Steve Sarkisian Focus On Big 12 Success Over Longhorns SEC Future

Steve Sarkisian's attention is all on the Big 12 for the upcoming season.

Steve Sarkisian knows conversations around Texas football are more so about the impending move to the Southeastern Conference. For now, his focus is on winning the Big 12 in 2023. 

“We’re still in the Big 12,” Sarkisian said Wednesday during an appearance at the Touchdown Club of Houston. “I know everybody wants to talk about the SEC and 2024 and what our schedule looks like in ’24 … that’s ’24. We’re in 2023 and we’re in the Big 12. And last time I checked, the year we left the Southwest Conference we won a conference championship.”

Texas and Oklahoma headline next offseason as the two powerhouse programs will depart the Big 12 for a chance to compete in the SEC. Originally expected to occur following the 2024 school athletic year, the two programs reached an agreement with new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark to break their media rights contract and a year early and join the conference known for the "it just means more" slogan beginning on July 1, 2024. 

The Longhorns still play in the Big 12 for another year, meaning their aspirations of winning a conference title and playing for a College Football Playoff berth reside in a different conference. Texas is an early betting favorite to win the conference, with many projecting the first 10-win season since 2018. 

Entering its final year in the Big 12, Texas should feel content about its status as a legitimate contender. The quarterback position feels stable with Quinn Ewers commanding the role after mixed results in 2022. Offensively, the Longhorns might have lost both Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson to the NFL draft, but still feature a cast of talented weapons, including receivers Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington, along with tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders. 

Texas also added former Georgia standout receiver A.D. Mitchell via the transfer portal, and five-star prospect Johntay Cook as part of its recent recruiting cycle. The Longhorns will also return former All-Mountain West receiver Isaiah Neyor, who suffered a torn ACL prior to the start of the regular season. 

Ewers, who started 10 games last season after transferring from Ohio State, remains the key to Texas' success, but Sarkisian feels positive of the overall room entering the year. The third-year Longhorns coach confirmed that Ewers is expected to start Week 1 against Rice on Sept. 2, but all eyes are fixated on the Week 2 road trip to Tuscaloosa against Alabama. 

“Barring something crazy happening Quinn (Ewers) will be our starting quarterback this fall,” Sarkisian said. “I feel very good about the progress that he’s made but, again, that doesn’t mean that these other guys aren’t going to push him to the brink to say, ‘I’m going to try and take that job.’"

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