Steve Sarkisian speaks at Houston Touchdown Club: Live Thread

[Gerry Hamilton]

Coach Sark is speaking at 11:30 at the Houston Touchdown Club luncheon

Jeff Howe and myself are here, and will the thread

[Gerry Hamilton]

[Gerry Hamilton]

Texas staff on the road recruiting 

[Gerry Hamilton]

Sark talking about home visits in the spring evaluation process … and how the HC isn’t really part of that anymore 

[Gerry Hamilton]

Sark said focus for the staff recruiting this week is “hammering” the state of Texas 

Then will go hit out of state schools next week … spring practice begins next week in Florida and Georgia - for the most part 

[Gerry Hamilton]

Sark talking about winning championships with big humans on both sides of the ball 

[Gerry Hamilton]

Sark said Quinn was never going to the portal to grad more NIL money at a different school.

He wanted to have a legacy as a Texas Longhorns QB 

[Jeff Howe]

The banquet portion of the event has started.

[Jeff Howe]

Sark is telling a story about how a commercial for the new Madden/College Football crossover featuring Texas puts into perspective how far the program has come in a few years.

[Jeff Howe]

Just now, Jeff Howe said:

Sark is telling a story about how a commercial for the new Madden/College Football crossover featuring Texas puts into perspective how far the program has come in a few years.

Sark said he and Arch Manning opted out of the EA Sports photoshoot for the game, which was held at the Rose Bowl.

[Jeff Howe]

Sark said he's happy with making the CFP semifinals two years in a row, but, "I came here to win championships," he said. "I told you that's why I came here and we need to get it done."

[Jeff Howe]

Sark on Houston: "This is a huge fertile ground for us in recruiting."

[Jeff Howe]

Sark on replacing good coaches with other good coaches: "Our job has become very attractive."

[Jeff Howe]

When Sark got the job, there were 32 Longhorns active in the NFL. They've sent 28 players to the league in the last four years."

[Jeff Howe]

Sark: "How are you going to replace those 12 draft picks? That's what recruiting and development are all about."

[Jeff Howe]

Sark mentioned, as he did in the press conference, how the 2023 recruiting is full of guys who won state championships in high school. Arch Manning, Anthony Hill Jr., Liona Lefau and Manny Muhammad are among them.

[Jeff Howe]

"No one in our building thought that way," Sark said regarding the perception that Texas would struggle in the SEC.

[Jeff Howe]

Sark said the mentality within the football program is a Bruce Lee-like mindset. You don't fear the man who can perform 10,000 kicks; you fear the man who has performed one kick 10,000 times because you know he'll land it.

[Jeff Howe]

Sark is mentioning once again how Jonah Williams "looks like Juan Soto out there," playing baseball for the Longhorns

[Jeff Howe]

Establishing depth through highly competitive practices is a huge thing Sark is emphasizing in 2025. Everything Texas is doing with Sark eyeing a a 16 or 17-game season.

[Jeff Howe]

Sark: "Arch had a great spring."

[Jeff Howe]

On Colin Simmons and Anthony Hill Jr.: "Why do you think our pass defense numbers have gotten better and better? Our ability to get after the quarterback is critical to our success."

[Jeff Howe]

Getting CJ Baxter back will help Texas get back to running the football the way they want, Sark said.

[Jeff Howe]

They're looking for the "big play element" in the passing game.

[Jeff Howe]

Sark: "It's going to take all three phases to go win a national championship."