Big 12 Media Days: Texas is... Different Under Steve Sarkisian
ARLINGTON, TX — The vibe around the Texas Longhorns certainly was different on Thursday afternoon inside AT&T Stadium.
Gone were the days of Tom Herman trying to prove he was the smartest guy in the room.
New head coach Steve Sarkisian, decked out in his slick suit, burnt orange tie, gold Longhorn pin and all white canvas shoes, certainly looked the part of the man calling the shots in Austin.
But everything else about him was understated.
He didn’t have a massive entourage, yet he mostly kept to his people.
Sarkisian was a few minutes late to every major press responsibility, but when he arrived he was calm and measured.
While he acknowledged the expectations at Texas and the high caliber talent he inherited as a part of the Longhorns’ always plentiful recruiting hauls, he seemed to deflect the attention elsewhere.
Instead, he preached achieving a base level of consistency, and players buying into playing as a team.
“I’ve coached in four national championship games now in my career. Won two and lost two. And the reality of it is the best teams I've been part of were really competitive, played for one another and were "teams". It wasn't a group of really good individuals; they played as a team,” he said during his initial press conference on the podium at Big 12 Media Days. “I think ultimately that's what we're trying to instill in our players, is we've got a lot of talented individuals and ultimately we're building a team.”
The whole being greater than the sum of the parts is what has been come to expect out of the Iowa State’s and the Kansas State’s of the world, but that’s not a mantra that would have ever been associated with Texas — at least not in the Big 12 era.
Sarkisian wasn’t focused on building to beat Oklahoma or desperately striving to get back to the Big 12 Championship game. All he wants is a steady product.
“The best teams that win at a high level, that win big games, understand the consistency needed on a daily basis to push one another as like-minded individuals to drive for more and more,” he said, “but ultimately execute at the critical moments and that the moment doesn't ever become too big.
“So whether it's playing OU or in a national championship or a Big 12 Championship, whatever that may be, the bigger the game really shouldn't matter to us because that's just who we are on a daily basis. That's what we're trying to instill in our team.”
Maybe Sarkisian was just putting on a cheap Nick Saban impression for the cameras, but he swore off all the frills of life on the Forty Acres.
“At the end of the day teams win championships,” he said. “Locker rooms, facilities don't win championships. Big stadiums don't win championships. Bright lights don't win championships. Recruiting rankings don't win championships.”
Perhaps Saban showed Sarkisian the way.
Texas is his third stop as a head coach after stints at Washington and USC.
Sarkisian was able to help rebuild the Huskies a bit, but things came crashing down for him in Los Angles — another place that enjoys the glitz and glamour, and is one of college football’s most privileged programs.
Or maybe Sarkisian is what he is, a gifted offensive coordinator when he has overwhelming talent, and an above average head coach.
“I know everybody here wants to name a national championship on signing day to whoever got the most four and five stars. You don't get a ring for that,” Sarkisian said. “You get a ring for winning games, for winning tough games in November and December.”
As with any coach at Texas, the clock is officially ticking on Sarkisian. Hopefully for his sake, he figures out he needs to win that game in October as well to put the Longhorns back in the championship picture.
