Sarkisian to NFL? Texas coach, agents shut down reported interest

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and his representatives are shooting down the potential of him leaving the Longhorns for an NFL job.

Speculation on Sarkisian’s future was raised when Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on Saturday, Oct. 25 hat his representatives ‘let NFL decision-makers’ know he would be interested in head coaching openings, notably the Tennessee Titans. The Titans fired Brian Callahan on Oct. 13 after a 1-3 start to the season.

The report was a talking point in the morning of Week 9 as Texas prepared for its road matchup at Mississippi State. However, Sarkisian’s agents Jimmy Sexton and Ed Marynowitz put out a statement shooting down any potential jump to the NFL prior to the game.

‘Any reports regarding communications on coaching opportunities with NFL teams are patently false and wildly inaccurate. Sark is solely focused on coaching the University of Texas football team,’ Sexton and Marynowitz said in a statement.

Steve Sarkisian: Report ‘pisses me off’

Sarkisian was asked about the report after Texas’ overtime win against Mississippi State and was visibly upset by it.

‘It really pisses me off that one person can make a report that the entire media sports world runs with as factual to the point where my agency has to put a statement out that they’ve never done,’ Sarkisian said. ‘I thought it was absolutely ridiculous.

‘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.’

While it certainly raised eyebrows, the reported news comes as the 2025 season has been a disappointing start for the Longhorns. The No. 1 team in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, Texas was expected to be a College Football Playoff favorite with Arch Manning at quarterback.

However, Texas lost it season opener to Ohio State and Manning has struggled in his first season as full-time starter. The Longhorns lost to Florida on Oct. 4, but have won two consecutive games since then to move to 5-2, including a win over top-10 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry.

Sarkisian is in his fifth season as coach of Texas. He has taken them to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances, appearing in the semifinal of both postseasons. He has a 43-19 record with the Longhorns entering Oct. 25.

Sarkisian had a brief stint in the NFL, spending two seasons as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in 2017-18.