Steve Sarkisian Opens Up About NFL Interest After Playoff Run

Steve Sarkisian was rumored to be on the short list for a few NFL teams this offseason.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian leads warm ups prior to the Cotton Bowl Classic in the College Football Playoff | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian has brought Texas back to the top of the power structure in college football.

As a result of that success, it was natural that he was going to receive interest from the NFL level as a head coach.

However, as he explained to the media on Monday, he never truly considered leaving Austin for the NFL in any capacity, in large part, due to his commitment to the goals he set when he was hired in 2021.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns celebrate their 39-31 overtime win over Arizona State | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I didn’t come here to put on a hat to say I’m a head coach again,” Sarkisian said Monday. “It was a long journey to get back to this seat. But I came here... I was very clear in my opening press conference and I’ve been very clear along the way... to win championships. We’ve got a lot of unfinished business. I wasn’t entertaining anything that was beyond making sure I had a really good job here, and I could solidify the job here, and I could hire the best people I could here, and I could recruit the best players I could here to go try to do that. I’m proud of the work we’ve done.”

Sarkisian has come close to earning that championship in two-straight seasons, winning a Big 12 title in 2023, losing a heartbreaker in the SEC Championship last season, and making two-straight College Football Playoff semi-final appearances, earning himself an extension in the process.

Now, his team is a favorite to be the No. 1 team in the country heading into the 2025 season.

Depsite all that, Sarkisian believes there is still so much to accomplish in Austin, and there is a lot of work to do in the coming weeks, months and years, as the head coach of the Longhorns.

“The mission is not complete,” Sarkisian said. “I didn’t ever want to be a program that was a one-hit wonder that was able to do it one year and then fall off. I think we’ve built this thing in a way where we’re consistently growing… We’re not done yet. We’ve got plenty of work to do. Looking forward to the opportunities as they come to us in the near future.”

That work will start once again later this month when the Longhorns start spring football, as they prepare for their Week 1 matchup this August against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus.

Join the Community:

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE

You can follow us for future coverage by subscribing to our newsletter here. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @LonghornsCountryOnSI & follow us on Twitter at @LonghornsSI