"I tap into some of the Nick Saban-ism”: Texas HC Steve Sarkisian opens up about taking inspiration from former Alabama HC

With seven national championship titles under his belt, Nick Saban is known as one of the greatest college football coaches. Tapping into some of his wisdom, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian recently spoke about maintaining the team's culture, as he's entering his fourth year with the Longhorns.

Sarkisian said (via The Late Kick with Josh Pate podcast):

"I tap into some of the Nick Saban-isms of the his kind of stuff because it was really impactful on me. But you know, if you remember him, he always talked about the process. And I don't really speak in it in that term." (2:25)

"But when you when you frame the question that way, like we're not result oriented, you know, the byproduct of a really good culture, the byproduct of recruiting, you know, really well highly, highly talented kids, the byproduct of never sacrificing character for talent in the people you bring into the organization."

After a rocky start with the program in 2021 and 2022, Texas had an impressive 12-2 score in the 2023 season, marking their first playoff appearance.

After beating Nick Saban's Alabama in a 34-24 showdown in Week 2, Steve Sarkisian's crew will carry the confidence in the 16-team SEC conference while being one of the favorites to win the national championship title.

---

Steve Sarkisian on Arch Manning's decision to not enter the transfer portal

Steve Sarkisian on Arch Manning's transfer portal chatter

Arch Manning is one of the most popular quarterbacks in the current times. From being benched through most of the 2023 season to his electrifying performance during the 2024 spring game, Manning surely knows how to keep his fans on edge.

While many expected the 19-year-old to enter the transfer portal and possibly land a starting job, some appreciate his loyalty and resilience toward the program.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian weighed in on the chatter around Manning's decision to stay at Texas, saying:

"I get a chuckle out of this everyone's praising Arch for staying at Texas. He's going into year two, what do you mean? But that's the that's the mentality, our locker room is not a whole lot different than everybody else's, but that's mentality."

"Good for Arch he's sticking it out with Texas in year two. And I'm like, 'Hey, that's part of the process like we're developing him to play, be a great football player, and a great leader and he's going to be worked like that,' but that's where we're at."