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Steve Sarkisian, the pinnacle coach, has confirmed himself as among the finest in faculty soccer whereas rebuilding Texas right into a nationwide energy. The Longhorns are the one workforce to achieve the nationwide semifinals prior to now two seasons and are months faraway from inking the primary No. 1 recruiting class in program historical past.
Steve Sarkisian, the offensive coordinator? It is time for a change. Now we have seen sufficient from Texas after three weeks to confidently say it now: On the finish of this season, Sarkisian should give up the offensive controls.
Sark received the Texas job after placing collectively a few of the greatest offenses within the sport at Alabama. The talent has been hidden this 12 months, however he’s nonetheless amongst greatest play designers within the sport, constantly pushing the envelope. On the similar time, Texas unit has slowly grown stale as Sarkisian has remained as the first play-caller (Texas permits OL coach Kyle Flood the title of OC for aggressive pay functions, however the operation is absolutely Sark’s).
“I really feel very assured and comfy doing these issues,” Sarkisian mentioned in March of retaining playcalling. “And if that day ever comes once I do not, my ego isn’t too massive to the place I would not be capable to go that off. However as of at the moment, I really feel very snug doing these issues.”
Final season, a few of the cracks began to kind in massive spots. Georgia went up 23-0 in opposition to Texas in Austin, regardless of the protection forcing turnovers on two of the primary three possessions. Then within the season-ending loss to Ohio State within the Cotton Bowl, Texas was held scoreless for the primary 29 minutes in a 28-14 efficiency. Sark’s ill-fated goal-line resolution price his workforce any likelihood at tying the sport.
In 2025, although, issues have actually began to tank. First-year beginning quarterback Arch Manning was held to 38 yards and an interception via the primary three quarters of a 14-7 loss to Ohio State, the primary sport that Texas ever performed as a preseason No. 1 workforce.
Saturday in opposition to lowly UTEP, Manning was held accomplished 5 of 16 passes within the first half. He completed a ghastly 11 of 25 for 114 yards. For comparability, UT-Martin threw for 295 yards on the Miners per week earlier. Texas scored solely 14 factors within the half, each touchdowns coming in opposition to quick fields. Utah State recorded first-half 20 factors in opposition to the identical protection.
Even the superior numbers again up that this isn’t a scary Texas offense. In 2023, Texas ranked No. 6 in offensive SP+. Final 12 months, the Longhorns slipped to No. 13. Earlier than the UTEP sport, Texas sat all the way in which at No. 45, surrounded by Syracuse and Colorado. The signature of Sarkisian, his offense, threatens to waste yet one more elite Texas protection.
Manning’s weird struggles deservedly get nearly all of the headlines, however Texas has main issues in all places. The offensive line beneath Flood, the nominal offensive coordinator, has been wildly inconsistent. Of a vaunted 2022 recruiting class made well-known by Texas’ intelligent NIL workaround, Kelvin Banks might have been the one true hit. The receiver room has been vastly underwhelming. The operating again expertise is sweet, however accidents have decimated the group for 2 straight years.
Out of the six offensive assistant coaches at Texas, 4 of them have been with Sarkisian since he arrived in 2021, occurring 5 years. Stability is efficacious. It might additionally flip into complacency.
Let’s be clear, this is not a dialog about Sarkisian’s aptitude for designing or calling performs. He is one of many brightest offensive coaches within the sport. However on this period of seemingly infinite head teaching duties, being a major playcaller has slowly change into a legal responsibility.
“If you’re simply calling performs, it is a fully completely different deal than calling performs and making an attempt to handle a sport,” Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn informed CBS Sports activities’ Brandon Marcello. “You have got an entire lot extra time in between collection, and now that you could take a look at the video and sit down along with your quarterback, you’ve gotten much more time to consider the following collection and what they’re doing and what you must do.”
Maybe that is why Texas is understood for its distinctive scripted drives beneath Sarkisian (or it was, although this 12 months has not yielded any first-drive fruit). As soon as the sport will get going, the Longhorns have tended to falter.
Wanting round faculty soccer, the times of playcalling head coaches on the largest levels are coming to a detailed. The final playcaller to win a nationwide championship as a head coach was Jimbo Fisher at Florida State in 2013. There has not been a single playcalling head coach to win the nationwide championship within the School Soccer Playoff period.
The most effective instance of the shift, paradoxically, includes Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who bested the Longhorns within the season opener. Final season, he spent massive cash to reel in mentor Chip Kelly to run the offense. The change helped arrange a nationwide championship season. When Kelly left for the NFL, as a substitute of retaking playcalling, Day gave extensive receivers coach Brian Hartline the keys.
It is also somewhat completely different when assets change into a problem. For instance, UTEP’s Scotty Walden calls performs. The hole between him and the next-best playcaller they may rent might be fairly extensive. That is not the case at Texas. The Longhorns have infinite assets to rent any handpicked offensive thoughts that Sarkisian may ever need.
An outdoor offensive coordinator may even add to Sarkisian’s brilliance. Day is without doubt one of the greatest go sport schemers within the sport. Kelly revolutionized the operating sport. The braintrust helped create one of the crucial potent offenses of the previous 5 years.
It isn’t nearly calling the performs on gameday. It is having somebody within the group who’s allowed to consider the excellent state of the offense always. It is an excessive amount of for a head coach on this period. And with so lots of “Sark’s guys” within the constructing who’ve adopted since his Alabama days, it is time to hear new voices.
Sarkisian has constructed a monstrous group at Texas, one able to successful a nationwide championship within the coming years. He has mentioned many occasions he is obsessive about doing so. To succeed in the last word stage, it is time to herald an actual offensive coordinator.
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