Texas loss to Oklahoma proves Steve Sarkisian needs to make 1 hire that could make or break his Longhorns tenure
The Texas Longhorns dropped a game to Oklahoma that the Sooners won on the margins, and it exposed a problem Steve Sarkisian has put off fixing for years. His tenure might depend on it.
The Texas Longhorns need a true offensive coordinator, and I don’t think they will win a national championship until Steve Sarkisian hires one. The loss to Oklahoma made that as clear as it has ever been.
Oklahoma found a way to win on the margins. The Sooners leaned on special teams, stifled the Texas offense, and made enough plays defensively, including scores, to win a game that was going to change their season one way or another. And Texas, with all the talent in the world, couldn’t do enough to stop it.
I’ve been saying this for years. Sarkisian is an extremely talented play caller. When his offense is flowing, you watch it and think he’s right up there as a top-3 play caller in the sport. But the version of Texas that shows up in the biggest moments keeps telling me the same thing. He needs help in these big games.
Look at what Will Stein did at Kentucky
I keep coming back to Kentucky. Will Stein was in a very similar position. Before Kentucky hired him, I saw him as one of the best play callers in college football. And yet when he got to Lexington, he hired Joe Sloan and handed him the play-calling duties.
Why would he do something like that? You’re one of the best play callers around. Why wouldn’t you want control of the offense?
Because a head coach has more on his plate than ever. In this version of college football, with as many responsibilities as a head coach carries, it is critical that his attention covers the entire program and not just one side of the football. Stein understood that. Sarkisian hasn’t acted on it.
And you may say, Tegan, Texas already gave him the setup to focus on offense. That’s fair. I had hoped Will Muschamp dominating the defensive side of the ball would free up Sarkisian to pour everything into the offense. Muschamp handles one side, Sark handles the other, and the offense finally opens up. It hasn’t. Not when it matters, at least.
Steve Sarkisian needs a second voice in the headset
It is so clear to me that Sarkisian needs another voice in the headset. He needs a second opinion. And if you go back and look at some of the key moments and the key losses, I think of Ohio State in particular, having that second opinion could have been the difference between Texas losing those games and Texas competing for multiple national championships. That’s what’s at stake here. Not one game. Multiple titles.
Hiring an offensive coordinator would change the trajectory of Texas football for the long term. The offensive coordinator isn’t the only change I’d make, though. I’d more than likely move off of both the offensive line coach and the special teams coordinator, because their performances as coaches are not acceptable for the talent Texas has on its roster. Special teams were a big part of how Oklahoma beat them. That should never happen to a roster built like this one.
Texas, that’s the standard you set for yourself. You can’t use the excuse of not having enough at Texas. The resources are there, the recruiting is there, and the roster is there. So the results have to be the best, and right now those position groups and the play calling from Sarkisian are not good enough.
This isn’t me saying Sarkisian can’t coach. He absolutely can, and the offense at its best proves it. But talent alone doesn’t win championships when the head coach is stretched across the entire program and calling every play on the biggest Saturdays with nobody pushing back.
If Sarkisian wants to be the long-term coach at Texas and win titles, he has to find an offensive coordinator. It’s a make-or-break spot for him, and if he decides not to, that choice will end up defining his tenure in Austin.
