Sark's vision for program building perfectly aligns with the SEC

As every Texas fan knows this will be the last season for the Longhorns to play in the Big 12. After the 2023 season, Texas will make the jump in competition to the SEC. There have been many years the middle and bottom of the Big 12 and SEC have been similar, but success at the very top requires considerably more talent, size, and speed in the SEC year in and year out.

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It just so happens the hiring of Steve Sarkisian couldn’t come at a better time for Texas. I’d still love to know if Sark was hired with the SEC move in mind. The timing of his hiring from Alabama just seven months before the SEC move became public suggests that he was.

On Tuesday evening at the Texas Fight Tour’s Houston stop, he broke down his general philosophy for building a team. 

“Ultimately you get to this stage of your career of where I think you stand firm on your two feet of knowing who you are, or at least you hope so, and I feel like I do,” Sarkisian said Tuesday. “I believe in being big up front, I believe in trying to be the most physical team every time we take the field, but to complement that you have to have speed on the perimeter. That’s just what I believe in and it just so happens that’s kinda what’s needed in that other league (SEC) too. It’s the way teams are built. But I think it’s a formula for success in whatever league that you play in, from little league to the NFL. If you’re big up front, have really skilled speed athletes, and you have good quarterback play you always give yourself a chance to win football games.”

For anyone who follows the team or recruiting closely you’ve likely observed Sark’s formula even before he stated it so clearly, because he’s made it that obvious through the players he’s signed. 

Being big up front

Texas offensive line coach, Kyle Flood, is known for his preference for signing “large humans.” It’s no wonder Flood and Sark get along so famously. The smallest of seven offensive line signees in the 2022 class was Connor Robertson at 6-foot-4, 296 pounds. Robertson plays center, typically the smallest player on the offensive line.

That large class, both in numbers and individual size, was followed by a five-man class in 2023. That class featured three players over 345 pounds: strongman Connor Stroh, dancing bear Payton Kirkland, and Andre Cojoe, who was just days shy of turning 17 when he enrolled in January.

If there’s a place where the formula has fallen short, it’s at interior defensive line, but the coaches are hurriedly addressing that issue with the 2024 class.

Being physical 

The improvement in physicality from Year 1 to Year 2 was stark. Imagine the 2021 defense giving it to Bama as good as it got in the September heat. You can’t. The team is noticeably bigger and stronger heading into Year 3. Coupled with having more experienced and mature players, that should increase physicality year-over-year yet again.

While the defense promises to be fast and physical this season, one question regarding physicality will be the interior offensive line. This group will be physical eventually, but they are still young.

Speed on the perimeter

Wide receiver Xavier Worthy is one of the fastest players in the country. Freshmen receiver DeAndre Moore has already turned heads with his speed. Isaiah Neyor, who is returning from injury, is very fast for his size. Ditto AD Mitchell who has given good cornerbacks fits, even on deep vertical routes, while helping Georgia to back-to-back National Championships. Jordan Whittington isn’t widely known for his speed but at times he clocked the second fastest miles per hour on the team last offseason. Of course he also provides a physical element to the position. Johntay Cook is a smooth, quick route runner with increasing size and strength which will only increase his play-speed.

Texas lost speedster Brenen Thompson to the portal, but in comes Ryan Niblett later this month. Niblett ran 10.41 and 21.25 in the 100 meter and 200 meter as a junior. 

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Good quarterback play

It’s a matter of when, not if, Sark will receive good quarterback play. He’s signed two of the most highly rated players in the history of ratings at the position, and that doesn’t even include the most impressive physical specimen.

Interestingly enough, Texas will have the best quarterback on the field when it next faces an SEC opponent.

The Texas roster has some imperfections, much of which can be attributed to a couple position groups being on the younger side of their eligibility, but it’s evident Sark has a clear vision for program building, and that vision aligns with how you win big in the SEC.