Calling tampering a “major problem” in college football, Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian revealed that speculation surrounding his job on the Forty Acres, ranging from a report of NFL interest last month to the casual speculation of ESPN analyst Desmond Howard as he took his trash out on Monday, has resulted in other programs tampering with his roster, tied for fifth nationally this year in blue-chip ratio after signing the No. 1 recruiting class last December.
Sarkisian shared the information
during his Thursday media availability after using his opening statement on the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday for a lengthy attempt to end that persistent speculation.
Who was the statement for, specifically? Well, a lot of people.
“I think it was for everybody. It might have just been for me. I don’t know,” Sarkisian said.
The Texas head coach went on to say that it was for the players who are in the building every day to avoid distractions for them or their families, and it’s for Longhorn nation so the fanbase knows that he’s not going anywhere, but it was also for pundits and opposing coaches.
It was for anyone with a social media presence who might get bored while doing mundane chores.
“Maybe for some of the pundits out there that don’t cover me and cover our program on a regular basis, so that they can understand that they can’t just take their trash out and then have a thought to think that, ‘Hey, I think that Texas is going to have a job opening,’ so I don’t know, think about something else when you’re taking your trash out,” Sarkisian said.
It’s also for anyone looking to poach talent from the Longhorns roster.
“I think it’s also for some of our opponents that, ‘Hey, I’m not going anywhere, stay out of our locker room,‘” Sarkisian said.
Because roster retention is one of the most important aspects of navigating the current college football landscape, Sarkisian’s statement on Wednesday was about keeping young talent on his roster.
“We live in a world right now of instant gratification, okay? We’ve got players on our roster right now who were highly-recruited, very good football players, who are in the developmental stage of their career, and well, the family back home, or the agent representing him, or the high school coach doesn’t know that, he’s just saying, ‘Billy’s not playing, I need to find him a home where they’re going to play him,‘” Sarkisian said.
“And so it’s not necessarily the kid that’s out there trying to find somewhere to go. Sometimes it’s people that are that are in his circle that are looking, and conversations begin, and next thing you know, people are throwing numbers out there at families and at agents that are unrealistic. So you have to kind of reel it all back in.”
In an effort do that, Sarkisian had Texas assistant director of player development Michael Huff speak to the team ahead of the Longhorn legend receiving an on-campus salute on Saturday as a 2025 College Football Hall of Fame inductee.
“I had him tell his story. And you know, he goes through the Thorpe Award, national championship, seventh overall pick, eight years in the NFL, All-Pro in the NFL, and then he tells them, ‘And I redshirted my freshman year,’ and they all were startled, like you can still do all that, and you redshirt,” Sarkisian said.
It’s a powerful message coming from the two-time All-American and four-year starter.
“I think it’s a friendly reminder that we’re not finished products, that these guys have to develop over time. And so I think that’s our first part. What can we do to manage that? We’ve got to manage our own locker room and not get so consumed with what’s going on outside and focus on our current players. So we’ve got a lot of really good players in our program. They aren’t there yet, but they’re going to be if we continue to pour into them and continue to develop,” Sarkisian said.
And the Texas head coach plans to stick around the Forty Acres for that process.
