"I don't think I did a great job a year ago": When Steve Sarkisian opened up on his biggest lesson from year 1 at Texas

Steve Sarkisian had a lot to learn from his first season coaching the Texas Longhorns. Sarkisian was hired to serve as the Longhorns' 31st head football coach in January 2021.

He previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide before being signed away by Texas. In his first season with the Longhorns, Sarkisian coached the team to a 5-7 overall record, which had them tied for seventh in the Big 12 Conference.

Speaking to the media shortly before the beginning of his second year with the team, Sarkisian admitted that he didn't do a great job in his first year.

[12:10] "I do think this is important. I don't think I did a great job a year ago of developing the team and the quality of the team, and the bond on our team as well as I would've liked.

"And granted we've had some difficult circumstances. With not having a facility done yet, being, kind of, in temporary housing. Just not making a great connection to, ultimately not identifying the leadership in a really good way."

He added:

"In this day and age, most of these guys, when they have a free moment, they get on their phone and they text or they get on Instagram, or Twitter, or whatever social media - and they don't talk to one another. So we try to foster that type of environment, and it's amazing to see what our team is like."

Steve Sarkisian has turned the Longhorns football program around

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch - Source: Imagn

In his last few seasons, Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns have really turned things around. The 2023 season saw the Longhorns finish first in the Big 12 with a 12-2 overall record. They made it to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, facing the Washington Huskies in the Sugar Bowl.

Texas was defeated 37-31 and eliminated from the playoffs. The following season, Texas made it right back to the semifinals of the tournament, this time losing to the eventual national champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes, in the Cotton Bowl. With the 2025 season right around the corner, and Arch Manning preparing to step up as the team's starting quarterback, fans have big hopes for the 'Hook 'em Horns.'