In Steve Sarkisian's extension, Texas protects its biggest investment

The University of Texas System Board of Regents has the approval of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian‘s contract extension on the agenda for their upcoming meeting this week, a contract that will make Sark one of the most well-compensated coaches in college football and the highest-paid public employee in the Lone Star State.

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The new deal that unites Texas and Sarkisian through the 2030 season will pay $10.3 million in 2024 and increase by $100,000 every year. Buyout details have not yet been made public.

Sarkisian going from a disgraceful exit at USC to one of the sport’s few Ten Million Dollar Men is a success story in and of itself. By agreeing to a new contract with Sarkisian after a 12-2 season with a Big 12 Championship and an appearance in the four-team College Football Playoff, UT is making sure to protect its investment in the future of the football program as it heads to the Southeastern Conference.

Sarkisian has shown year-over-year improvement ever since he returned to the full-time college coaching ranks. After a 2019 season where a historic LSU and an injury to Tua Tagovailoa were the only things that stifled the Crimson Tide offense, Sarkisian coordinated the 2020 Alabama offense to heights rarely seen in college football even with the COVID-19 pandemic in the backdrop. His success led to him being Texas’ choice after the Urban Meyer pursuit fizzled out in December of 2020.

Then after a 5-7 campaign in his return to the head coaching fraternity, Sarkisian guided Texas to an 8-5 2022 season before making the final iteration of the four-team College Football Playoff in 2023. Between elite recruiting and the obvious on-field success, the Longhorns are primed to be a SEC contender in 2024.

The type of coach that can compete in the most competitive league in college football is one worth keeping around. Texas and Sarkisian were both keen on coming to an agreement over the course of the end of the 2023 calendar year.

Then, Nick Saban retired.

Those aforementioned two successful seasons in Tuscaloosa? Sarkisian was a key factor in them and even stepped in for the all-time great when Saban was forced to miss the 2020 Iron Bowl due to COVID. Sarkisian handled the situation with aplomb in a 42-13 win over Auburn.

That made Sark one of the more well-liked assistants of the Saban era, enough to where Sarkisian’s name was bandied as a potential option to replace Saban at Bama earlier this year.

In fairness, Sarkisian had more reasons to stay in Austin than to succeed Saban. After all, he was a safety away from defeating the Tide in 2022 and became the first non-conference opponent since 2007 to defeat Alabama in Bryant-Denny Stadium. The program he built at Texas was operating at a CFP level, and is going to factor into the 12-team event for the foreseeable future.

Why leave? The well-timed extension announced in the days after Saban’s retirement gives Sarkisian (and Sark Enterprises, LLC) a few million more reasons to stick around, reasons he no doubt was keen to come to terms with.

The extension protects Texas from another school poaching Sarkisian, but it also protects against another possible carousel predator in the NFL.

More and more coaches are leaving the college game in order to take whatever positions are available in the NFL. None grabbed headlines more than when Jim Harbaugh left Michigan after winning the national championship in January to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

After five straight defeats to Ohio State and a dismal 2-4 2020 season, Michigan re-worked Harbaugh’s contract and gave him a “get it done or get out of town” deal. All Harbaugh did when faced with those parameters was defeat Ohio State three straight years on the way to three Big 10 titles and their eventual 2023 national championship.

The reworked contract did little to protect the Wolverines if any of the 32 NFL franchises came calling. Of course, Harbaugh’s own desire to win a Super Bowl is a factor, but his exit was possible thanks to the terms of contract.

If there is a buyout in Sark’s contract, no matter what it looks like it will be the main form of defense from one of the 32 NFL teams deciding to pay a hefty fee to take him away from the 40 Acres.

If a franchise does decide to match that top-tier salary, then it follows that Sarkisian reached such great heights at Texas that the league could not ignore his accomplishments.

When details of Sarkisian’s contract were released, there were some maroon barbs thrown from Aggieland about Texas taking a similar approach to Texas A&M and Jimbo Fisher. “Paying for one good year” or “bidding against yourself” were the accusations.

Yes, both Sarkisian and Fisher have recruited at elite levels. Yes, both Sarkisian and Fisher achieved great heights in their third years at their respective programs. Yes, both are seen as smart offensive coaches off the Saban tree. Yes, A&M had to pay a lot of money to make Fisher go away, something that if it comes to it Texas will have to do too whether Sarkisian’s contract is fully guaranteed or not.

But unlike Fisher, Sarkisian has the wherewithal to understand the constantly changing landscape of college football. Sarkisian has adapted and evolved his offense to be on the cutting edge. He’s willing to make use of the transfer portal to supplement his roster. He’s been able to do all this without a significant assistant staff overhaul or any signals of cultural discord in Austin.

Evidence? Unlike Highway 6, the portal during the Fisher era ran one way. Players are flocking to Austin via the portal, and Texas can afford to be extremely selective in who it takes.

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Sarkisian joining the high-salary ranks of Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, and Ohio State’s Ryan Day is a significant sign of Texas’ belief in the future under Sarkisian. There are risks to any hire and any extension. But Texas believes it has a coach who will lead to many more rewards and invested in its own and Sarkisian’s future as a result.