Vince Young backs Steve Sarkisian as the right coach for Texas Longhorns

Texas Longhorns legend Vince Young believes new Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is the right man for the job and gave the new head coach a glowing endorsement on a recent appearance on ESPN’s College Football Live show.

“I can say with Coach Sark right now his word is bond,” Young said. “…The first thing Coach Sark said when he got there, he wants us guys, the alumni, to be visible and he’s been like that ever since he’s stepped there to that podium to speak for the first time as the head coach of the University of Texas.”

Young continued.

“So to me personally, that means a lot to me,” he said. “That means his word is bond, that means he really wants to win. He’s happy to be at the University of Texas and he understands that we have been a down a little bit but he understands how to get there. Being around Nick Saban all these years, he understands that.”

Young added an anecdote from his playing days and then head coach Mack Brown’s loyalty, noting that he feels a similar loyalty from Sarkisian.

He went on to say how Sarkisian and the staff can silence the outside noise and eliminate distractions.

“That’s easy: win,” Young said, chuckling. “… As you guys have been paying attention looking at our swim team to our softball, basketball, the momentum is back there. Now with Coach (Sarkisian) coming in, even though they’ve had some adversity at the beginning…as he got there from Jake (Ehlinger) passing away, from guys getting COVID. These guys have been through some deep times already together so I feel like that going to help push them guys to understand we got to hop on that train and win some ball games and I think Coach Sark is doing a good job communicating that to the team right now.”

Young has been working with Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte as a special assistant to the athletic director alongside Earl Campbell, former Texas women’s basketball coach Jody Conradt and former athletic director DeLoss Dodds since February.

In August, Young spoke to the Longhorns football team

Shout out VY for coming through. 🐐🤘 @VinceYoung10 pic.twitter.com/C9D7Oe9HqF

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) August 8, 2021

Young, the aforementioned Campbell, Ricky Williams and Colt McCoy made appearances at Texas recruiting events in June, a testament to Sarkisian’s commitment to making sure the alumni are visible.

In his playing days, Vince Young threw for 6,040 yards and 44 touchdowns adding 3,127 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns in 37 games at Texas from 2003-2005. Young led the Longhorns to a 2005 BCS National Championship.