Steve Sarkisian says Texas' final season in Big 12 'won't be awkward for us'

2023 will be the Texas Longhorns‘ final year in the Big 12. It, easily, could be an awkward situation. However, head coach Steve Sarkisian isn’t worried about it being awkward.

While at Big 12 media days, Sarkisian said that everyone currently at Texas came to play and compete in the Big 12. So, there’s no reason for it to be an awkward situation from their point of view.

“It won’t be awkward for us. I can’t speak for anybody else,” Steve Sarkisian said. “It won’t be awkward for us. We’ve got a roster full of players who quite frankly came to the University of Texas to try to win a Big 12 Championship, and we’ve got one more opportunity to do that, and I think our guys are focused on that.”

With the four new teams already in the Big 12, the league is in a transitional season while waiting for Texas and Oklahoma to make it to the SEC. This may not be an awkward situation for Sarkisian and Texas, but it’s easy to see where it would be awkward for others involved.

“And so it won’t be awkward from our end, but like I said, I can’t speak for everybody else.”

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark also made it clear that he wants the conference to celebrate both Texas and Oklahoma in their final season.

“They have a great identity. They’re national brands. They’re a big part of the history of this conference,” Yormark said. “But like I said last year, this conference is bigger than any two schools. We’re in a great place. There’s never been a better time than right now to be involved with this conference. And I’m excited about our future.”

Brett Yormark ‘happy’ about accelerated exit of Oklahoma, Texas

One thing that Brett Yormark emphasized he was excited for was finding a way to negotiate an accelerated exit for Texas and Oklahoma. That’s because it was in everyone’s best interest to get done as quickly as possible.

“I’ve got a great partnership with the folks at Texas and Oklahoma. When there’s mutual respect and when you’re looking for a win-win scenario, those negotiations don’t really take that long,” Yormark said.

“We all wanted the same thing, and we got there. I’m happy for them. I’m happy for us. We brought closure to an issue that was highly discussed this time last year, and I’m happy we did.”