Paul Finebaum Oddly Questions Steve Sarkisian's Intentions

It is no secret that the Texas Longhorns have struggled to meet the high expectations set for them going into the season.

With the Longhorns’ past success and recent job openings at both the college and professional level, it is not surprising that head coach Steve Sarkisian’s name has been mentioned in rumors surrounding other positions. After letting the rumors circulate a bit online, Sarkisian responded and reiterated his commitment to Texas.

On a recent episode of the Paul Finebaum Show, Paul Finebaum questioned the sincerity and motive behind Sarkisian’s comments.

Paul Finebaum’s Comments

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on in the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

"I'd like to comment on something before I get into our team, something that has been bothering me now over the past few weeks, and that is people reporting or insinuating that there's a possibility I could leave the University of Texas, and that is absolutely false and untrue," Sarkisian said during Wednesday’s SEC Teleconference. "I'm not going anywhere."

One of the most notable conversations surrounding Sarkisian's leaving Texas came after the Tennessee Titans fired their head coach, Brian Callahan, earlier this season, which was later exaggerated this week - likely without any basis - by Desmond Howard.

Sarkisian was quick to dismiss any report of him being in contact with the team.

Happy Monday AM! A lil sumthin sumthin you can only get here.#justmythoughts pic.twitter.com/sXy9neKUhD
— Desmond Howard (@DesmondHoward) November 17, 2025

“Did someone ask him, ‘Are you leaving to go to the Titans?’ Because I thought we handled that about three weeks ago,” Finebaum said. “So now, apparently, Desmond Howard, the bastion of everything that’s right with sports media and journalism, tweeted something about him, so he felt compelled to respond?”

To be fair to Sarkisian, it has to be extremely frustrating to constantly be fielding questions about your future, or to be the center of unwarranted speculation contstantly.

Of course, that comes with the territory of being an elite head coach. But when things get magnetized by another public figure like Howard, who has a large platform but no serious journalistic background or legitimate sourcing, things can start to get out of hand fast.

And the last thing that Sarkisian needs, especially this season, is for that to become a distraction to his team, or cause issues with the prospects he is recruiting.

Yet for some reason, Finebaum doesn't understand that.

“I don’t know what is going on with Sark,” Finebaum said. “One of the most engaging people I’ve ever met in college football. But lately, he has just been, well, so defensive. Could be, maybe, that he’s having a terrible season and is trying to deflect.”

Sarkisian’s statement is meant to give Texas fans peace of mind regarding their head coach heading into the final stretch of the season. But it's also meant to fend off any potential negative recruiting or tampering going on with his current players.

And the fact that Finebaum doesn't understand that, is odd.