Steve Sarkisian says recruiting winners was a 'huge part' of process

On the recruiting trail, college coaches tend to have one or two important details they’re looking for in a recruit that doesn’t necessarily appear in the box scores. For Texas Longhorns’ head coach Steve Sarkisian, the detail for him is winning. After Texas hauled in an impressive 2023 recruiting class, Sarkisian revealed how big winning was during his recruiting process.

“It was a huge part of my focus. I didn’t necessarily make it known to the staff, but I think the guys caught on to it,” said Sarkisian. “I think there’s something to be said about guys that know how to win. We had five guys win this weekend… So we’ve assembled a bunch of winners. And I think we’ve got a culture here that’s starting to understand the importance of why we’re here; to win. And the idea about being competitive in everything that we do. Now we’re bringing in another influx of players that is driven and focused. So my idea is that you surround yourself with like-minded people that are winners, and that should raise the level of all of us to perform to the point of we’re about winning. That’s what we’re here to do.”

The Longhorns have the No. 3 ranked recruiting class in the On3 Consensus team rankings after the Thursday flip and signing of DeAndre Moore Jr. Which makes it back-to-back top-5 classes for Sarkisian. The 2023 class was one that filled out several needs for the Longhorns. But the biggest need they help fill is bringing a winning mindset to the Texas program for years to come.

Sarkisian shares how he makes recruits feel at home at Texas

As he works to put Texas football back on top of the college football world, Steve Sarkisian must recruit talent from all areas of the country. But in the process, Sarkisian is tasked with convincing players to leave their home state and come to Texas. While some college players could get homesick in that process, Sarkisian believes he and his staff have generated a strong home feeling with the team.

“I think we really have a great connection with our players,” Sarkisian said. “I think our assistant coaches do a great job, I think our support staff does a great job. But I think the most important piece of it is I think our locker room does a great job of really bringing these guys in, putting their arms around them and not just rubbing their neck.

“We’re demanding and pushing them to be the best they can be. But in the end, when there’s Thanksgiving, everybody’s at the house. We’re getting ready to go to a bowl game; we’re going to be in San Antonio for Christmas. Our doors are open Friday, we’re having a Christmas meal at our house Friday, we’re having a Christmas dinner in San Diego as a team on Sunday. But that’s got to be 365. That can’t just be the special occasion days. We’ve got to make that connection with our players on a daily basis and really dig into it.”