Sarkisian emphatically denies any plans to leave Texas, silencing swirling rumors with a clear declaration of commitment to winning championships in Austin.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has made it crystal clear - he wants to stay in Austin.
"I'm not going anywhere," Sarkisian said at the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday. "I've had no discussions, not with my agent, not with the university, not with any other school, not with any NFL team about ever going anywhere else."
While he didn't address anyone in particular, his comments appear to be in response to a video posted by ESPN personality Desmond Howard earlier in the week. In the video, Howard said, "Don't be surprised if that Texas job opens up at the end of the season," creating speculation over Sarkisian's future with the Longhorns.
Later that day, Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte responded to Howard in a quote repost, denying Howard's comments.
"This is news to me... Thanks for the insight," Del Conte said.
Now, it was Sarkisian's turn to speak his mind.
"I came here to win championships," Sarkisian said. "We've built a damn good football program over the five years that we've been here. We've been to two College Football Playoffs. We won a Big 12 championship. We went to the SEC Championship game in year one. We've had 23 players drafted in the last two years, which is more than any other school in the country."
After listing Texas' accomplishments since he arrived, Sarkisian directed his frustration back to the media.
"When some Joe Blow decides to put something on social media out there, we all don't run with it like it's the gospel. Can we all agree on that on this call?" he said. "If you have a question about my future with the University of Texas, ask me on one of these calls. Ask Chris Del Conte. He'll be more than happy to take your call so that we can set the record straight."
Sarkisian's frustration on this topic has been brewing for a while now. Before the Longhorns' game against Mississippi State, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that Sarkisian was "interested in potential head coaching openings" in the NFL.
After the contest, Sarkisian addressed the report with a similar tone to what we saw on Wednesday.
"It really pisses me off that one person can make a report that the entire media sports world runs with as factual to the point where my agency has to put a statement out that they've never done," he said.
Howard's post has only added fuel to the fire. Pair that with a disappointing 7-3 start to the Longhorns' season, and it's easy to see why Sarkisian is annoyed.
Only time will tell if Sarkisian's roaring statement will end rumors about his potential exit, but one thing is certain - Sarkisian is ready to put this in the rearview mirror and focus on his team.