Texas Longhorns Coach Steve Sarkisian Already In Running for an Award

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian already finds himself as a candidate for award.

The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl inc., released their annual preseason watch list spotlighting 20 head coaches for the Dodd Trophy.

This is the fourth straight season that Sarkisian finds himself on the preseason watch list for the “most coveted” award given to head coaches that “enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd's coaching philosophy,” per the release.

The Texas head coach is one of six SEC coaches on this year’s list. The others include Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, and Oklahoma’s Brent Venables.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian walks off the field after a timeout against Michigan during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, September 7, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Dodd Trophy Watchlist

As for other notable coaches on the list include:

Curt Cignetti - Indiana
Mario Cristobal - Miami
Ryan Day - Ohio State
Marcus Freeman - Notre Dame
Lincoln Riley - USC
Kirk Ferentz - Iowa
Dan Lanning - Oregon

Cignetti, Freeman, and Ferentz are all previous winners of the award. Day and Smart, meanwhile, are previous finalists.

As Texas enters the upcoming season once again with preseason hype that could see it start the season ranked No. 1, Sarkisian is preparing for a campaign that could net him the award.

It was last season that Cignetti won the award on his way to leading the Hoosiers to a national championship after being a first-round exit in the College Football Playoff the year before. Meanwhile, Freeman won it in 2024, guiding the Fighting Irish to the national championship game after suffering the shocking early season upset to Northern Illinois.

After going from the preseason No. 1 team to missing out on the playoff entirely with a three-loss regular season. The Longhorns would provide Sarkisian with a similar storyline that boosted previous winners.

Sarkisian and Co., reloaded this offseason after another six Longhorns were selected in the NFL Draft. Texas finished the offseason with top-10 classes for both their high school and transfer portal classes.

Some of the top-ranked additions include wide receiver Cam Coleman, linebacker Rasheem Biles, running backs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown, among others.

If Sarkisian can get the Longhorns back in the playoff, it would be the program’s third appearance in four years.

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