his first media appearance at Oklahoma. "That's the truth."
Livingstone was essentially pushed out of Austin, Texas, by the Longhorns, who were looking to upgrade at numerous positions offensively. Texas ultimately landed Auburn transfer Cam Coleman, one of the top-ranked receivers in the transfer portal and a five-star recruit, which played a role in Livingstone's exit.
Sarkisian confirmed as much in July when he said players like Livingstone, former starting running back Tre Wisner and former starting receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. were "let go" because of roster allocations strategy.
"I think in this day and age of the portal and high school, you've got to have the ability to be strategic," Sarkisian said on the "Paul Finebaum Show."
"To make the moves we make, to bring in a Cam Coleman, to bring in a Hollywood Smothers, to bring in a Raleek Brown, to bring in a Mike Masunas at tight end, we had to let DeAndre Moore go. We had to let Parker Livingstone go. We had to let Tre Wisner go. We had to let CJ Baxter go.
“This wasn’t like we kept acquiring. … We had to let some pretty good players leave to create the cap space to bring those guys in. I think strategically, there were some tough decisions to make. But, we made them. I think we all can agree that we’re probably better around Arch (Manning) today than we were a year ago at this time.”
Livingstone chalked it up as something "out of my control" in his transfer portal announcement in January.
"Never in a million years did I think I would be going into the portal looking for a new home," he wrote on social media. "Some things are out of my control. Such is the reality of the ever-changing landscape of college football."
Why did Parker Livingstone choose Oklahoma?
Livingstone's final two choices came down to Indiana and Oklahoma, a pair of College Football Playoff teams from 2025. The Hoosiers were coming off a national championship win, but he third-year receiver from Lucas, Texas, ultimately wanted to stay closer to home. That led him to picking the Sooners.
“For me, I needed to stay close to home,” Livingstone told reporters in March. “They've been doing great and Curt Cignetti is a great coach, but that's why I picked Oklahoma at the end of the day.”
At the time, Oklahoma also appeared to be on an upward trajectory. It was coming off a CFP appearance, returned quarterback John Mateer and had already enhanced its offense around Mateer with Virginia transfer Trell Harris and tight end Rocky Beers, along with Isaiah Sategna also returning.
Oklahoma also said Livingstone was an easy choice to recruit once he entered the transfer portal.
“We didn’t see that coming," Sooners general manager Jim Nagy said in March. "We didn’t see Texas dropping Parker that way, so that was huge for us."
What Arch Manning said of facing Parker Livingstone, former roommate
Manning acknowledged it'll be weird seeing one of his best friends and former roommate on the opposite side of the Red River Rivalry on Saturday, Oct. 10, but said his only focus is beating Oklahoma right now.
"It's going to be different," Manning said. "Obviously we were roommates, best friends. Now he's at a different school. I'm not going to think anything of it. We're going to try to go beat OU and win the game. I'll say what's up to him after."
Parker Livingstone stats
Here's a look at Livingstone's year-by-year numbers in college:
- 2025 (Texas): 29 receptions for 516 yards with six touchdowns; 1-of-1 passing for 4 yards with a touchdown
- 2026 (Oklahoma): Six receptions for 51 yards
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Oklahoma's Parker Livingstone was 'strategic' cut for Texas to add Cam Coleman
