"He comes from that Nick Saban coaching tree": CFB insider spills Steve Sarkisian's strategy to reload with talents like Arch Manning

Steve Sarkisian is one of the many high-profile talents that legendary coach Nick Saban has helped during his illustrious career. Sarkisian’s stints at Alabama in 2016 and 2019 proved significant, and he often credits Saban for his success. Texas Longhorns insider Anwar Richardson believes the experience has made coaches like Sarkisian prepare for the worst.

Coaches from the Saban tree are always recruiting and finding ways to build their roster. Something that Richardson said is the secret recipe behind Texas's success over the years.

“He comes from that Nick Saban coaching tree, which is you lose guys in your place guys," Richardson said to Paul Finebaum on Tuesday. "And, you know, that's where he's trying to get this program to be, where it's not just we lost guys and now you're falling off a cliff."

"That's what happened with Texas. For many years, they would lose a guy here and there, and you just wonder to yourself, can they survive? But they went heavy in their transfer portal.”

Fourteen players from the program left for the NFL this year, but the void doesn't seem to be there as the Texas Longhorns coach has already filled the spots with players like Arch Manning, top transfers and high school recruits from across the country.

“They got a bunch of defensive tackles out the portal, so they've kind of feel like they're stacked at that at that position," Richardson said. "They've got a guy by the name of Colin Simmons on the edge, who's probably one of the best guys that's going to be on this defense. They've got Anthony Hill, another former five-star, at linebacker. They're good and loaded at the defensive back position.

"You know, you lose a guy like Kelvin Banks in the first round. Lose a guy like Cam Williams, he gets drafted. You know, what do they do? They got a good guy at the left tackle position by the name of Trevor Groosby, who looked very good when he was out there.”

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Steve Sarkisian made a major recruitment move this week

Even before the 2025 season begins, Texas has begun its recruitment for the 2027 cycle. According to reports, they have offered four-star prospect Kenton Dopson, who is a hard commit to the Miami Hurricanes. The cornerback is ranked No. 8 in the country by 247 Sports and stands at No. 60 overall in his class.

This is the level at which the Longhorns are building their roster with prolonged ambitions. Thus, missing players to the draft or transfer portal doesn't harm Texas much compared to other programs.