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Steve Sarkisian does not have the long runway most first-year college football coaches are allowed to enjoy.
The majority of coaches are not under intense pressure to win in year one. If the program they inherited does not immediately compete for a conference title, most fans give their coach a pass. They will attribute lackluster results to a lack of buy-in from players their coach inherited. Players are quickly blamed for not embracing the new culture. Fans and reporters will stress the importance of the first-year coach obtaining “his guys.” Everyone will focus on recruiting and kick the can down the road. Someone will inevitably remind you that Nick Saban finished with a 7-6 record at Alabama in year one - as if every coach is destined to become the GOAT. Most athletic directors are willing to wait three seasons before determining if their coach is a success or failure.
Sarkisian’s situation is tougher.
Texas finished with the fourth-ranked recruiting class in 2019 but was 14th in 2020. It was the lowest ranking since Texas finished 31st in 2017. The 2021 class was ranked 14th as well. Texas currently has 11 commitments and the eighth-ranked class. Nevertheless, Sarkisian and his staff are quickly learning how challenging it is currently to recruit at Texas.
That is why Sarkisian needs immediate on-the-field results in year one to improve Longhorn recruiting.
Do not get me wrong. Sarkisian and his staff are not struggling to obtain the attention of elite recruits. Gardena, California quarterback Maalik Murphy verbally committed to Texas in February. Four-star receiver Armani Winfield verbally committed to Texas. Four-star running back Jaydon Blue is a Texas commit.
In addition, Sarkisian has hosted several elite prospects the past two weeks in Austin. He has the attention of 2023 quarterback Arch Manning, arguably the top overall prospect in that class. Getting Manning on campus for an unofficial visit was a huge win for Sarkisian. My sources indicated Manning intends to attend a Longhorn game this fall - it would probably need to be a late game since he would fly in the same day after playing high school football on Friday night.
It has been a good start for Sarkisian.
Nevertheless, there have been setbacks.
El Campo running back Rueben Owens II decommitted from Texas this past week. Owens committed to Texas in late February. One thing I could not ignore after interviewing Owens in March was his desire to visit other programs after committing to Texas. Basically, his commitment seemed less firm than the guy who says “let me check with my wife first” when you ask him to get together.
Here is what I said about Owens on May 9: “Rueben Owens II’s verbal commitment to Texas appears to as soft as you would expect from a sophomore who still wants to experience the recruiting process. Owens made a reservation with Texas, but his commitment does not appear to be firm. Stan Drayton has a lot of work to do over the next two years.”
Obviously, his decommitment this past week did not catch me off-guard. You were not shocked.
Yet, losing a top prospect five days after he was on campus for a big recruiting weekend is a huge blow.
It is the second major recruiting disappointment this offseason.
Liberty Frisco receiver Evan Stewart committed to Texas on February 18. Ketch recently said there is a chance he might name Stewart the top prospect in Texas when his next 2022 LSR rankings are released. Stewart is currently ranked eighth.
However, Stewart decommitted from Texas on March 11. It only took 21 days for one of the top prospects in the country to reopen his recruitment. Stewart was not willing to remain committed to Texas while entertaining other schools.
Texas lost arguably the top in-state prospect in the 2022 class.
Texas lost arguably the top in-state prospect in the 2023 class.
There is a chance Stewart and Owens renew their Texas commitments.
Sarkisian will need to show Stewart, Owens, and every elite prospect, something these players have only heard about.
As a Longhorn fan, you remember that 2005 season like it was yesterday. You remember every regular-season game that year. I am sure you can tell me exactly where you were when Vince Young scored the game-winning touchdown. That game is forever etched in your memory.
The 2022 players Sarkisian were one year old – at best – when Young ran into the end zone.
There are players in the 2023 class who were not born when that national championship season occurred.
Think about it.
The 2005 season was 16 years ago.
That means an 18-year-old recruit was no more than two years old.
A 17-year-old recruit may have been one.
A 16-year-old may not have been born yet.
Just about every junior or season Sarkisian is recruiting was in diapers when Texas won it all.
Sarkisian is recruiting players who were no more than six years old when Colt McCoy led Texas to the national championship game in 2009. They barely remember watching Yo Gabba Gabba! as children. Asking them to have the same memory and attachment to Longhorn history as their parents or grandparents is an unreasonable request.
Former Texas linebacker Malik Jefferson said something in 2015 that rubbed some Longhorn fans the wrong way.
But he was correct.
“No offense to him [Young], but we gotta get his name out of here,” Jefferson said. “That man still hangs everywhere. It’s the truth. And that has nothing against him, he still is the man around here. It’s facts. And that’s so much respect coming out of my mouth. But when anyone around here hears Vince Young’s name, they’re running to him. It’s mad, deep respect, from the bottom of my heart, that we just have to get his name out of here, because we have not made a change yet. And somebody has to put their foot down one day and make the change.”
That is Sarkisian’s challenge.
Sarkisian has to give recruits who have grown up watching Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson excel a reason to become Longhorns. If an 18-year-old recruit began following Texas as an eight-year-old, here is what he has witnessed over the past 10 seasons:
2011 – 8-5
2012 – 9-4
2013 – 8-5
2014 – 6-7
2015 – 5-7
2016 – 5-7
2017 – 7-6
2018 – 10-4
2019 – 8-5
2020 – 7-3
That is low-hanging fruit for teams recruiting against Texas.
During our last podcast, Ketch asked the staff how many victories we believed Texas needed to season to obtain Manning. I said Texas needs to finish 11-3 – 10 regular-season victories plus a win in the conference title game or bowl matchup – to compete against Clemson, Ohio State and Alabama for elite players.
You may disagree with that number.
You will agree that Texas cannot afford a loss in the season opener against Louisiana.
Texas needs to defeat Arkansas on the road.
Recruits will not get excited about the Texas Bowl.
Neither will you.
In an ideal world, Sarkisian would have a longer runway in year one.
Sarkisian’s situation is tougher. He has to erase the Texas results these recruits have witnessed and give them positive memories. Sarkisian has to make it harder on out-of-state programs to recruit in Texas.
He needs immediate on-the-field results in year one to improve Longhorn recruiting.
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
Happy Father’s Day
This dog knows how his/her owner feels on those morning walks
You never notice Harley riders being dumb (I assume he lived since his friend posted the video)
Purple Pain
Sports On A Dime
1. Speaking of first-year expectations, VegasInsider.com predicts Texas will finish with less than eight wins this season:
“After a successful 7-3 season the new look Longhorns will attempt to continue upon the momentum they built last season. With former quarterback, Sam Ehlinger headed to the NFL and new coach Steve Sarkisian taking over, we can definitely expect a different Longhorns team.
“My preseason best bet is Texas under 8 wins -139. Texas is gonna be a good team over the next couple of years but facing four preseason top-25 opponents in ULL, OU, ISU, and OKST is gonna be really tough. Beyond that, they also face WVU, TCU, and ARK in challenging road games. I’m excited for the combination of young quarterback Casey Thompson and new coach Steve Sarkisian but It should take them a little bit to develop this new system.”
2. Sarkisian on the upcoming season: “The season is hard. We've got a really tough schedule. I don't know if any of y'all have watched Louisiana play last season at all, but they went up to Ames, Iowa, and beat the cyclones 35-14 last season. So, if you think we're just going to play the other team in Louisiana, you're sadly mistaken. This is going to be a real game that we need to get ourselves prepared for. Then we go to Arkansas and renew a little bit of that rivalry. Then Rice and into the season. We've got a definitely challenging season ahead of us of what we need to do. That's the end goal. We're in the process stage right now. We're trying to develop a team. We're trying to develop toughness, mental and physical toughness. We're trying to develop continuity, scheme-wise, player-wise, position group-wise, to make those things come to life, and to make that happen.”
3. Sarkisian on his team achieving the same success as other Longhorn programs: “Now, we've got to do our part from a football program standpoint. The good thing that you should know is our kids are putting in the work. Our players are putting in the work day in and day out. Now, when all of those results will come? We'll see. But it won't be for lack of effort from us as a coaching staff or from our players. It's just a matter of time when that ball, the football is shaped a really weird way … and sometimes it bounces your way and sometimes it doesn't. But the reality of it is, if you're in really good physical condition, you do things right consistently over time, oddly enough, that ball starts to bounce your way. You start to win those close games. That's how you continually chase greatness every day, and ultimately, championships will come.”
4. Sarkisian on how quickly Texas will win a football championship: “I don't know. I love that question. I can't tell you that. I don't know. They will come. Obviously, we're in a race to get there sooner rather than later. But I can promise you this. We are chasing greatness every single day from a recruiting standpoint, from a developmental player’s standpoint, and then ultimately, from a team standpoint.”
5. It is incredible to think the worst performance of Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler’s career occurred in the first half against Texas in 2020. Obviously, the second half occurred. If Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley produces another quarterback who is the No.1 overall pick, he is arguably one of the great QB coaches in college football history.
SPENCER RATTLER, OKLAHOMA (RS SOPHOMORE)
The growing trend in the NFL of quarterbacks making plays outside the pocket and outside of structure comes to a head with Rattler. It’s damn near his entire game. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing when you’re as good at it as Rattler is. He went an absurd 53-of-76 for 830 yards with nine touchdowns and only one pick outside of the pocket last season. That
was 228 more yards outside of the pocket than any other quarterback in college football.
Of course, he gets this ranking because he can also sling it inside the pocket.
Despite not having plus size at only 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Rattler very much has a plus arm. His size will likely be the biggest point of scrutiny against him going forward.
Along with making throws outside the pocket, Rattler can also do some work in the running game. He won’t be confused for a running back anytime soon, but he'll certainly be involved in an option attack at the next level.
6. I think Tara Davis gave a very conservative guess about how much money she could have made with NIL:
7. Props to Texas rower Alexandra Watson for being named Big 12 Sportsperson Of The Year:
“In August 2017, Watson was diagnosed with Lemieere syndrome, a bacterial infection in the throat that led to sepsis and nodules. Doctors were unable to operate on her throat as her heart rate spiked, and they opted to place her in an induced coma for three days. As she recovered, Watson was unable to eat, drink, walk or talk, and she lost a considerable amount of weight. She eased her way back on the water and eventually returned to full workouts in February 2018. After she displayed resilience, grit and determination, Watson became the emotional leader for the Texas rowing team. The team used common phrases such as “This one’s for Watson” and “Do it for Wats.”
“Her leadership inspired the team to achieve great success over the next few years. Despite her medical prognosis in the fall, Watson did not miss a race during the 2018 season, helping Texas to a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. In 2019, she earned All-Big 12 honors and was part of the Longhorns’ NCAA Championship runner-up campaign. In 2021, Watson was named the Big 12 Rower of the Year and helped guide Texas to the first NCAA National Championship in program history. She was a member of the First Varsity Eight that won the Grand Final that secured UT’s first title. Rowing at six-seat for most of the season, Watson and the Varsity Eight went undefeated during the season with victories in all eight races and winning the Big 12 title for a sixth-consecutive season.”
8. This is what it looks like when players have burnt orange in their veins:
9. Red Bull has become a real threat to Mercedes, which makes the French Grand Prix a must-watch on Sunday.
10. Deontay Wilder’s boxing legacy is on the line. If Tyson Fury wins in the trilogy, Wilder’s most notable wins will be against Louis Ortiz. Last year, Wilder admitted to turning down a lucrative offer to fight Anthony Joshua because the American boxer wanted Tyson Fury. A loss by Wilder will make boxing fans question if Wilder excelled against lackluster fighters in a bad heavyweight era.
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