Why Trust Steve Sarkisian At Texas? Players Weigh In On First-Year Coach
Why trust Steve Sarkisian?
Who would have thought that would be a question asked six months into his hiring.
It's not a question anymore. It's a reality, and one Texas fans across the nation are asking internally when looking at the state of the program entering mid-November.
Why trust Sark? Why believe that he is the right guy? It's a message Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte will need to answer to ease the disgruntled fan base of the flagship.
“Trust me, we're so disappointed and frustrated, too, but no one is more upset than Coach Sark and the team,” Del Conte wrote in his weekly Forty Acres Insider newsletter. “Coach Sark knew when he took the job that it's not always going to be smooth sailing, that there would be bumps in the road and — at times — choppy waters that he has to navigate through. None of us expected what we're up against now, but that's why we hired him and a tremendous staff to allow us to build a foundation for long-term success.”
The Longhorns (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) are now on a five-game losing streak. Sure, a loss to Oklahoma and even a surging Oklahoma State team could keep the pitchforks at bay.
An overtime loss to end Kansas' 13-year road conference losing streak only sharpens the ends without a second thought.
That's where Texas football is as a program. Even with the success seen in Tuscaloosa, Sarkisian is entering dangerous territory that Charlie Strong found himself in back in 2014.
And 2015.
And 2016.
Seven losses in a season. Falling to West Virginia or Kansas State would push the Horns over that edge for the first time since Strong's departure.
Wasn't Sarkisian supposed to be an upgrade over Tom Herman? His six-year contract would suffice that notion.
Actions don't speak louder than words in college football. Wins do. Part of the season Herman was let go was due to his inability to win the "big" game. Sarkisian is struggling to win the second half.
Why trust Sark? Fans don't have to until the results unfold at the end of games. Players, however, still are buying into the culture the first-year head coach is trying to set.
"Since they've gotten here, they've preached the right mindset amongst all the players," running back Roschon Johnson said Tuesday. "It's just a matter of us buying in and executing what they set out for us to do."
"All the guys are still excited to see where coach Sark is headed and taking this program," defensive back Anthony Cook echoed. "We're doing everything right off the field and everything right on the field. We're working hard to fix some of our mistakes.."
On the field, Texas has work to do make sure everything is "right." In four of their last five games, the Horns entered halftime with a lead, only to watch it shrivel by the final minutes. The defense continues to allow too many big plays, primarily against the run and across the middle of the field.
Off the field, things could be better. How much better? Try maybe not filming a coach giving nearly 100 20-year-olds an earful about leaving the Forty Acres if they choose to lay down and take a beating like the one that unfolded in Ames against Iowa State.
Bo Davis understands what it means to represent Texas. Do the players?
“You’d have to ask them that question," Sarkisian said postgame Saturday if his team is still buying into the season. "I feel good about our messaging. I think we’ve got great leaders on the team, but you’d have to ask them that question.”
Texas is in Year 1 of the Sarkisian era. Giving up now might be warranted following the loss to the Jayhawks, but much like the Herman situation, Del Conte better have his replacement signed, sealed, and delivered.
Sarkisian was approached about the Texas opening while Herman still was the head coach. During that time, the Alabama offensive coordinator was prepping Mac Jones, Najee Harris, and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith to play for a national title against Ohio State.
Hours after the school announced Herman was fired, Sarkisian was named the next head coach. Before newspapers and blogs could come out with their "top wish list" for Hook'Em to go after, Del Conte had his man ready to bring the "All Gas No Breaks" motto.
Unless the ink has dried for another coach to head to Austin, pump the brakes on Sarkisian leaving.
Unlike Nebraska with Scott Frost or Florida with Dan Mullen, Texas has barely allowed the coach to dip his toes in the recruiting water. He's yet to have a full recruiting cycle and has dealt with a fair share of injuries are prime positions such as offensive line and wide receiver.
Pull the plug now? And for who? With over a dozen FBS jobs opening (and counting) where do the Longhorns go next?
Nick Saban at Alabama turned them down, why wouldn't anyone else?
So long as Sarkisian has yet to lose the locker room, Del Conte will give him time. Trusting the transfer portal has worked for some teams in recent years for those who struggle in Year 1.
Is that a path Sark should look into? It worked for Mel Tucker at Michigan State. Last season, the Spartans were 2-5. One year and 15 transfers later, Tucker is 9-1 with a Heisman-caliber running back and a chance to make the College Football Playoffs.
"I could see us with 33 new players on the team by next fall,” Sarkisian said Monday. “So more than a third of the roster will be new. That’s the nature of the business we’re in now.”
Cook and Johnson are revered by many on the roster as leaders both on the field and on the sidelines. Perhaps they are a mouthpiece for the remainder of the roster.
Why trust Sarkisian? Because Texas must at this point.
At least for one more season.
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