Steve Sarkisian Took Lessons From Former Mentors to Get Texas SEC Ready

Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian has been working on SEC-readiness since the news of the move broke out in 2022.

Texas Longhorns Head Coach Steve Sarkisian speaks to the team following the Longhorns' spring Orange and White game at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, April 20, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA

Texas Longhorns football head coach Steve Sarkisian can be expected to show up at the SEC welcome festivities wearing a polo with a Longhorn on it and maybe some shorts. No formalities.

With the Longhorns officially joining the Southeastern Conference on July 1, Sarkisian talked with Greg McElroy on Always College Football about preparing his roster for this transition and the changes he implemented since hearing the move news two years ago.

"I think structurally when we first got here it was about 'What time of team do we wanna build? What type of roster do we wanna build?' Sarkisian said. "I think naturally when you just look at the history of the College Football Playoff over the last decade or so, you have to think you gotta beat the best team in the SEC, probably the two best teams in the SEC, because they're more than likely gonna be in the playoff, so what does that look like?"

For Texas, that looked like getting bigger, more physical up front offensively and defensively, working on perimeter speed and playmaking ability on both sides of the ball, and above all being athletic enough in the middle of the defense with its running backs, linebackers and safeties.

"When it was 'Hey, we're moving to the SEC' the biggest thing was we have to have enough depth," Sarkisian said. "Having spent time in the SEC, that's the biggest challenge, week in and week out of playing those types of games."

Being a former assistant coach to Nick Saban at Alabama and Pete Caroll at USC, Sarkisian takes the teachings of his mentors and applies it to his Texas team.

"(Saban and Caroll) are two defensively minded coaches," Sarkisian said. "The mentality that you have to have defensively to be really successful for a long period of time, so I think a lot of people have see me and they assume I'm just a quarterback guy who wants to throw the ball all over the place. We believe in playing big defense and physical brand of football."

Texas will have its SEC debut against Mississippi State on Sept. 28 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.