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LIVE UPDATES: Steve Sarkisian discusses his 2026 signing class on National Signing Day

Joe Cookby: Joe Cook11 hours agojosephcook89

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will be available to the media at 3 p.m. to recap his 2026 signing class, which currently is No. 8 in the Rivals rankings.

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I don’t currently see a link to watch this press conference on the Longhorn Network website, but if it’s posted I’ll put it in here.

Updates from Steve Sarkisian

Steve Sarkisian: “This is a high character group that’s going to fit right into our culture and and continue to grow and keep this Longhorn football organization in a place that is continuing to grow to be on the forefront of championship level play year in and year out.”

Sarkisian on challenges with the size of his current class: “One of the challenges that we’re faced with right now, in the SEC, we’re still operating at 85 scholarships. There’s some other conferences around the league that are operating at 105 scholarships.”

Sarkisian on Dia Bell: “He is a natural passer of the football.” “He has a great feel for the game. The other thing we really love about him is his competitive spirit.”

Steve Sarkisian called five-star QB Dia Bell a ‘football junkie’ who ‘works his tail off’

Sarkisian is going to give Bishop the opportunity to choose his position going forward, though he will give him advice based on what he sees once Bishop is on campus.

Sarkisian is going to give Bishop the opportunity to choose his position going forward, though he will give him advice based on what he sees once Bishop is on campus.

Steve Sarkisian says portal needs include offensive line, interior defensive lineman, “potentially a linebacker,” “potentially something in the secondary,” and “potentially a running back.

Steve Sarkisian on Jett Walker: “We love Jett. Here’s another guy. I’m remiss for not touching on him. 6-1, 210, very athletic, great hands, tough, smart. A guy we think can be very versatile.”

Steve Sarkisian says his specialists signees “have huge upside, very gifted, very talented. One thing we learned this year is the value of having veteran kicker, veteran punter, veteran long snapper. But we’re trying to build for depth and we’re trying to build for long term.”

Steve Sarkisian: “I think we have some elite first round picks. I think we have some high level 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round picks that we’re going to be able to lean into that are going to be quality pieces on this team again maybe not next year but as they develop down the road and they continue the trajectory they’re on. Man, these guys are going to be good players for us two and three years down the road.”

Steve Sarkisian says Dia Bell is being put in a good situation, but “he’s not coming here just to sit back and wait his turn. He’s coming here to work his tail off and he’s going to try to beat the next guy out and beat the next guy out. At the same time, he’ll support those guys and I think that’s why he was so attractive to us in this recruiting process because of his mental makeup of what he believes in, what he stands for, to go along with the physical attributes that he has.”

Q. Has Arch Manning definitively said he’s coming back? Steve Sarkisian: “I haven’t asked him (laughs). I feel pretty good about it.”

Sarkisian on using the transfer portal for the offensive line: “We were so deficient at numbers on the defensive line last year that we had to take five guys just to get the room numbers correct. I don’t know necessarily that our numbers will be so far off on the offensive line. It’s not so much about the quantity of the players that we get out of the portal on the offensive line. I think it’s more about the quality of the players that we get out of the portal on the offensive line.”

Sarkisian on Richard Wesley: “This guy is 6-4, 245, and he’s 16 years old. I’m fascinated by him and the fact he’s going to be here in a few weeks. His demeanor is not of a 16 year old.”

Steve Sarkisian on recruiting the state of Texas, says there were players from around Central Texas and Austin who have been steady contributors for the Longhorns “that maybe weren’t the most highly recruited guys.” — “The idea that we were able to keep some local guys here I think is good for us culturally. I think it’s good for us as we continue to grow to a program, but also in and around the state of Texas.”

Steve Sarkisian says as far as Ohio State and Michigan non-conference games “we’re going to honor those return trips.” 

Sarkisian: “I think anything beyond that is up for discussion. CDC and I have already had that discussion. We need to take a good, hard look at what our non-conference schedule looks like beyond the next two years because so much of the non-conference scheduling was when we were in the Big 12 and those schedules were made when we were in the Big 12. There’s a little bit of a different shift now that we’re in the Southeastern Conference and another shift now that we’re going to nine conference games.”

Sarkisian on early declaring players: “I think every player on our team, whether they’re going to the draft or not, needs to play in this game. It’s another opportunity to build their resume to put things on tape that can help them evaluate for the draft.”

Steve Sarkisian on selection Sunday plans, says he’s not sure if they’ll watch as a team: “I haven’t thought quite that far ahead. We’ll see.”

Steve Sarkisian says he’s very aligned with Chris Del Conte about the “big brand games.” — “I love playing in those games. I don’t like the repercussions of those games if I don’t get rewarded for playing those games.” — “It’s not about shying away from playing anybody. I just also know we play in the toughest conference in the country.”

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