Texas Longhorns and Steve Sarkisian Agree To Contract Extension

The Texas Longhorns head coach led Texas to their best season in over a decade, and has the Longhorns poised to be one of college football's powers again.

Amid what was one of the biggest stories in the history of college football, which was Alabama's head coach Nick Saban retiring, the Texas Longhorns took action.

To ensure that head coach Steve Sarkisian stays happy, and more importantly, stays in Austin, he and the program officially agreed on a four-year contract extension on Saturday according to a release by the program. 

This was a move that was reported as a possibility not too long ago following comments made by athletic director Chris Del Conte, who hinted at Sarkisian being up for a contract extension.

Steve Sarkisian and Nick Saban talk before a game / © Scott Wachter, USA TODAY

Before his extension, Sarkisian's salary ranked came in at No. 30 in the country according to  USA TODAY's coaching salary database. 

Sarkisian was reportedly making $5.6 million which was less than coaches like Kansas' Lance Leipold, Pitt's Pat Narduzzi, UCLA's Chip Kelly, and Minnesota's P.J. Fleck. While the number isn't public just yet, the Texas head coach is likely near the top of all of college football.

After an over-decade-long struggle, the Longhorns finally returned to prominence under Sarkisian. He not only assembled back-to-back top-3 recruiting classes, revamped what appeared to be a pretty rotten culture, but also led the Longhorns to a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff appearance. 

Legendary Alabama Coach Nick Saban To Retire

Their 12-2 record was their best since Mack Brown was gracing the sidelines, and former star quarterback Colt McCoy was slinging the rock around.

Keeping Sarkisian around is not only massive for the present, but it's even more important as the Longhorns look to navigate their move to the SEC.