Steve Sarkisian Makes It Clear Where He Stands on Play-Calling Duties

It's no secret to anyone that follows the Texas Longhorns what the team's main problem at this point in time is: it's the offense.

Through seven games, the Longhorns' offense has not only underachieved dramatically compared to preseason expectations, but looked like one of the least effective in the SEC. Arch Manning has largely disappointed, the offensive line has been atrocious and the run game has been stuck in neutral far too often. Again, considering preseason expectations, it's honestly quite shocking to see the offense struggling this much.

Saturday's 16-13 overtime win over Kentucky, one of the worst teams in the SEC, only reinforced just how much work this offense needs. From a coaching standpoint, however, it doesn't seem like big changes are on the way.

Steve Sarkisian to Continue Calling Plays

Oct 18, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is interviewed by the media after the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

During Monday's press conference, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed that he will remain the team's offensive play caller going forward, citing his background as reason for the decision.

“No, because that’s why I got hired,” Sarkisian told reporters. “I was a really good offensive coordinator. I believe in what we’re able to do. Every year, we have to continually evolve. There’s going to be years where we’re better on offense than we our on defense. There’s going to be years where we’re better on defense than we our on offense.

“It’s like, if I was the best outside sales guy and I had a start-up company, surely I’m going to go to the sales meetings if I’m trying to sell something. If that’s one of your strengths — I’m always going to tap in to the strengths that I have. Being a play-caller on offense is one of my strengths. Some may disagree, and that’s okay.”

Sarkisian is clearly aware that there's a problem with the play-calling, as he took responsibility for it after the Kentucky game.

"Clearly, I'm not calling enough stuff for our guys to feel good about what we're doing," Sarkisian told reporters. "But at the end of the day, it's like we can have high-scoring games, and I could air it out and lose. So if our style of game and our style of play is we're going to play hard-nosed football, and we're gonna play great on defense and great on special teams, we need to be more efficient on offense with the opportunities that we get.

"That's what we need to do offensively. We've got to minimize the self-inflicted wounds and become more efficient. And we just weren't efficient enough tonight."

The offensive line seems to be the biggest issue, as Manning has been under durress far too often this season. If that's the case, though, then Sarkisian has to call plays to take the pressure off his quarterback, and he could be doing a far better job of that.