The Texas Longhorns are once again at the epicenter of the college football world under the leadership of Steve Sarkisian.
Texas stands at number one in the AP Poll following a dramatic 24-23 comeback victory over Ohio State. The Longhorns’ standing matches what the program pours out in NIL, at least according to Stewart Mandel, David Ubben, and Sam Khan Jr. (The Athletic).
The trio of reporters estimate that the Longhorns are one of the top three priciest rosters in the FBS, with a range of $45-55 million being the ultimate price tag.
Read more on Sarkisian’s comments surrounding the story below.
Sarkisian Makes Statement on NIL Story
The 52-year-old head coach simply called the claims by The Athletic “inaccurate” (CJ Vogel, OnTexasFootball).
This is certainly a fascinating conversation to have, as there is something of a correlation between higher-profile programs benefitting from the NIL era in comparison to others. Even without a concrete figure on roster cost, the implication is that the well off are even more well off now.
This might be the case with Sarkisian’s Longhorn program as well. Texas is fresh off of bringing in pricey transfers (RB Raleek Brown, WR Cam Coleman). This is on top of retaining stars such as QB Arch Manning and EDGE Colin Simmons. The Longhorns have to have an expansive budget NIL-wise to satisfy this conglomerate of star talent.
Regardless, Sarkisian has become the coach most readily able to handle expectations in Austin. The predecessors in Charlie Strong and Tom Herman simply didn’t translate to the program properly, and ultimately underwhelmed in their respective tenures. Now, the Longhorns are once again a yearly top-10 team and perennial title contender.
Challenges still remain for the Longhorns in the weeks ahead, however.
Texas Faces Pressure to Win Now
While Texas seems to be an annual contender once again, the program faces pressure to win a title in 2026.
There is a high chance that Manning, Coleman, and Simmons all move to the NFL level following the season. This is the best chance yet for the Longhorns to put everything together under Sarkisian, which creates pressure to capitalize on elite recruiting.
The win over Ohio State creates a buffer zone to survive a small handful of losses in the quest to reach the College Football Playoff. They are still playing some of the other priciest rosters in FBS along the way. This includes Tennessee, LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M.
Despite the excruciating schedule, the Longhorns and Sarkisian should be able to come out victorious in at least two of these matchups. The opportunity is there for Texas, as is the pressure. This sets the stage for one of the most intriguing seasons in the history of the Longhorns.
Texas is taking on in-state rival UTSA in the final ramp-up before SEC play this Saturday. This matchup is a final opportunity to assert dominance heading into a brutal conference schedule. The runway coming off of this contest is short, as a visit to Tennessee opens the conference slate.
Steve Sarkisian Denies Texas Has an Inflated NIL Budget