The Texas Longhorns staged a wild comeback to beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs 45-38 in overtime, but their head coach had to deal with something beyond the scenes. Reports linking Steve Sarkisian to NFL opportunities surfaced hours before kickoff, forcing his agents to issue a denial and setting up a tense postgame response.
Sarkisian didn't hold back when asked about the speculation, expressing his anger at how quickly the media ran with unverified information, as reported by Austin American-Statesman writer Danny Davison on social media.
“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,” Sarkisian told On Texas Football's CJ Vogel.
The coach didn't stop there, making his frustration clear.
“I had to do that to protect my locker room and my team. I thought it was absolutely ridiculous,” Sarkisian noted. “I thought it was completely unprofessional of that person to put that report out, and the fact that everybody ran with it is borderline embarrassing for the media.”
The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported that Sarkisian would be interested in head-coaching opportunities, with the vacant Tennessee Titans position explicitly mentioned as an option after the team fired Brian Callahan following a 1-5 start.
His agents, Jimmy Sexton and Ed Marynowitz, released a statement through Creative Artists Agency social media accounts calling the reports “patently false and wildly inaccurate.” They emphasized that Sarkisian is focused solely on coaching the University of Texas football team.
Any potential move would face significant financial obstacles. Sarkisian's deal runs through 2031 with a salary exceeding $10 million annually, placing him among college football's highest-paid coaches. The buyout structure creates major financial hurdles for any departure, with Texas owing roughly $60.3 million if he were terminated in December.
The rumors couldn't overshadow what happened on the field in Starkville. The Longhorns improved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in SEC play after erasing a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit. Quarterback Arch Manning threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns before exiting in overtime with an apparent injury. Backup Matthew Caldwell entered and threw a 10-yard touchdown to Emmett Mosley V on his second snap to seal the victory.
Texas hosts the Vanderbilt Commodores on Nov. 1 before a pivotal trip to the Georgia Bulldogs on Nov. 15. The season finale against the Texas A&M Aggies on Nov. 28 could determine SEC championship hopes, making Sarkisian's commitment to Austin more important than any NFL whispers.
