On Tuesday, the Texas Longhorns suffered some unexpected attrition when the news broke that sophomore running back Jerrick Gibson and senior kicker Will Stone had departed the program to preserve their eligibility after playing in four games this season.
The midseason losses cost the Longhorns the team’s short-yardage running back and kickoff specialist, niche but important roles for the team.
During Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference call, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian reiterated his support
for a five years to play five seasons eligibility proposal under consideration by the NCAA that could go into effect this month to allow college football coaches and players to prepare for the new, lone transfer window in January. The potential rule change is in part a response to a class-action lawsuit filed by 10 college athletes last month.
“I’ve been an advocate for five for five,” Sarkisian said. “I’ve said it all along — I think it’s a terrible position to put these players in to make these decisions right now. There’s money involved, there’s revenue sharing, there’s NIL, there’s different factors, and I think it’s putting agents and family members and student athletes in a difficult position to make business decisions in the middle of season, but that’s where we’re at.“
Sarkisian takes a pragmatic approach to these situations in the midst of massive upheaval across college athletics while pushing for changes behind the scenes.
“I’m not really here to complain about it. That’s just the reality of the situation we’re in, so when a player asks to do that, I thank them for their time, and I wish them the best of luck,” Sarkisian said. “What else are we supposed to do at that juncture? These are the rules that we’ve put in place, and so we’ve got to operate within the parameters of the rules.”
