Steve Sarkisian Sounds Off on Rumors He Could Leave Texas After Titans Buzz

Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian emphatically denied rumors he is considering leaving the Longhorns in order to coach in the NFL.

Sarkisian opened an SEC coaches teleconference on Wednesday by telling reporters he would like to address something "that has been bothering me now over the past few weeks" (h/t On3's Inside Texas).

"That is that people are reporting, that are insinuating, that there's a possibility I could leave the University of Texas, and that is absolutely false and untrue," Sarkisian said. "I'm not going anywhere."

Sarkisian continued, "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. 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."

The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported on Oct. 25 that Sarkisian's representatives had "let NFL decision makers know that he would be interested in potential head coaching openings," including with the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans fired Brian Callahan on Oct. 13 and have since gone 0-4 under interim head coach Mike McCoy.

CAA agents Jimmy Sexton and Ed Marynowitz said in a statement shared hours after the publication of Russini's report that it was "patently false and wildly inaccurate" to say Sarkisian had been in communication with any NFL teams.

Sarkisian later said he was angry the rumor had spread "to the point where my agency has to put a statement out that they've never done."

Sarkisian expanded on his desire to stay with in Austin on Wednesday by noting that his son, Longhorns linebacker Brady Sarkisian, and his daughter, Texas law school student Ashley Sarkisian, are both attending the university.

He added that he hopes his daughter Taylor will attend Texas next year, and that he and his wife, Loreal, had just welcomed a baby in April.

"This is our home," Sarkisian said.

Sarkisian went on to criticize the reporting surrounding his potential connection to NFL jobs.

"Can we please stop putting things out there that you have absolutely zero evidence on? Can we please stop retweeting and putting it back out there as if it's true? As if it's the gospel?" Sarkisian asked, per Inside Texas. "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. 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."

Before the start of the 2025 season, Sarkisian received a raise and extension that brought his current contract with the Longhorns through 2031.

He is making $10.8 million this season, ranking him fifth among all college football coaches profiled by USA Today.

After making it as far as the College Football Playoff semifinal last winter before losing to eventual champion Ohio State, the Longhorns are on track to miss the playoff in 2025 after falling to 7-3 with last Saturday's loss to No. 4 Georgia.

That slide out of playoff contention apparently hasn't impacted Sarkisian's plans to continue leading the Longhorns into what could be a second season with Arch Manning in 2026.