With rumors swirling about him and his coaching situation at the University of Texas, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the matter head-on during an SEC Coaches Teleconference call on Wednesday.
Sarkisian, who has led Texas to a 7-3 overall record, 4-2 in SEC play this season, has been unhappy with some statements put out by different media members about his status with the program.
What Did Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian Say?
In no uncertain terms, Sarkisian simply stated that he’s staying at Texas.
“I’ve had no discussions, not with my agent, not with the university, not with any other school, not with any NFL team about ever going anywhere else,” Sarkisian said. But his comments were not just about talks with his agent, Jimmy Sexton.
Steve Sarkisian opens the SEC Coaches Teleconference with comments on his status at Texas: “I’d like to comment something before I get into our team that has been bothering me now over the past few weeks. That is people reporting that are insinuating that there’s a possibility I…
— Inside Texas (@InsideTexas) November 19, 2025
“I’m not going anywhere,” Sarkisian continued. “Never do I do this because I never want to be a distraction, so I never address these things. At this point, I feel like this is important that I do this because it’s important for our team. It’s important for our university.”
Sarkisian is trying to get his Longhorns, who are now at No. 17 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings that came out Tuesday night, in a better position record-wise. Texas has two regular-season games left on its 2025 schedule, both home games against Arkansas and Texas A&M.
In his thorough comments, Sarkisian said that he has two kids enrolled at Texas, one in law school and one on the Longhorns’ football team. He added that he and his wife had just had a child and that Austin, Texas, is their home.
Sarkisian also mentioned that he’s led the Longhorns to two College Football Playoff appearances, won the Big 12 Championship in the school’s last season in the conference, and went to the SEC Championship in Texas’ first year in the SEC.
“Can we please stop putting things out there that you have absolutely zero evidence on?” Sarkisian said. “Can we please stop retweeting and putting it back out there as if it’s true? As if it’s the gospel? It is not true. If you have a question about my future, call me or call Chris Del Conte, our athletic director, and we can set the record straight for you so everybody understands.”
ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard and NFL reporter Dianna Russini of The Athletic have either insinuated or pointedly said that Sarkisian might be looking to move on from Texas in some recent comments. Sarkisian might have been aiming some of his comments toward Howard on Wednesday.
“So moving forward, when some Joe Blow decides to put something on social media out there, we all don’t run with it like it’s the gospel,” Sarkisian continued. “Can we all agree on that on this call?
“If you have a question about my future with the University of Texas, ask me on one of these calls,” he said. “Ask Chris Del Conte. He’ll be more than happy to take your call so that we can set the record straight and so we can focus on our football team, which is what we should be doing. Everybody good with that?”
According to the PFSN CFB Offense Impact metrics, Texas has a 76.7 CFB Offense Impact Score with quarterback Arch Manning leading the Longhorns’ offense. The Longhorns grade out to a C at this time.
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With his lengthy comments on Wednesday, Sarkisian hopes that all the chatter about him leaving the Longhorns’ football program will come to an end. Sarkisian has been at Texas for five seasons and has a solid contract with the school at this time. He’s put together a 45-20 record at this point with the Longhorns.
At this point, the Longhorns need to win their final two games, probably in convincing fashion, for any potential hopes of rising in the College Football Playoff Rankings.