Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ex-Texas Coach Reveals Why He Is Envious of Steve Sarkisian

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By J.C. Shelton | Last updated May 18, 2025 5:22 PM ET

Steve Sarkisian has risen to national prominence as head coach at Texas after leading the Longhorns to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances.

The former acclaimed offensive coordinator wasn't always considered a winner.

His first head coaching role came with the Washington Huskies, a five-year stint that featured one bowl win and a 34-29 record.

Sarkisian's brief stop with the USC Trojans got off to a hot start with a 9-4 season. But he was fired five games into his second season with USC due to questionable behavior.

Those failures seem to be long gone, though, after Sarkisian revived his career as a coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide before taking the role at Texas.

While the two playoff runs failed to result in a national championship shot, it feels like it's only a matter of time before that feat is accomplished.

Sarkisian's offensive expertise and recruiting prowess aside, his poise with the media is especially notable to former Longhorns assistant Les Koenning, who was asked what Sarkisian has at Texas that could make other coaches envious.

"If you ever get the chance to see and and watch Steve Sarkisian on TV, he does a tremendous job of explaining stuff and he's pretty upfront and outright with everything," Koenning said via "On Texas Football." "And that's pretty impressive as a coach, because most coaches don't want to tell you the truth."

Koenning, a former Longhorns wide receiver, began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1981 before returning to Texas to coach receivers for the 2014 season.

"You're very envious of that when you look at him as a coach, because he's just, watching him on ... his interviews and stuff, he's polished," Koenning said. "He's somebody that represents university very, very well. And of course, he's winning. Winning cures a lot of things."

Sarkisian's run at Texas shouldn't be coming to an end anytime soon.

The playoff-contender Longhorns are coming off securing the nation's top recruiting class and are expected to be on of the top teams in the nation behind the arm of quarterback phenom Arch Manning.

The 2025 season will open in a big way, as Texas will visit the Ohio State Buckeyes in a rematch from the Cotton Bowl semifinal on Aug. 30.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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