As the preseason No. 1 team in the Associated Press poll, Texas was projected to have a big year in 2025. However, the Longhorns are 3-2 and unranked before they take on No. 6 Oklahoma in the “Red River Rivalry” on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl.
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Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is trying to put the pieces together of his underperforming offense that was supposed to be one of college football’s most explosive units with quarterback Arch Manning. Manning and Texas haven’t lived up to the hype, and pressure is mounting on Sarkisian despite his leading the program to back-to-back appearances in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
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Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated wrote about an “ultimate carousel chaos theory” that could have big implications for Texas. He suggested Sarkisian could look for a fresh start at BYU, where he played quarterback.
“Sark is an alum who may be feeling the weight of the Texas job weighing on him if this season continues trending negatively for the Longhorns,” Forde wrote. “Wealthy BYU alums have shown real vigor in the NIL market, in both football and basketball, which could be an additional attraction for a coach looking to get away and into something different.”
If Sarkisian left, the Texas opening would be the most prestigious job on the college football market this winter. Forde thinks the Longhorns would try and nab Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss.
“In response, Texas does what comes naturally: hires Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss,” Forde wrote. “Replacing one offensive savant with perhaps a better one, Kiffin is viewed as the quarterback whisperer who can unlock Arch Manning. (This also saves Kiffin the trouble of trying to talk Manning into entering the transfer portal and following familial footsteps to Ole Miss.)”
Kiffin, like Sarkisian, gained experience as an offensive coordinator for Nick Saban at Alabama. He took what he learned from Saban during his three years in Tuscaloosa and made the Rebels a threat in the SEC.
It’ll be interesting to see how the carousel shakes out at the end of the season. Sarkisian isn’t the only big-name coach who could look for a new start after a disappointing 2025. James Franklin was another head coach suggested to be a potential mutal departer after an embarrassing loss to UCLA on Saturday.