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Steve Sarkisian ranked as On3's No. 4 head coach in college football in 2025

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Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

On3’s Ari Wasserman ranked Texas’ Steve Sarkisian as the No. 4 head coach in all of college football entering the 2025 season. It’s a one place advancement over On3’s 2024 ranking, but some of the names still ahead of Sarkisian have changed.

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Here’s what Wasserman had to say about Sarkisian’s place at No. 4.

It may be easy to mock Sarkisian for that goal line toss Texas called lated in the loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal. But when you zoom out, Sarkisian has brought Texas all the way “back.” Saying that isn’t a joke anymore. It has happened. Sure, Texas hasn’t won a national title under his leadership, Sarkisian has assembled one of the deepest, most talented rosters in the country. Texas will be a national title contender every year under his guidance moving forward. Texas isn’t a punchline anymore. It was two years ago. That means a lot.

Sarkisian ranked behind No. 3 Dan Lanning at Oregon, No. 2 Ryan Day at Ohio State, and No. 1 Kirby Smart of Georgia. In 2024, Lanning won the Big 10 during the Ducks’ first year in the league while Smart took home yet another SEC championship at the Longhorns’ expense. Day got the Buckeyes over the hump and won his first national championship.

Sarkisian was one spot ahead of Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman at No. 5.

SEC coaches in the ranking included Smart, Sarkisian, No. 9 Kalen DeBoer of Alabama, No. 10 Josh Heupel of Tennessee, No. 16 Brian Kelly of LSU, No. 17 Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss, and No. 23 Brent Venables of Oklahoma.

Sarkisian is 38-17 as the head coach of the Longhorns, including a 25-5 record over the past two seasons. In 2023, he led Texas to its first Big 12 championship since 2009 and made the final scheduled iteration of the four-team College Football Playoff. The Longhorns reached the SEC championship during their first year in the league in 2024 before falling to Smart and Georgia. Texas made the 12-team Playoff, defeated the No. 6-ranked head coach in Dabo Swinney and Clemson, then defeated the No. 13-ranked coach in Kenny Dillingham and the Arizona State Sun Devils in double overtime before falling to Ohio State.

Coaches on the 2025 schedule include Day’s Ohio State and Venables’ Oklahoma.

Sarkisian signed an extension through the 2030 season following the 2023 campaign and had another year added onto his deal following the most recent season. According to reporting from Brett McMurphy, Sarkisian declined interviews with two NFL teams before agreeing to the deal.

The Longhorns’ 2025 season opens on August 31 at Ohio State, the defending national champions.

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On3’s Top 25 Coaches in 2025

  1. Kirby Smart, Georgia
  2. Ryan Day, Ohio State
  3. Dan Lanning, Oregon
  4. Steve Sarkisian, Texas
  5. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
  6. Dabo Swinney, Clemson
  7. Deion Sanders, Colorado
  8. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
  9. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
  10. Josh Heupel, Tennessee
  11. Mario Cristobal, Miami
  12. Curt Cignetti, Indiana
  13. Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
  14. Lance Leipold, Kansas
  15. James Franklin, Penn State
  16. Brian Kelly, LSU
  17. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
  18. Bret Bielema, Illinois
  19. Sherrone Moore, Michigan
  20. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
  21. Bill Belichick, North Carolina
  22. Lincoln Riley, USC
  23. Brent Venables, Oklahoma
  24. Kalani Sitake, BYU
  25. Matt Campbell, Iowa State

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