Where Steve Sarkisian Ranks Among the Top College Football Head Coaches

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian was in the bottom half of the head coach rankings list from Joel Klatt

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian reacts as he heads to the locker room after his team's loss to Ohio State in the 2025 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. | Sara Diggins / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns are one of the pinnacle programs in college football. With their historic success, national brand, and ever-growing fan base, the Forty Acres is one of the best places to be.

With head coach Steve Sarkisian at the helm, the Longhorns have returned to being one of the best programs in the sport, despite still being in search of their first national championship in over 20 years.

For Sarkisian, though, Joel Klatt doesn't believe he is among the top five coaches in college football, ranking him sixth on the list, with multiple choices ahead of him, according to his list on the Joel Klatt Show.

Higher or Lower?

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on during warm ups prior to the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Longhorns were in a bit of disarray before Sarkisian arrived in Austin, trying to return to their glory days and prove that the past decade or two was just a dark period rather than their new identity. Under their new identity, they proved that they could deliver consistent top-10 recruiting classes, back-to-back trips to the College Football Playoff, and a transition into the toughest conference in college football.

"In one respect, I'd like to put Sarkisian higher, but in another respect, I think you could argue he could be lower than this," Klatt said of his ranking. "So I thought this was a good middle ground."

Sarkisian came in at sixth, right behind Marcus Freeman from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and just ahead of the new Michigan Wolverines head coach, Kyle Whittingham. The other four coaches in front of him include three with national championships: Curt Cignetti, Ryan Day, and Kirby Smart, with Dan Lanning coming in at the number four spot.

"Steve [Sarkisian] comes in there, and he has solidified Texas," Klatt went on about his placement of the Longhorns' head coach. "I think he's one of the great game planners in college football. I think he's one of the great play-callers in college football. You could make an argument that he may need to give up play-calling at some point."

No college coach who has also called plays has won a national championship since the College Football Playoff began. Klatt even uses Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day as an example: after moving away from play-calling, the Buckeyes won the 2024 national championship.

Sarkisian has amassed a 48-20 record since taking over as the Longhorns' head coach in 2021 and, while still in search of the national championship trophy, has brought the Longhorns back to relevance in a big way. If 2026 is the year for Sarkisian and the Longhorns, he could find himself flying up Klatt's list before next season.