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This is the moment Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian has been looking forward to since December 15.
Like every newly hired coach, Sarkisian inherited a roster he did not love. Sarkisian never criticized his predecessors. Sarkisian simply said the roster was not constructed in a way he would have preferred but intended to work with it. He talked himself into believing Texas could compete for a Big 12 title last season. Even after Oklahoma defeated Texas, Sarkisian quickly pointed toward a potential rematch with the Sooners in the Big 12 Championship Game. The rematch never occurred but Sarkisian remained optimistic about the potential of landing “his guys.”
Sarkisian’s ability to recruit led to a top-five recruiting class in 2022. That class is the main reason why Sarkisian has been so positive throughout the offseason. During multiple interviews, he talked about the influx of players who would arrive this summer. He talked about the incoming freshmen on signing day. Sarkisian mentioned them throughout the spring. He shared his excitement during several recent speaking engagements throughout the state.
Sarkisian can finally take a deep breath.
Longhorn reinforcements are arriving.
Summer workouts will begin on Tuesday. The remainder of Sarkisian’s 2022 class and players acquired in the transfer portal since early January will arrive in Austin this week.
Sarkisian will finally have his team.
“I'm going to have 36 new scholarship football players on the scene. Maybe 37,” Sarkisian said. “I only get 85. So, nearly half of our football team is going to be new faces this fall when we run out of the tunnel against (Lousiana) Monroe. So, as quickly as I can get this team connected, that's the key to the drill, man. We'll be talented. We've recruited well. We've recruited the portal well. We've done all that. We'll be plenty talented, but it's the team that plays together that wins championships. And that's the goal, right? That's the goal. Come December 5. I want to be in Arlington hoisting the Big 12 Championship.”
The game is on December 3.
However, Sarkisian's desire is understood.
Sarkisian has never shied away from the expectations of being a football coach at Texas. To his credit, Sarkisian never talks about rebuilding. Sarkisian has always taken a win-now approach.
“That's why you come here,” Sarkisian said. “You choose to be the best. You choose to accept the standard and the expectations of what is bestowed upon you when you become the head coach of the University of Texas. I don't shy away from that. I didn't come here for a paycheck. I can give a crap about that. I came here to hoist trophies. That's why we're here. I came here to develop young men to go on into society and represent the University of Texas, themselves, and their families with high regard. That's why we're here. The mission has not changed. The drive has not changed. The path in which we've taken was not the chosen one.
“5-7 is 5-7. That sucks. I'll call it like it is. You guys know me. That's not why you come here. Those were some excruciating losses. Think about it. We went three straight weeks, OU, Oklahoma State, Baylor. Three top 10 teams. Three finished top 10 in the country where we had double-digit fourth quarter leads and found a way to lose the game. So, why is that? Was that scheme? Was that physical ability? Was that play-calling? Or was it a belief? Was it a mindset? Was it a psyche? Because clearly, we were good enough to play to get those leads, right? We could execute a game plan. We could execute the calls. We could make the adjustments. But somewhere in there we had a glitch in what we were doing. So, like me as a coach, I evaluate every player in our program. I evaluate every coach. I evaluate our team. I evaluate me first. Okay. I missed the mark on something a year ago that I don't think I gave it enough credit.”
Sarkisian continued to explain what went wrong.
“I don't think we were close enough as a football team when the adversity struck in-season,” Sarkisian said at The Touchdown Club of Houston. “Why is that? I'm gonna paint a little picture. This is not an excuse. I'm going to show you where I missed the mark. When I took the job, we were in the process of finishing the south endzone, which is our new facility, which is an amazing facility. Any of you that helped build that project and build that facility, thank you. We love being there. But for the first eight months on the job for me, we were in the north endzone. Our team, our players, we're in the visitors' locker room. You guys know where the visitors come out of that corner of the endzone. That's where our team dressed. That's where they were. My office was on the seventh floor in the old compliance office. You need a bit of a roadmap if you wanted to come find me and have a meeting with me. Our defensive staff, it literally took me a week to find out where their offices were because they were tucked all the way back by the bathrooms coming off the elevator on the seventh floor. We met as a team on the eighth floor in the concourse where the big bar is in the north endzone, where you got the big Tito’s sign over here. I have a big Deep Eddy sign over here and had a pop-up screen here and our players set and chairs like you're in right now, six feet apart, in kind of that concourse area.
“We had nowhere to congregate as a team. Our position meetings were the suites that some of you may sit in there on the seventh and eighth floors. We had no gathering area. No way for our players to connect. But I totally missed it. Because in the midst of COVID and the midst of the ice storm and the midst of all the crap that was going on when I first got here, I didn't do enough to connect our football team to where they can be accountable to one another. They worked hard, they try hard, they were prepared but there wasn't enough accountability. There wasn't enough I'm doing this for the guy next to me. I'm working this hard for the guy next to me. I don't want to let my teammates down. I don't want to let the guy across the ball from me down. And inevitably when adversity struck in season in the fourth quarter, we didn't know how to respond.”
However, Sarkisian said being in the south end zone this offseason has allowed him to walk through the locker room and interact with players every day.
The group of players Sarkisian needs to constantly interact with is his incoming offensive linemen.
Sarkisian has eagerly anticipated their arrival since the first signing day. Texas may need to start two freshmen on the offensive line this season. Longhorn offensive line coach Kyle Flood must find a way to get a multitude of young players in his room ready to contribute this season.
“Well, it's building the foundation, right? And what is the foundation? The strength and conditioning.," Sarkisian said. "Every guy's going to be at a different level. It's conditioning. I think one of the things that shocks a lot of the kids when they go to college is the amount of running that you do, that most programs do. You start that running in the middle of summer in Austin, Texas, and we find out pretty quick. That's always one of the challenges.
"And then developing the foundation for just the general understanding of the fundamentals, the techniques, and the schemes. When we come back in August, now hopefully we built that foundation we can build upon. To think all six guys will be ready to play in August is probably not realistic. But they're all going to be at various stages and different levels. We’ve just got to identify the ones that kind of are a little further along mentally, physically, and emotionally, and then try to empower them to compete for opportunities to play.
Once you get past the incoming freshmen, Sarkisian added multiple players through the transfer portal this season.
Former Alabama receiver Agiye Hall trolled Alabama fans and media members by removing Longhorn mentions on social media, but will be here this week.
Former Iowa State receiver Tarique Milton will arrive in Austin this week.
Former James Madison linebacker Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey recently committed to Texas and will add depth to that room.
Sarkisian can finally take a deep breath.
Longhorn reinforcements are arriving.
"I mean, I'm not taking a vacation this summer,” Sarkisian said. “I'm waiting for these guys on May 31. I’m meeting them on Sunday, the day before Memorial Day. I'm meeting with our team at five o'clock on Memorial Day. I'm not at a family reunion or family barbecue. I'm invested in these players. That's academically, that's athletically, that's socially, that's from a physical standpoint, and a mental health standpoint.”
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
This kid must get beaned at his next at-bat, right?
His workers’ compensation claim was denied
Dream until your dreams come true
Make sure your wife is in a good mood before sharing (bad language alert)
Sports On A Dime
1. If newly committed Texas linebacker Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey can have an impact this season, he could emerge into the most productive defensive player Sarkisian has acquired during this tenure in Austin. Texas has not signed a defensive player who made a instant impact during Sarkisian's tenure. Tucker-Dorsey has a chance to break that streak.
2. Props to former Texas cornerback Kris Boyd for helping the victims of Uvalde.
3. ICYMI
4. @Ketchum was the first person I heard suggest college football programs need to hire a general manager. He was 100 percent correct.
Here is a portion of Miami’s press release:
“The University of Miami has hired longtime National Football League executive and Hurricanes great Alonzo Highsmith as general manager of football operations, head football coach Mario Cristobal announced Thursday.
“Alonzo is a true Miami Hurricane,” Cristobal said. “He understands the commitment and sacrifice it takes to be a champion on and off the field. His tremendous passion for the University of Miami and this city is unparalleled.
“Alonzo brings experience as a student-athlete, a first-round NFL draft pick and an NFL executive. He shares our vision for the trajectory and the culture of this football program, and his knowledge and experience will allow him to make a positive and powerful impact on our program and community. I am fired up to welcome home another Miami Hurricane!”
"As general manager of football operations, Highsmith will work directly with Cristobal to support all administrative functions of the football program, including budget related items, culture building, program imaging, and working directly with staff members both on and off the field. He will also serve as a liaison between the administration and football program, serve as a liaison between former Miami players and staff, assist with scouting and roster assessment and supervise NFL relations."
5. Texas assistant coach Gary Patterson is living his best life – and I’m not mad at him.
6. Someone please inform Deshaun Watson that my son wears #4 and if he wants that AAU basketball jersey number, I will give him a discount
7. The weirdest part of this touchdown celebration is not Jason Stewart pulling a blunt out of his jock and smoking it during a Fan Controlled Football game. The guy who took a hit of a blunt from Stewart’s jock is the weirdest part.
8. There is no room to overtake in Monaco. A close friend who loves F1 described the race as riding a bike in your living room. Every driver behind Ferrari must hope for a little luck, especially in the rain.
9. Gervonta Davis fulfilled his contract with Floyd Mayweather and could fight Ryan Garcia. If so, I am ready for it. Of course, this is boxing, which means it will take 10 years to make this fight.
10. I doubt we will ever see another fighter like Manny Pacquaio. There is a lot of speculation about how Pacquaio moved up in weight and gained power. In addition, Floyd Mayweather taught boxers how to make money without taking risks. Canelo Alvarez is a rare breed. Nevertheless, we may never see someone duplicate Pacquaio’s success in different weight classes within our lifetime.
Memorial Day
God bless the soldiers who died for us to enjoy the freedoms we enjoy
Here is another powerful tribute (1:54 minute mark hits close to home)
Programming Note
I intend to take a vacation later this week and will not be in the pulpit next Sunday.
However, Brother @Alex Dunlap will fill in for me.
I will be around until Wednesday.
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