Steve Sarkisian recalls what he thought Texas needed to compete in the SEC

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t begin preparing the Longhorns for a move to the SEC this offseason. He began when he took over the program in 2021. In an interview with ESPN’s Greg McElroy, Sarkisian revealed how he readied his program for the conference change.

“When we first got here it was about ‘What type of team do we wanna build? What type of roster do we wanna build?'” Sarkisian said. “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?

“We needed to get bigger and more physical upfront on line of scrimmage, offensively and defensively. We had to make sure that we had enough speed on the perimeter and playmaking ability on the perimeter on both sides of the ball. And then, we had to make sure that we were athletic enough down the middle of our defense.”

Sarkisian’s plan came to fruition last season when Texas defeated No. 3 Alabama 34-24 in Week 2, proving the Longhorns could hang with the SEC’s cream of the crop. Texas didn’t stop there, posting a 12-2 record and making its first appearance in the College Football Playoff.

The Longhorns can’t slow down in the 2024 campaign. The Longhorns have a grueling schedule ahead of them, with matchups against Oklahoma, Georgia and Texas A&M in conference play. Not to mention, Texas will square off against Michigan in Week 2.

Steve Sarkisian believes depth will be key for Texas

Sarkisian knew Texas would not only need top talent but a lot of it.

“The biggest thing was we have to make sure we have enough depth at all positions,” Sarkisian said. “We are very solid to deep across the board. Having spent time in the SEC, that’s the biggest challenge. It’s week in and week out of playing those types of games.”

During the offseason, the Longhorns added the No. 5 class in On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings, highlighted by standouts such as Isaiah Bond (Alabama), Amari Niblack (Alabama) and Andrew Mukuba (Clemson).

Additionally, Texas boasted the No. 6 class in the 2024 recruiting cycle. It won’t be long before Texas fans can see if Sarkisian’s hard work pays off. On Aug. 31, Texas will take on Colorado State in its season-opener.