After more than a decade of instability, it looks like the Texas Longhorns have finally found their guy in coach Steve Sarkisian.
Sarkisian enters his fifth season in Austin, now having lasted longer than both of his immediate predecessors, Tom Herman and Charlie Strong. And in the new SEC era of Texas football, he's not just surviving — he's winning.
The Longhorns are 25-5 over the last two seasons, reaching the College Football Playoff in both years and playing for an SEC title in their first season in the conference. That kind of consistency has helped vault Sarkisian into elite territory, with The Sporting News’ Bill Bender ranking him No. 5 among the top 25 head coaches heading into the 2025 season.
That also means expectations are no longer rising — they’ve arrived.
For Texas, that means anything short of a national title run will be viewed as a disappointment. A third consecutive CFP appearance feels like the floor. The ceiling is the program’s first national championship since 2005.
But even Sarkisian is trying to keep things realistic.
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"I don't think we'll see an undefeated champion,” Sarkisian told The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy. “It's so difficult to stay healthy for so long. This idea that someone is going to go 16-0 in college football? If so, put a statue up.”
He might be on to something. Not one team went undefeated in 2024. Oregon came the closest at 13-1 before falling to eventual national champion Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Texas wasn’t far behind, finishing 13-3.
The 2025 road won’t be any easier. According to ESPN’s Bill Connelly, Texas has the 12th toughest schedule in the nation, and it includes road trips to Ohio State and Georgia.
Sarkisian has made Texas relevant again. Now comes the hard part — finishing the job, even if it's not perfect.