Agents vehemently deny reports of Steve Sarkisian's NFL ambitions, stressing his sole focus remains on coaching the Longhorns.
Mere hours before the Texas Longhorns were scheduled to kick off against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has expressed interest in jumping ship from Texas to take on an open head coaching position in the NFL.
This comes at a point where Sarkisian’s Texas team has seen the rockiest season since his head coaching debut when the Horns finished 5-7. While Sarkisian has the right to pursue greater opportunities, it’s the type of report that can really shake up a team that’s already been disappointing to start the season.
However, according to Sarkisian’s agents, Jimmy Sexton and Ed Marynowitz, the head coach is solely focused on coaching the Texas team.
“Any reports regarding communications on coaching opportunities with NFL teams are patently false and wildly inaccurate," Sexton said. "Sark is solely focused on coaching the University of Texas football team."
While it wouldn’t be a complete shock to see Sarkisian make the jump to the pros, it’d definitely be a bit of a surprise considering how invested he’s been with the Texas team and how much the Texas football program has invested in him.
Not only is he coming off back-to-back college football playoff semi-final appearances, but he’s also one of college football's highest-paid coaches. Sarkisian will be making $10.8 million this season, with a recently signed extension keeping him with the team till at least 2031. Compare that to recently fired head coach Brian Callahan of the Tennessee Titans–a position the initial reports said Sarkisian would be interested in–whose contract saw him make $3 million a season.
After Texas’ shootout against Mississippi State that saw them overcome a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, those rumors may just be put to bed. For the first time all season, the offense made up for what the defense couldn’t.
Arch Manning threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns, with another one scored on the ground. Ryan Wingo totalled 184 receiving yards on five catches and saw a 62-yard screen pass to open the game.
Even though there were still signs of the Texas offense we’ve been used to this season such as shaky pass protection, a mostly inefficient run game and a couple of Manning misfires, the offense seemed the most electric it had been all season.
A 45-38 shootout against a team that’s now lost 16 straight SEC games may not be the result every fans wants, but it’s a step in the right direction. Texas playoff hopes stay alive with this win and the rumors of Sarkisian leaving the team might just die along with it.