Steve Sarkisian Makes Bold Yet Irrefutable Statement About Texas Longhorns Football

The Texas Longhorns finished the 2025 recruiting cycle with the top-ranked class in the country, and with 15 commits so far in 2026, two of whom are five-star prospects, they have started to gain momentum with this class as well.

In his appearance on the most recent episode of the “3rd and Longhorn” show, head coach Steve Sarkisian explained why he believes that the Forty Acres is the best place in the country to play college football.

“"I honestly think this is the best place in the country to come play football at. I firmly believe that, and I think we have the stats, the nuances and the information to back that up," Sarkisian said. "Who’s the one school that's gone to back-to-back college football playoffs, back-to-back semifinals? Who’s the one school their first year in the SEC that went to the SEC Championship game? Who has the most draft picks in the NFL draft over the last two years?... Who has last year signed the best class in the country, the year before that a top-three class in the country, the year before that a top-five recruiting class in the country?”

What’s next for Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns

As Sarkisian prepares to embrace his fifth season with the Longhorns, he has played an integral role in most of the accomplishments that he listed above. However, Texas has yet to secure a title during his time at the helm. 

This goal remains one that many believe the Longhorns are within striking distance of, but in the meantime, convincing people to buy into Texas as a program continues to be a priority. 

One way in which Sarkisian believes his program has an edge on others revolves around the city of Austin itself. Austin is one of the largest cities with no NFL, NBA or MLB team, which creates more opportunities for Longhorn athletes to dominate in terms of endorsements and brand deals. 

Sarkisian also indicated on "3rd and Longhorn" that his support for the university where he works at is comprehensive, with academics making up a large portion of the appeal. The school ranks highly on multiple lists of top public universities, and Forbes Magazine named Texas to their list of “New Ivies” in 2024.

“Name another school who’s getting compared to Harvard, Yale and Princeton, but on the flipside is getting compared to Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama on the football field,” he said.

At the end of the day, recruits’ decisions and the Longhorns’ final record will more accurately demonstrate where this program is at, but the school and the team has Sarkisian’s expression of support across several areas.