Arkansas Presents A Massive Opportunity for Texas in More Ways Than One

After weeks away from Austin, the Texas Longhorns' head coach believes they need to make the most of their final two home games.

Nov 15, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and team gesture after the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

During a midweek Zoom meeting with the media, head coach Steve Sarkisian discussed how important the next two weeks will be for No. 17-ranked Texas Longhorns' recruiting efforts.

With only two home games left and the December signing period fast approaching, the head coach of the Longhorns stressed the importance of capitalizing on the few major recruiting chances the program has in the final stretch of the 2025-26 season.

This Saturday's matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks will be the first home game the Longhorns have had in three weeks. With many high school recruits in the middle of playoffs, Sarkisian added that finding chances to recruit at the high school level becomes more difficult as the season goes on.

Sarkisian on Maximizing Late-Season Recruiting Opportunities

Nov 15, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on in the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

College football analyst Joel Klatt has often voiced his concerns about the college football calendar and Sarkisian's comments from earlier in the week echoed some of those same issues. Because Texas hasn't played a home game in three weeks, the head coach believes that the Longhorns are going to have to take advantage of having two rivalry games to end the season.

“We really have to maximize this weekend,” Sarkisian said. “We didn’t have a home game since September 20, and then our first game back in DKR was an 11 a.m. kickoff the day after Halloween. It’s very difficult for high school kids, especially if they’re not within about a three-hour radius, to drive down.”

“We just didn’t get a great hand dealt to us with our schedule from a recruiting standpoint,” he said. “So we really have to maximize Saturday with the 2:30 kick.”

When Arkansas comes to Austin on Saturday, a variety of potential commits—including commits to other SEC schools—will be at DKR. According to Horns247, Texas will be hosting almost 30 high school athletes this weekend.

Sarkisian briefly mentioned the unfortunate game time for their matchup against Texas A&M next Friday. With kickoff set for 5:30 p.m., many high school athletes—including many Texas recruits—will be preoccupied with high school playoffs.

The head coach also spoke briefly about the program's recruiting plans after the season comes to a close.

"When the regular season is done, then we'll assess the roster and the portal," Sarkisian said. "Here’s our current roster. Where do we think our needs are? And then we'll try to figure out what we need, position specific, and what style of player fits."

Despite the scheduling challenges late in the season, Sarkisian seemed confident that Texas could the recruiting cycle on a high note. With the Longhorns' history of landing high-caliber recruits in the past, Sarkisian likely sees the next two weeks as prime opportunities to strengthen a top-10 2026 recruiting class.