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On Saturday, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that representatives of Steve Sarkisian put out feelers to the NFL, including the Tennessee Titans, about the Texas head coach’s interest in potentially taking a job in the league for 2026. More News: College Football Coach Linked to LSU Suffers Major Upset on Thursday Night The rumors surfaced hours before the Longhorns were set to take on Mississippi State on the road. Following an intense comeback that ended with Texas taking down the Bulldogs 45-38 in overtime, Sarkisian voiced his irritation with the report. (Sarkisian’s agents denied the veracity of Russini’s report before the game.) “It really p***** me off that one person can make a report that the entire media sports world runs with as factual to the point where my agency has to put a statement out that they’ve never done,” Sarkisian said. COLUMBUS, OHIO – AUGUST 30: Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns looks on while playing the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on August 30, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) More News: Colorado’s Deion Sanders Accuses Big 12 Teams of ‘Lying’ on Injury Report During an appearance on ESPN’s “The Paul Finebaum Show” on Friday, Longhorns athletic director Chris Del Conte noted that the timing of the report was a worry for the program because of the transfer portal and recruiting. Players would have to think about making a decision on a future with Texas amid Sarkisian possibly bolting for the NFL. Del Conte confirmed that Sarkisan was upset by the report, and the Texas AD was “frustrated” by the team having a distraction before playing Mississippi State. “For me, I was just frustrated because we were walking on the field before Mississippi State with our entire team when that story broke and you’re trying to play a game that evening–a story that had no merit,” Del Conte said. “Then, when it’s ‘retracted’ by saying, ‘I didn’t hear it from his agent’ or ‘I didn’t hear it from Steve, but I heard it from somebody,’ that’s just the world we live in today. In conjunction with Sarkisian’s point on Saturday, the issue wasn’t just the report published in The Athletic. The story went viral, causing Texas to have to react to the message. “If you have a great relationship with your coach, you have a great relationship with your student-athletes and you start to have these discussions, it is fine,” Del Conte said. “But today, the noise becomes amplified because it’s played out on social media and every outlet.” No. 20 Texas will hope its players are focused on their Week 10 matchup with No. 9 Vanderbilt. The Longhorns need to beat Vandy to stay in the chase for the College Football Playoff. In further complications for Texas, it’s unclear if starting quarterback Arch Manning will play on Saturday because he’s still in the concussion protocol. For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
