11/17/2025 - An important date to remember

[Jaybird]

Morning everybody,

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Texas media—both adjacent and direct—this fired up. Winning does that. Between unrest, anger, disappointment, and just general exhaustion, @Bobby Burton made a solid point on Coffee and Football this morning: a lot of Texas fans sound like they’re moving through the seven stages of grief.

What bothers me is what the grief is actually about.

Is it grieving the death of playoff hopes? Because, while unlikely, ESPN still gives Texas roughly a 1-in-5 shot. To me, this “grief” feels deeper. I liken it to watching your facorite show start to lose it's luster/quality and then end (i.e. the Sopranos or insert yours).  Fans, alumni, and boosters have watched two years of high-level football get undercut by issues that were visible early in Sark’s tenure. Year one (of the good stretch) he had matchups fall in his favor—we got second-start Jalen Milroe in Tuscaloosa, we played in a “down” Big 12 and still managed to play one-score games despite massive talent edges, including a loss to OU. Last year followed a similar pattern, just against a better schedule.

That’s the rub. As the competition level has gone up, the performance has gone the other way, with this year being a clear indicator. Pair that with a recruiting class that feels top-heavy, and it points in a few different directions:

Status quo: this is just a down year.

Coaches are mentally checked out and waiting for the axe.

Or worse: Sark himself has one foot out the door.

I know the mods are preaching “pump the brakes,” and I respect that. But I can’t shake the feeling that Sark might pull a Chip Kelly—NFL, not Ohio State. And with Desmond Howard living in South Florida plus the Dolphins’ rumored frustration with McDaniel… who knows.

The bigger issue is this: people saying “just hire an OC” are missing the point. If that were an easy fix, then why hire Sark in the first place? He wasn’t brought here to be a detached CEO-type. He was hired because of his offense. If we suddenly don’t like that, then the real problem is much deeper. A leopard doesn’t change its spots, and asking a coach you hired for his offensive identity to abandon it is unrealistic.

The second major issue: fans calling for Sark to leave either weren’t around or forgot the last decade wandering through the desert. Knee-jerk reactions to losses are always worse than the loss itself, but Saturday’s felt justified. Still, wanting a coach gone without thinking through the consequences is ridiculous.

If Sark left, who exactly is the replacement?
– Marcus Freeman? An Ohio State alum who would bolt the second Day leaves for the NFL (and that’s very plausible if they lose to Michigan).
– Saban? No.
– Urban? Not reliable.
– Kiffin? Maybe, but doubtful, will probably be coaching in Baton Rouge, Gainesville, or Oxford; not Austin.
– Under the Radar Guy? Really want to go down that route right now? 

None of these are realistic. It’s all hypothetical anyway, but Sark’s body language, tone, and comments after the game genuinely felt like someone who’s exhausted with this whole thing. Hard to blame him based on everything above.

So where does that leave us?

Road One (My Preferred): Sark Stays

• No “real OC” hire. It’s not happening.
• Sark’s postseason audit focuses on fixing his own system and identifying why it isn’t translating to SEC-level games.
• Position coaches get evaluated honestly—upgrade or retain, no sentimentality.
• Attack the portal proactively, not reactively. Development matters, but never again should we rely on it in rooms short on production or experience.
• Biggest hope: some shifts in scheme/philosophy. For a guy who gameplans weekly like it’s the NFL, he sure clings to a system that stalls.

Road Two (Handbags and Hand Grenades)

• Sark leaves for the NFL.
• New coach, new staff.
• Player retention becomes unpredictable.
• Portal use skyrockets.
• Recruiting turns into pure guesswork.
• The entire program goes into flux.

Whatever actually happens, I think we’ll look back on yesterday as the moment the wheels started rolling down one of these two paths. 

Would love for other OTF members to contribute their thoughts. Sometimes the board feels so reliant on our great MODs to foster any dialogue amongst us. 

 

[jkates]

I think your post is a strong read on the mood of the fanbase, nothing too shocking, but I am not ready to assume Sark is burned out or halfway out the door. He has always worn losses on his sleeve, and he still recruits and coaches like someone fully committed.

Where I disagree a little is on the idea that asking Sark to give up play calling somehow negates the reason he was hired. Yes, he has a strong offensive pedigree. So did Ryan Day. So did Nick Saban and Kirby Smart on the defensive side. They eventually delegated some of their identity work because the program reached a stage where doing everything was no longer efficient.

Sark was hired to resurrect and redirect the program, rebuild the roster, and prepare Texas for the SEC. He accomplished that. Now we are in Phase Two. The expectation shifts from building the foundation to winning at a high level and sustaining it. If delegating play calling helps us make that jump, then that is not a betrayal of his identity. It is a natural evolution that elite coaches make when the demands of the job change.

I still agree with your bigger point. A full reset would be the worst possible outcome. The best path forward is likely for Sark to stay, adapt his approach, evaluate his staff honestly, and adjust the offense to the weekly reality of SEC competition.

I don't think yesterday was any special day or inflection point. This season is what it is. How he responds during this offseason will tell us exactly what the next few years of Texas football will look like.

Edited 1 hour ago by jkates

[4thandFive]

I don’t completely disagree, but my biggest highlight of what you’re saying is I don’t see Sark seeing the shortcomings. I don’t see him changing scheme. I don’t see him altering course. 
 

I honestly think that’s the foundation to be disenchanted with the whole thing. Sark believes in his system and has shown no signs it’s going to change.

 

Where’s the hope that the “see it and solve  it” we all want is even going to transpire?

[Alex Butler]

Keep sark, it’s been a tough year where we didn’t gel the way we all expected it to as soon as we hoped and some areas have drastically underperformed (OL and secondary). I think part of that is the turnover we had last spring in the secondary. Losing Gideon was tough because it forced a change in philosophy. I think the coaches are working to gel too and we’re seeing that.  OL is just disappointing at the left guard and all starts there and rolls down. I’m confident it will get fixed and we’ll be better for it. Patience is key especially during tough times. Don’t blow it up, lean in and push through to the other side and trust these guys hate losing way more than we do! 

[Burnt Orange Horn]

TL: DR

🤘🏻🤘🏼🤘🤘🏽🤘🏾🤘🏿

[Jaybird]

11 minutes ago, jkates said:

I think your post is a strong read on the mood of the fanbase, nothing too shocking, but I am not ready to assume Sark is burned out or halfway out the door. He has always worn losses on his sleeve, and he still recruits and coaches like someone fully committed.

Where I disagree a little is on the idea that asking Sark to give up play calling somehow negates the reason he was hired. Yes, he has a strong offensive pedigree. So did Ryan Day. So did Nick Saban and Kirby Smart on the defensive side. They eventually delegated some of their identity work because the program reached a stage where doing everything was no longer efficient.

Sark was hired to resurrect and redirect the program, rebuild the roster, and prepare Texas for the SEC. He accomplished that. Now we are in Phase Two. The expectation shifts from building the foundation to winning at a high level and sustaining it. If delegating play calling helps us make that jump, then that is not a betrayal of his identity. It is a natural evolution that elite coaches make when the demands of the job change.

I still agree with your bigger point. A full reset would be the worst possible outcome. The best path forward is likely for Sark to stay, adapt his approach, evaluate his staff honestly, and adjust the offense to the weekly reality of SEC competition.

I don't think yesterday was any special day or demarcation point. This season is what it is. How he responds during this offseason will tell us exactly what the next few years of Texas football will look like.

I see your point, but I disagree. Smart, Day, etc. don’t hold a candle to the perceived wunderkind status Sark has. He’s made it clear in his press conference that he’s not bringing in someone else to call plays. At this point, his identity is tied to it, so it is what it is.

I agree with almost everything else you said. He’s taken us to back-to-back CFP semifinals, but that’s a double-edged sword. From his perspective, that success—fair or not—came because he was the play caller. That’s the lens he’s operating from.

[Jaybird]

15 minutes ago, 4thandFive said:

Where’s the hope that the “see it and solve  it” we all want is even going to transpire?

If that's the case, we're all having the wrong conversation unfortunately. Still think he's a bright cat and wouldn't torpedo his career. He wants to end up in the NFL regardless of if it's this year or down the road. 

[GoHorns1]

The fans are being emotional not logical. Yes there are issues on the team and coaches performance. Nothing will happen until after the season when Sark and CDC have their after season evaluation.  Until then we must continue to support the team and  staff.

[4thandFive]

3 minutes ago, Jaybird said:

If that's the case, we're all having the wrong conversation unfortunately. Still think he's a bright cat and wouldn't torpedo his career. He wants to end up in the NFL regardless of if it's this year or down the road. 

I don’t doubt he’s “a bright cat,” but sometimes we all are blind to our own deficiencies. I hope he sees them and is more aware of changes than we assume. He probably is; it’s not like I’m anything more than a  dumb fan whose job has nothing to do with football or sports.

 

I do think he’s likely headed to the NFL at some point. I just didn’t figure it’d be until Arch was gone. Now…I don’t know. 

[Jaybird]

1 minute ago, 4thandFive said:

I don’t doubt he’s “a bright cat,” but sometimes we all are blind to our own deficiencies.

Bingo! I'll say, the self-scouting at Texas has been majorl6y deficient and that's coming from a guy sitting in an office typing on a computer lol. 

If memory serves, Baxter was the starter of the Bama 2023, averaged 2.8 YPC. Brooks on the other hand, 4.1 YPC. That always seemed odd to me even going into that game why he was ahead, and I know Saban said he was the best back they played (pass pro, etc.) but on field production at your position matter too. 

[Here for the Wins]

If we hired Sark because of his OC pedigree, then that’s likely a poor choice.  It’s that pedigree that gets his name in the hat, but his main purpose always was and should be overall program management.

[Jaybird]

13 minutes ago, Here for the Wins said:

If we hired Sark because of his OC pedigree, then that’s likely a poor choice.  It’s that pedigree that gets his name in the hat, but his main purpose always was and should be overall program management.

Agreed, but at the time let's not forget that he had not been a head coach in a while and his overall management was hit or miss depending on the outlook you take at his previous stops. IMO he was hired because of his offense. I'd argue that it was right up there with being a manager. If that was the big purpose, I am sure there were more proven candidates at the time. 

[Here for the Wins]

2 minutes ago, Jaybird said:

Agreed, but at the time let's not forget that he had not been a head coach in a while and his overall management was hit or miss depending on the outlook you take at his previous stops. IMO he was hired because of his offense. I'd argue that it was right up there with being a manager. If that was the big purpose, I am sure there were more proven candidates at the time. 

Maybe.  I assumed he gave an excellent interview regarding program management with significant discussion regarding learning from Carroll and Saban but also talk of his previous failures and how he has and plans to overcome those.  And certainly lots of talk about offense and offensive philosophy.  He has been pretty on point on certain elements of program management too so that shouldn’t get lost.