Steve Sarkisian Seemingly Confirms He Is Staying With Texas

According to his post on the social media platform X, it appears that Steve Sarkisian is staying in Austin with the Texas Longhorns
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Since the retirement of Nick Saban on Wednesday, speculation has been swirling regarding who will be the next head coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide

Among the names up for the position are Florida State's Mike Norvell, Washington's Kalen DeBoer, Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin, Oregon's Dan Lanning, and of course, Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian. And to be fair, Sarkisian might have been the best option on the table.

However, per a post on his X account, it appears Sarkisian has confirmed that he will be staying put in Austin - which also likely means an extension is coming as well. 

Steve Sarkisian
SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK

"It's a great day to be a Longhorn," Sarkisian tweeted with a hook 'em horns emoji.

Sarkisian's wife Loreal also followed up with a tweet of her own that simply read "TEXAS" with a hook 'em emoji.

The Texas Football X account then doubled down on that Friday morning with a video post of their own.

We got a hint that this might be the case when Quinn Ewers announced his return to the Longhorns for the 2024 season on Friday - a massive win for the Longhorns in and of itself. 

There were also reports on Friday evening that the Tide were beginning to circle on DeBoer, Norvell, and Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.  Still, Sarkisian was a subject of rumors and speculation around the Tide, given his connection to Saban and his history in Tuscaloosa.

But given everything we have seen thus far, this is the most pointed evidence yet that Sarkisian does indeed intend to stay put with the Longhorns. 

'I'm Coming Back!' Quinn Ewers Announces Return to Texas

And it should go without saying that, should this post mean what we all think it likely means, it is great news for Longhorns fans everywhere.

After all, Sarkisian has resurrected the program from the depths of mediocrity, cleaning house, fixing the culture, and building a long-lasting formula that should be successful for the long haul in Austin. 

It is a formula he learned from Saban himself during his time in Tuscaloosa, and during his stint with Pete Carroll at USC. 

Now - at least it seems - both that culture and Sarkisian are here to stay. 


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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.