Steve Sarkisian: NIL 'should be the last reason to choose to go to a school'

On the heels of the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, Steve Sarkisian once again has a highly rated recruiting class coming in at Texas. It’s Sarkisian’s third straight Top-10 group, and it comes as the Longhorns move to the SEC at the end of the month.

Texas brought in the No. 6-ranked recruiting class this year, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking, headlined by Five Star Plus+ EDGE Colin Simmons. Sarkisian and the staff have found plenty of success on the trail as the NIL era continues to transform the college football landscape.

When it comes to his pitch, though, NIL isn’t part of the conversation. That’s part of his “formula” when selling his vision at Texas, and he argued it shouldn’t factor much into a recruit’s decision.

“I think one, why did you choose to come to Texas? There’s a formula to that,” Sarkisian told FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt. “If you lead with NIL to get a young man to come to your school, then a year from now, what’s he going to ask about first? NIL. Our perspective on this and our approach to this is we’ve got an amazing product here. The history and tradition of Texas football is second-to-none, the quality of education at UT is incredible. The coaching staff we have, the development of our players, the trajectory of what we’ve done from Year 1 to Year 2 to Year 3 of our program, the city of Austin.

“All these things that we’re talking about, that’s why I want you to come to the University of Texas. NIL doesn’t come up. That should be the last reason to choose to go to a school, whether it’s Texas or any other school. Then, if you take players predicated off of NIL, that you want them so bad that you’re willing to go to whatever length and whatever degree to get that kid from an NIL perspective, of course that’s what he’s gonna talk about the very next year when you bring him in your office. We’ve tried to create a culture that is a little bit different that way.”

Steve Sarkisian: Texas has ‘a healthy NIL program’

The Longhorns-focused NIL collective, the Texas One Fund, plays a critical role in the program’s NIL support. One of On3’s most ambitious collectives in 2023, the collective recently partnered with Passes featuring football players such as Quinn Ewers and Johntay Cook, in addition to its agreement with private jet company Nicholas Air as its corporate sponsor.

But when it comes to signing recruits who focus on NIL earnings, Steve Sarkisian suggested some of his players could make more elsewhere. In addition, he makes it clear to recruits his decision-making won’t change if someone is active in the NIL space. He wants to put the best product on the field to win a title.

“I think we’ve got a healthy NIL program here,” Sarkisian said. “Our Texas One Fund is fantastic. But I’ve got a lot of players that can probably go to another school to make more money. But I think we’ve created a culture that they like being part of. … I’ll tell you this – you don’t play more because you have more NIL here. I think we make that very clear, as well. The best players play that give us the best chance to be successful as a team, that do things the right way on and off the field.

“You may have a great NIL deal this year. If you don’t play, you’re probably not going to have a great one next year. And maybe, you’re better suited for somewhere else if that’s what’s important to you. And that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with that.”