Big 12 Media Days Updates - Longhorns take the stage on day one
For the final time, the Texas Longhorns are participating in Big 12 Media Days. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, quarterback Quinn Ewers, wide receivers Jordan Whittington and Xavier Worthy, linebacker Jaylan Ford, and defensive back Jahdae Barron will be available to local and national media at AT&T Stadium.
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Sarkisian is entering his third season as head coach of the Longhorns. He has a 13-12 record as UT head coach and a 59-47 overall record from his time leading Washington, USC, and Texas.
Ewers, a 6-foot-2, 204-pound transfer from Ohio State, is entering his second year in the program. He started 10 games last year, completing 172-of-296 passes for 2177 yards, 15 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He won six games as a starter and exited 2023 spring drills as the starting quarterback for the Longhorns.
Barron played in 13 games with nine starts in 2022, bouncing between the cornerback and STAR positions. During his honorable mention All-Big 12 campaign, Barron had 78 tackles, 11.5 TFL, one sack, one fumble recovery, two interceptions, three PBUs, and a quarterback hurry.
Ford, a senior who earned third-team AP All-America honors in 2022, has surged since earning a job in the starting lineup toward the end of 2021. A first-team All-Big 12 selection, Ford tallied 119 tackles, 10 TFL, two sacks, three forced fumbles, two recoveries, two hurries, and two pass breakups. He tied Derrick Johnson’s program record of interceptions for a linebacker with four.
Worthy, a two-time All-Big 12 selection, led Texas in all three major receiving categories last season. He is third all-time in Texas history in touchdown receptions with 21. Worthy has played and started in all 25 games during his first two seasons in Austin. The 6-foot-1, 164-pounder returned punts as well in 2022. He has over 1500 yards receiving in his career with Texas.
Whittington, a fifth-year wide receiver who has played in 27 games with 17 starts, completed his first complete season in a Longhorn uniform in 2022 and elected to return for his fifth year in 2023. He played in 13 games with 12 starts, often at the slot receiver position. He caught 50 passes for 652 yards and a score.
Media days can be viewed on ESPN+ beginning at 12 p.m. Central, and Longhorn Network at 1 p.m. Inside Texas has update below, including comments from commissioner Brett Yormark and each Big 12 coach.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark
“This event kicks off our first ever season as a 14 team league. We plan to use this season to celebrate the incredible strength we have going forward with our eight continuing members, our four incoming members, and to celebrate the impact that Texas and Oklahoma have had on this conference.”
Yormark takes a moment to honor former Dallas Morning News sportswriter Chuck Carlton, who passed in the past season.
“Eight of our 10 teams played in bowl games. Seventy percent of our men’s teams and 60 percent of our women’s programs played in the NCAA tournament this past season, affirming the Big 12 as the top basketball conference in America. We had two teams in the field of eight for the Women’s College World Series and six of our nine baseball playing programs in the NCAA postseason.”
“We accelerated Texas and OU withdrawal, which was a win-win for all parties.”
“From a competition standpoint, we’re always looking for ways to improve our officiating programs, ensuring they’re beyond reproach.”
Brett Yormark announces an extension with AT&T Stadium through 2030 as the host site for the Big 12 football championship game.
“I believe we are once again the deepest conference in America.”
Brett Yormark announces that the Independence Bowl is now part of the conference’s bowl lineup.
Brett Yormark announces Big 12 Championship game tickets will go on sale August 12.
Brett Yormark: “Our goal is to connect with Gen Z.”
Brett Yormark: “We’re working with the NCAA, obviously, but we’re going to double-down on our partnership with US Integrity. Critically important. We’ve been with US Integrity since 2018, but given the current environment we need to go deeper with them. We need to educate our student-athletes. But it’s not just our student-athlete’s, it’s our coaches. It’s really the whole ecosystem, our officials. We’ll be doing that. We’re also encouraging our member institutions to do a little more with US Integrity. Additionally, we will be announcing a data deal in the near future, and that’s an effort for us to control how our data is being disseminated to third parties. We’re excited about that, too.”
Brett Yormark: ”In fact, we’re going to celebrate Texas and Oklahoma and all the contributions they’ve made to the conference since day one, because they’ll always be a big part of this conference.”
Brett Yormark: ”They have great identity. They’re national brands, and they’re a big part of the history of this conference. Like I said this 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.”
Yormark on negotiations with UT and OU on accelerating the exit for both schools: ”I’ve got a great partnership with the folks at Texas and Oklahoma. When there’s a mutual respect and when you’re looking for a win win scenario, those negotiations don’t really take that long. We all wanted the same thing. 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. I’m happy we did.”
Yormark on NIL: ”I don’t think that NIL really plays a role in attracting Gen Z. We’re attracting Gen Z notwithstanding NIL, and so are our institutions.”
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes
Dykes on the Big 12: “The parity to me in the league is unrivaled. It makes this league incredibly unique and different.”
On the preseason ranking last year: “I would have ranked us lower, given what we had back and all the new coaches.”
On the 2022 season: “When the season started I thought we were an average team, probably below average, and started to build some confidence and became an above average football team. We became a good football team and at times were a great one.”
On the new offense with Kendal Briles: “Kendal coming in I think he shares the same vision as I do. We come from the same place in terms of our football background in a lot of ways. He wants to be a physical offense who runs the football and that’s what I want as well.
The offense will look pretty similar but I think it’ll come from a different place. Garrett was an Air Raid-centric guy, Kendal comes from a similar place but there will be some different wrinkles.”
Dykes on how it’ll be different no longer flying under the radar: “Our players really did a remarkable job of focusing on getting better every day. I’ve coached teams in the past that probably didn’t do a very good job of focusing on those things instead of just going out and improving. We never had one conversation about the college football playoff rankings.
A big part of that is that we were picked 7th. There weren’t a lot of expectations and there wasn’t a lot of pressure.”
On identifying Kendal Briles as a coaching target: You kinda go back and look at what happened at Baylor. I’d worked with Art before and knew him before as a high school coach. I tried to say ‘how can I make sure that never happens at my program.
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Everything has gotten better because of what occurred there. I talked to a lot of people who were directly involved there. I was very confident knowing Kendal from the time he was 13 years old and from talking to people who were involved in that situation.
What he does fits what I believe in. We’re really aligned in what allows you to go out and win on Saturdays.
Reasonable expectations for defense after losing several starters: “I think we’ll take a big step defensively. If you look at Joe Gillespie and his track record, they get better. The longer he’s there, the better the players understand what he wants to do, the more they understand the nuanced things he wants to do.
Teams that can play great defense and run the football have a history of winning games. I’ve been at places where we have to try and outscore people and it can be a little…tedious.”
Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen
On joining the Big 12: “The University of Houston has been looking forward to this day for a long time.”
Early impressions of Donovan Smith: “You know I’ve been very impressed with Donovan. He’s played a lot of ball, he’s played in 21 games. We lost a very seasoned quarterback in Clayton Tune, he’s been our guy for four years and been a model of consistency and a model program player. That opens it up to who’s next. The University of Houston has had really good quarterback play over the years.
The expectations are high for Donovan, but I felt it was important to bring in a guy with experience and Big 12 experience. He’s impressed me, I think his best days are ahead of him. He’s only been playing quarterback for a couple of years.”
On the Houston recruiting scene and if joining the Big 12 helps the Cougars recruit the metroplex: “It certainly can’t hurt. It’s the most centrally located city in the United States so…
We have six million people to choose from but every other school is coming as well.
Our deal is, three out of four young men I have with me today are Houston-based. I think that’s going to happen more when it comes being able to talk Power 5 and Big 12. By no means will it be a slam dunk.”
The next step in preparing to be a Big 12 program: “Time. It’s just gonna take time.”
On rivalries: “With West Virginia all the opponents were new. Houston has history with everyone. I think it’ll happen quicker.”
Replacing skill talent: “That’s one thing I’m pretty comfortable with. Tank Dell was very productive, he kinda took the ball from other people a lot. We have three starters returning…there’s a lot of competition and a lot of really talented players that quite frankly we wouldn’t have got if not for Big 12.
Receiver is the least of my worries.”
About new offensive line coach Emam Naghavi from Tulane: He’s about as O-line as O-line gets. Katy high school, McNeese State, I don’t know how many people witnessed what Tulane did to Southern California here on this field. He’s been on my list for a while but last year really sold me. He’s as Houston as Houston gets. Gary Joseph is a big time Houston area coach and he was smart enough to marry his daughter.”
On parity in the league and lack of frontrunners: “Well I think Sark and the Longhorns would disagree with you. They’re picked to win the league and they’re going to be pretty good.”
Kansas head coach Lance Leipold
“Devin (Neal) is a highly motivated young man… He’s continued to work as a receiver, blitz pickup, all those things you need to be a complete back. I think as we continue to evolve what we do offensively… he continues to work on and do good on that.”
Baylor head coach Dave Aranda
Aranda mentions one of his two big struggles was “not embracing the transfer portal.”
“Excited with our new coaches and new staff members coming on board. I think they’ve brought great energy and great connection to our young people.”
“Excited for the eight home games and excited for our schedule. Appreciative for it, and excited to play our best ball at home.”
Aranda says Sarkisian and Texas is “right on the forefront offensively and defensively of being creative and innovative. A lot of players I know about.”
On Texas: “We’re expecting a battle, and a lot of it is we need to bring that battle to them. Anything less with Baylor and Texas is not enough. I’m anticipating a great game and appreciative of the opportunity.”
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy
Gundy arrives in a orange polo and coaching slacks. He gives no opening statement.
Mike Gundy on clock rules: “I’m sure it’ll be a big factor in the games in my opinion.”
