Steve Sarkisian sees his roster preferences in the 2024 Longhorns
About a year ago, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian appeared on The Pivot Podcast for a wide-ranging interview. The highlight of that appearance was when Sarkisian declared that his team, even in the midst of 2023 spring practices, looked like “his team.”
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“It feels and looks like my team,” Sarkisian said last year. “The way the players talk, the way they act, what they look like… I’m like, ‘okay, now we’re about ready to go. This is what it’s supposed to look like.'”
That confidence carried over throughout 2023’s “talkin’ season,” where Sarkisian spoke about how he’d like to leave the Big 12 with one last conference championship. He accomplished that mission and it’s been memorialized on the facade overlooking the north end zone of Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium.
Now that four of Texas’ spring practices are out of the way, does Sarkisian feel the same ahead of the 2024 season and year one in the Southeastern Conference? The answer was yes, as Sarkisian said Monday the current Longhorns look like a team he recruited and has both the physical and mental makeup he prefers.
“I think we have a great looking team,” Sarkisian said. “I think we have really good length at our skill position spots. We’ve got good length. We’ve got good speed. I think we have good size internally. I think we’ve got quarterbacks that can make the throws necessary. I think we’ve got versatile players at positions where you need versatility, whether it’s tight end, linebacker, safety, star. The runners are all versatile players. They can catch. They can run. They can run with speed. They can run with power.”
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Sarkisian has both taken advantage of and created his own tailwinds. Even after a 5-7 2021 season, Sarkisian brought in the No. 5 class in the nation headlined by offensive linemen Kelvin Banks and DJ Campbell. Plus, Quinn Ewers portaled into the program from Ohio State. In 2023, he signed the No. 3 class with five-stars Arch Manning, CJ Baxter, Anthony Hill Jr., and Johntay Cook. 2024’s haul was ranked No. 6 with 12 top-300 recruits.
The portal has been a boon for Texas with additions like Isaiah Bond, Amari Niblack, Matthew Golden, and Tiaoalii Savea in line to make an impact on the 2024 season. That’s all been a part of Sarkisian’s plan as Texas’ head coach.
“I think it’s been very intentional now going into year four of what we’re looking for specifically at position groups, how we tried to build this team,” Sarkisian said. “And I think it’s coming to fruition. Every year you look a little bit different here and there, right? But for the most part, when we come out and I look out our team warm up and I watch us stretch and I watch some of the individual drills when I’m not with the quarterbacks, we’re a good looking team.”
Still, Sarkisian is aware of what month it is. Like last year at this juncture, the Longhorns look like a team he crafted. Whether it truly is or not won’t be revealed for a few months.
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“But we need to play good,” Sarkisian said. “That’s always the challenge.”
