Skip to main content
Join Now
Team Avatar
Texas

Desmond Howard suggests 'mutual parting of ways' between Texas, Steve Sarkisian

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs2 hours agogrant_grubbs_
DesHoward-SteveSarkisian
Desmond Howard (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images) | Steve Sarkisian (Tim Heitman-Imagn Images)

Texas suffered its third loss of the season on Saturday, falling 35-10 to Georgia. On Monday morning, ESPN College GameDay co-host Desmond Howard insinuated Texas could part ways with head coach Steve Sarkisian at the end of this season.

“Don’t be surprised if that Texas job opens up at the end of the season,” Howard said on a post to Instagram. “You guys were shocked when LSU opened up. Imagine how you’re going to feel if that job in Austin pops open. I’m not calling or saying anyone’s going to get fired—maybe a mutual parting of ways, you dig?”

Sarkisian is in his fifth season at the helm of Texas. The Longhorn have reached the College Football Playoff semifinals the past two seasons.

They entered this season as the No. 1 team in the country, but are extremely unlikely to appear in the CFP this year due to their loss to UGA on Saturday. Sarkisian earns $10.8 million a year, not including bonuses. He is the second-highest paid coach in the SEC, only trailing Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

Sarkisian’s buyout this year is set at approximately $60 million. It would be the second-largest buyout in college football history, behind former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher who was paid $77 million after being fired.

LSU fired head coach Brian Kelly this season and owes him over $53 million in his buyout. Alas, with its impressive financial resources, Texas could likely find the money if it was determined to part ways with Steve Sarkisian.

Texas’ only games remaining in the regular season are against Arkansas and Texas A&M. A win over the Aggies could cause a CFP shakeup. Alas, it still may not be enough for the Longhorns to receive a bid. After Texas’ loss on Saturday, Sarkisian emphasized the team’s season is far from over.

“We’ve got a two-week season in front of us. We’ve got to go play. We’ve got two games. It’s two weeks. Let’s go play. Let’s put our best foot forward and see what happens,” Sarkisian said.

This story will be updated.