Longhorns Steve Sarkisian Snubbed Top 10 Ranking On The Athletic's Top Coaching List

Even after guiding the Texas Longhorns to the College Football Playoff, Steve Sarkisian is not considered one of the top coaches in college football.

Author:
Cole Thompson
Mar 5, 2024 12:39 PM EST

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Texas Longhorns

Steve Sarkisian has made Texas Longhorns football fun again.

For years, college football fans would use the 'Is Texas back?' as a rallying cry of mediocrity when talking of the underwhelming seasons on the Forty Acres under names like Charlie Strong and Tom Herman. No, the Longhorns aren't 'back,' but they're as close to being to the finish line as possible.

That's because of Sarkisian, who didn't change the approach on coaching, but rather on culture in Austin. A year after going 5-7, Texas rebounded to defeat Oklahoma 49-0 in the Red River Showdown before finishing 8-5.

Last season, Texas proved the joke was dead with a Big 12 title for the first time since 2009 and a College Football Playoff berth. And if Quinn Ewers releases his pass to Adonai Mitchell one second sooner, perhaps the Longhorns are being talked about as national champions.

That makes Sarkisian a top-10 coach in the game entering 2024, right? Not according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, who listed the fourth-year Longhorns coach just on the outside looking in at No. 11.

"The former BYU quarterback has really evolved from his earlier days as a coach and made significant strides after his time at Alabama working under Nick Saban. Sarkisian has always been a sharp offensive mind, but he hired a great staff at Texas and dialed in on the things that matter most to winning big in college football. That was really in how disciplined and tough the 2023 Longhorns were. After going 5-7 in Sarkisian’s first year, they went 8-5 and then 12-2, primed to compete for national titles. I suspect he will keep moving up this list." - The Athletic.

There's consistent growth under Sarkisian, who helped revamp a Washington program in the mid-2000s from being the laughing stock of the then-Pac 10 into a serviceable program with bowl hopes. The attention to development has been uncanny, too.

Strong and Herman, who were expected to be "can't-miss" hires, continued to land four- and five-star talent on the regular. Adding premier prospects at the state's flagship program has never been a program.

Development, however, has. Former Doak Walker Award winner Bijan Robinson ended an eight-year drought of Longhorns not being drafted in the first round last April. This season, at least four Texas players have garnered first-round interest.

With Sarkisian, it's a body of work, however. In Seattle, he never totaled more than eight wins. In his brief time at USC, Sark finished 12-6 and was 3-2 at the time of his dismissal.

Feldman believes Sarkisian could be one of the biggest risers moving forward, especially as the Longhorns transition from life in the Big 12 to time in the SEC. He'll have stiff competition for the top spot as three coaches currently rank ahead in the polls.

Georgia's Kirby Smart took the top spot following the retirement of Nick Saban. Kalen DeBoer, who replaced Saban following his national championship run with Washington last season, was listed as No. 4. LSU's Brian Kelly rounded out the trio at No. 6.

Other staples, including Clemson's Dabo Swinney (No. 2), Ohio State's Ryan Day (No. 5) Utah's Kyle Whittingham (No. 8) and USC's Lincoln Riley (No. 9) all made the top 10. Florida State's Mike Norvell was one of the biggest risers, jumping 21 spots up to No. 10 after guiding the Seminoles to an undefeated regular season.

What was the list's biggest surprise? Kansas' Lance Liepold cleared everyone, falling in line at No. 3 behind Smart and Swinney. There's reason for the selection. Good ones, too. The Jayhawks were considered the bottom-dwellers of all FBS programs, having finished with two winless seasons since their last bowl game in 2008.