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The praise Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian received for his recent NFL Draft results was well-deserved.
It was fun to see 11 Texas Longhorn players drafted over three days. Texas was finally among the notable programs that produced NFL talent. Michigan was the only program with more draft picks than Texas (13). UT’s 11 selections were the most-ever for the Longhorns in a seven-round draft and third-most in any draft (17 in 12 rounds in 1984 and 12 in 12 rounds in 1982). The previous highs for seven rounds of a draft were 10 in 1984 and nine in 1982.
This draft put a ribbon and bow on a successful 2023 season. Texas finished with a 12-2 record, won the Big 12 Championship, and appeared in the College Football Playoffs. Sarkisian’s draft success can be directly correlated to this team's success on the field this season.
Sarkisian also added a major achievement to his bag last week.
The ability to sell a team-first mindset to Longhorn players.
Let’s be real for a minute.
It is harder to sell a team-first mindset to athletes now than when we were younger.
Most of us grew up in an era when you did everything the coach asked. You never thought about questioning your coach. If you did, you damn sure kept those thoughts to yourself. You only care about being a player that contributes to your team’s success.
That is why you endured two-a-day football practices.
Your coach viewed water from the hose during practice as a reward.
Oklahoma drills were the norm.
The same goes for bull-in-a-ring.
Yes, we understand why those practices were eliminated from football. I am not saying the older generation is tougher than today’s kids. Heck, most players in this generation are bigger and better athletes than the majority of your former teammates and players in your district. Some of you guys who were undersized linemen might struggle to get playing time on some high school teams in this era.
What mattered most was the team.
Achieving that solidarity is tougher for coaches such as Sarkisian.
College football players are going to the highest bidder thanks to NIL. Players are walking into their coach’s office and demanding six-figure salaries. If the salary demand is unmet, that player will hit the transfer portal.
In addition, players are focused on their “brand.” They have a “team” of people who promote them on social media. Their agents help them earn money through NIL. Did I mention the grimy handlers who are basically street agents with social media accounts? Those leaches tell players how great they are with the main goal of getting paid under the table.
That is the current climate of college football.
How do you convince players to buy in when their conceit makes Terrell Owens look like Tim Tebow?
Sarkisian has the formula.
We talked a lot about the high draft picks from Texas.
However, Keilan Robinson was a fifth-round pick by Jacksonville. Jordan Whittington was a sixth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams.
The unique aspect of each Longhorn is they were role players at Texas. Robinson was not a starter. Depending on the day, Robinson may have been the third or fifth option in the backfield. He was a standout on special teams.
Robinson was a role player.
Whittington compiled 1,757 yards and five touchdowns through 40 games at Texas. He had only two 100-yard games during that period (seven receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown against Louisiana in 2021; 10 receptions for 115 yards and against Oklahoma in 2023). Whittington never had the accolades of Xavier Worthy of Adonai Mitchell.
Yes, he was a team leader.
However, Whittington was a role player.
In addition, Roschon Johnson was a backup player at Texas and emerged as a fourth-round pick in the previous draft.
We live in a world where Sarkisian’s backups are viewed as more valuable than the starters on most college football teams.
Based on his draft success, I asked if Sarkisian would be easier for future players to buy into the team-first concept. Everyone wants to be a star, but Sarkisian is proving if players buy in, they can win and find an NFL home.
“Well, it's something that we've been preaching. And fortunately, now I've got some stats to back it up,” Sarkisian said. “Team success is what creates the foundation for individual accolades, honors, and awards. It doesn't work the other way around. Now that I can our players a three-year study on 5-7, seven zero draft picks. 8-5, five draft picks. 12-2, 11 draft picks. It's not a coincidence, the NFL likes to draft players off of winning teams, and winning programs. Just look at the top five teams this past draft, Michigan, Texas, Alabama, Washington, and Florida State. And it was an anomaly this year for Georgia. They had eight guys picked. They didn't have their normal 15 that they have.
“My point is, I think our players are really understanding when you're part of a really good program, it's not always just about the stats. It's about how you can contribute to the team’s success. And then if you can do that, the NFL is going to find those guys on those teams because they want to create that culture and they want to keep their culture of winning and whatever that looks like.”
Imagine the advantage Sarkisian will have.
He can tell every player if they buy into a team-first concept, team and personal success is not far behind. You can run into the portal because some useless handler wants to use you for a payday or compete for a national championship and at worst enter the NFL as an undrafted free agent (i.e. Jett Bush).
Getting players to think team-first is not easy in today’s world of college football.
However, Sarkisian added a major achievement to his bag last week.
“I do think, yes, we've got some great things to point to now along the way from specific players to our own growth as a program to just real stats from the NFL of what's happened in the draft,” Sarkisian said. “There's a lot to lean into there but I think it is advantageous for us.”
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
Bill Bellamy visiting Buc-ee’s for the first time is good comedy
This is for those who were born before the internet
Sorry, Cowboys fans
Who scripted this? (NSFW or the kids)
Fellas, you remember those single days (bad language alert)
Sports On A Dime
1. Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian may feel good about his defensive backs but is not opposed to adding depth to that room. San Jose State Spartans sophomore transfer cornerback Jay'Vion Cole just wrapped up his official visit to Austin and is scheduled to visit Auburn on Tuesday.
2. Steve Sarkisian on developing his players for the upcoming season: “I think balance is critical because we're going to get back to work in June and my goal is that we're playing January 20. That's a long road. The last thing I want is for our team to come out of training camp already tired of football after June, July, and August. We've got to build this thing the right way. We need to stay creative as coaches in all aspects of how we're trying to teach, and how we're trying to get our players to develop. But again, I think development is holistic. We're not just trying to develop the player. We're trying to develop the man. What does that look like from a classroom perspective? What does that look like in the community and how do we serve our community? What does that look like from a leadership standpoint? How do we serve others so on and so forth? So there's a lot that goes into it. Balance is critical, but I think balance is what's going to help us for the long road because you think about starting up in June and playing well into January, that's a long road.”
3. Sarkisian’s response when asked if he calls plays to stay sharp: “I think that's part of it. I enjoy our game. I love college football. I love football in general. I love the art of our game. The art of building a team. The art of strategically trying to gameplan somebody. The art of calling plays in the midst the psychological warfare with the other play-caller on the other side of the ball. There's a lot I think that goes into it. I always wonder when you get hired, I got hired as the offensive coordinator from Alabama and we were pretty good. I would hate to think that I would take away the thing that I probably did best because that is part of the reason I got the job. But I've got a great group around me. Our offensive staff is really, really good. Coach [Kyle] Flood, Coach [AJ] Milwee, Coach [Tashard], Coach [Chris] Jackson, Coach [Jeff] Banks. These guys are some of the best at what they do in all of football. We do a lot of collaborative work, and even on game day with the stuff that we're calling. I’m fortunate to have that group around me. But I'm in no rush to give it up, that's for sure.”
4. Sarkisian on the transfer portal: “When the portal comes, the challenging part is how do you get to know them if you didn't have any prior relationship with them or where they're from? That's probably the biggest thing for us. We're not so hung up on what position a certain player plays or doesn't play. Do we think they can help us on the football field and can they enhance our culture off the field? Again, we're at a point right now where we don't have to take a whole lot of risks because we are we do have a deep roster. We've got a good football team. We've got a great culture and oddly enough when guys don't fit that they kind of stand out.”
5. ICYMI
6. Talk about a rush to judgment
7. Here is a fascinating article by Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger. It might be a matter of time before the NCAA is run like a professional organization.
“The college sports industry is moving closer to the inevitable: a direct athlete-compensation model.
“As industry executives continue to negotiate with plaintiff lawyers in the House antitrust case, details of a future compensation model — a necessary piece to any settlement agreement — continue to emerge. Those who shared details were granted anonymity as they were not authorized to speak about a proposed settlement that continues to undergo changes.
“While negotiations are active and have been for as many as eight months — not a new revelation within the industry — concepts of the proposed new model are becoming more formalized as leaders work to meet a deadline set by attorneys.
“Money figures are becoming clear: For those in the power conferences, the price tag is steep.
“The 10-year settlement agreement could cost each power school as much as $300 million over the decade, or $30 million a year. That figure assumes a school meets what is believed to be: (1) a $17-22 million revenue distribution cap for athletes; (2) at least $2 million in withheld NCAA distribution for back damages; and (3) as much as $10 million in additional scholarship costs related to an expansion of sport-specific roster sizes — a concept previously unpublicized.
“The $30 million price tag, a startling figure for an industry that has only provided athletes with mostly non-cash resources, is about 20% of the average athletic department budget of public schools in the ACC, Big Ten, SEC and Big 12.
“However, as reported earlier this week, the revenue-sharing portion of the new model is “permissive,” meaning schools are not required to reach the cap or share revenue at all. Schools will also have the discretion to expand scholarships, or not, across new roster limits expected to be implemented across all sanctioned sports.”
8. Jaime Munguia’s ability to go 12 rounds with Canelo Alvarez was a win during his loss by unanimous decision. There is no shame in getting dominated by arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the sport.
9. I always knew Ryan Garcia was a clown. However, being a cheater is worse.
10. I wonder if the 15-year-old Mike Tyson knocked out is sharing that story to this day or immediately quit boxing.
Just Being A Dad
Don’t mind me. I am just a proud dad sharing my son’s soccer highlights with sports fans.
