Steve Sarkisian calls on a familiar face to remind his players that they aren't finished products

Today at practice, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian called upon a Longhorn Legend to speak to his team.

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Michael Huff is arguably the best defensive back to ever suit up in burnt orange. A Thorpe Award winner, a top-10 pick in the NFL, an All-Pro, and most importantly, a national champion.

Huff was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame this season as a part of the 2025 class and will be honored at Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium this Saturday in front of the home crowd against Arkansas. Huff marks the 23rd Texas player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Vince Young from the 2005 national championship team.

When asked about how early the transfer portal opens for college football and dealing with the idea of transferring during the season, Sarkisian spoke about how Huff impacted his team at practice today.

“I had him tell his story. He goes through the Thorpe Award, National Championship, seventh overall pick, eight years in the NFL, All-Pro in the NFL,” Sarkisian said. “And then he tells them, ‘And I redshirted my first year.’ They were all startled. ‘You can still do all that, and you redshirted your first year?’ I think that’s a friendly reminder that we aren’t finished products.”

Huff was a part of arguably the best recruiting class in Texas history in 2001, joining the likes of Cedric Benson and Derrick Johnson as some of the best recruits out of the state to join the Longhorns. But in 2001, while Benson was dominating the Big 12 as a freshman, Huff sat. While stars like Quinten Jammer took the CFB world by storm, Huff honed his craft, redshirting to preserve a year of eligibility.

It’s a good thing he did. Had he played in 2001, Huff wouldn’t have won the Thorpe. He wouldn’t have been the defensive MVP in a national championship game. He wouldn’t be the Michael Huff we know. He would’ve been out of eligibility in 2005, leaving the Longhorns without ever beating Oklahoma and without the greatest season in Texas history.

Huff’s story has never felt more important, as Sarkisian lamented on the current world we live in.

“We live in a world right now of instant gratification. We’ve got players on our roster right now who are highly recruited, very good football players, who are in the developmental stage of their career,” Sarkisian said. “And the family back home, or the agent representing him, or the high school coach doesn’t know that. He’s just saying, ‘Billy’s not playing, I need to find a home where they’re going to play him.’

Texas brought in the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation in 2025, but just six of them suited up on offense or defense this past weekend. That meant eight top-150 recruits were not involved for the Longhorns.

In a time where the transfer portal has never been more popular, and where nearly every Power Four program has the finances to pull players away from Texas, it can be tempting to dash as soon as things don’t go their way. Inferior programs are more likely to guarantee early playing time.

Sarkisian knows it’s his job as a head coach to keep the locker room managed and to emphasize the idea that players aren’t finished products in their first two seasons at the program.

“We’ve got to manage our own locker room and not get so consumed with what’s going on outside,” Sarkisian said. “We’ve got a lot of really good players in our program. They aren’t there yet, but they’re going to be if we continue to pour into them and continue to develop them.”

It’s hard to fault Sarkisian’s tactics, even in a season many fans are unhappy with. Players like Huff and Jonathon Brooks are primary examples of the benefits of redshirting and waiting your turn. Opportunities will arise, and many of the players Sarkisian is speaking of will have the opportunity to make a large impact as Texas retools for the 2026 season.