Steve Sarkisian addresses report about communication with NFL teams

Following Saturday’s game against Mississippi State, Steve Sarkisian addressed a report linking him to the NFL. The Athletic reported representatives for the Texas coach reached out to teams about potential job openings.

After The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Sarkisian could be eyeing the NFL, his agents Jimmy Sexton and Ed Marynowitz of CAA released a statement firmly denying the report. They said Sarkisian’s focus remained squarely on Texas ahead of Saturday’s game.

In his postgame press conference, Sarkisian received a question about the report.

“It really pisses me off that one person can make a report that in turn, the entire media sports world runs with as factual to the point of my agency and my agents have to put a statement out that they never have done,” said Sarkisian. “I had to do that to protect my locker room and my team.”

Sarkisian previously coached in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, serving as their offensive coordinator from 2017-18 before returning to the college game at Alabama. He’s in his fifth season as Texas’ head coach, entering Saturday’s game with a 42-19 overall record in Austin, as well as back-to-back national semifinal appearances.

Russini reported Saturday morning that representatives for Sarkisian let NFL decision-makers know the Texas coach would be interested in potential head coach openings. Russini specifically mentioned the Tennessee Titans’ position in her report.

However, Sarkisian’s agents called the report “patently false” as Saturday’s game got closer. They issued a firm denial of any conversations with teams in the NFL.

“Any reports regarding communications on coaching opportunities with NFL teams are patently false and wildly inaccurate,” the statement read. “Sark is solely focused on coaching the University of Texas football team.”

It’s been an up-and-down year for the Longhorns through 2025. They head into the matchup against Mississippi State with a 5-2 overall record, including a 2-1 mark in SEC play. Texas has back-to-back wins against rival Oklahoma and Kentucky following a loss at Florida.

Much of the focus at Texas has been on Arch Manning, who’s shown flashes through his rocky start to the year. He enters Week 9 with 1,449 passing yards and 12 touchdowns on 60.3% passing, along with five interceptions. He also had 193 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground through the first eight weeks.

As a unit, the Longhorns’ offense ranks 11th in the SEC in both total yards and scoring this year. Still, Steve Sarkisian said he has no plans to give up play-calling as Texas tries to right the ship.