OTF Premium OTF on the Road: Steve Sarkisian's keynote address at the THSCA Convention

[Jeff Howe]

SAN ANTONIO — The final day of the Texas High School Coaches Association’s annual convention and coaching school is marked by the keynote address, delivered by a college head coach.

This year, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian will speak to the high school coaches gathered inside San Antonio’s Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Tuesday.

On Texas Football is onsite to hear Sarkisian’s remarks with 39 standing between the Longhorns and the 2025 season opener against reigning national champion Ohio State.

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[Jeff Howe]

Nick Saban, Kirby Smart and Lincoln Riley are some of the coaches who've given the keynote address in recent years. I like that the THSCA has moved to having an FBS coach from within the state give the keynote address.

[Jeff Howe]

I'll add that Sark has been proactive in working with the THSCA. While there's a lot of clamoring for Sark to recruit more players from within the state, Sark hasn't been shy about pointing out it's a two-way street, and the THSCA has been receptive to him, from what I've been told.

[Jeff Howe]

The CEO of Hudl is speaking right now. A good throwback moment for me to mentioning how the only way to get game film and highlights was to travel the state and get a DVD from the high school staff.

I've got a few early 2010s DVDs of Longhorn recruits in a storage bin in my office. I'd dig them out, but I don't have a DVD player.

[Jeff Howe]

Just as good, if not better attendance for Sark's address than the FBS coaches panel on Sunday.

[Jeff Howe]

Austin Vandegrift coach Drew Sanders is introducing Sark. Coach Sanders is a great guy.

[Jeff Howe]

Sark's work at Texas is praised by the THSCA for the Longhorns' "NFL development and top-tier performances on both sides of the ball

[Jeff Howe]

Sark goes back to his opening press conference when he was hired, telling the high school coaches that the Texas program, "is your program."

[Jeff Howe]

Sark praises the Texas high school coaches for producing 19 of the 23 draft picks the Longhorns have produced over the last two years.

[Jeff Howe]

Sark tells the coaches that now isn't the time to throw their hands in the air amid the game's changing landscape.

"We can't step away," he said.

[Jeff Howe]

Sark: "The programs in the state of Texas right now, they're at an all-time high."

Sark even said Texas A&M "is in the best hands its been in a long time with Mike Elko."

[Jeff Howe]

Sark: “When your kids come play for us, we’re more invested in them than they if they went out of the state.”

[Jeff Howe]

Sark was blown away recently when he called the coach of a high-level recruit in the state of Texas who was getting ready to make a decision and the coach didn’t know anything regarding the decision.

[Jeff Howe]

Sark said it’s going to be better in the long run if Texas kids stay within the state to play college football.

[Jeff Howe]

Just now, Jeff Howe said:

Sark said it’s going to be better in the long run if Texas kids stay within the state to play college football.

And he’s not just talking about kids picking the Longhorns. He said there are too many good FBS programs in Texas for kids to go outside of the state.

[Jeff Howe]

Sark’s clinic talk is going to be on leadership. He starts talking about how Pete Carroll and Nick Saban are the two biggest influences on his coaching career.

[Jeff Howe]

Sark: “You have to fail and you have to learn from your failures.”

[Jeff Howe]

Sark said he was 33 years old when he got the Washington job, “and I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.”

[Jeff Howe]

1 minute ago, Jeff Howe said:

Sark’s clinic talk is going to be on leadership. He starts talking about how Pete Carroll and Nick Saban are the two biggest influences on his coaching career.

Sark: “If I try to be one of those two guys, I’m going to fail.”

[Jeff Howe]

One quote Sark lives by is something Sean McVay told him a few years ago: “Are the habits you have today on par with the dreams you have for tomorrow?”

[Jeff Howe]

Sark: “There’s no filter or photoshop for energy.”

[Jeff Howe]

Attitude is such a key piece of the Texas culture and how Sark leads.

[Jeff Howe]

Sark: “Who you are some of the time is who you are all of the time.”

[Jeff Howe]

Just now, Jeff Howe said:

Sark: “Who you are some of the time is who you are all of the time.”

Sark is now getting into the culture problem Texas had during his first season.

[Jeff Howe]