"I had a chance to coach Julio Jones": Steve Sarkisian spills strategy to take down Jeremiah Smith in Ohio State faceoff

Steve Sarkisian is heading into the 2025 season with bigger goals after multiple heartbreaks in the playoff in the last two years. Despite having some of the elite players in the country, he struggled to create turnovers and gain momentum during clutch moments.

The Longhorns will face Ryan Day and Ohio State in the season opener, hoping for revenge for their College Football playoff semifinal loss. Players like Jeremiah Smith, who can make plays deep inside the opponent’s territory, are expected to pose a major challenge to Texas' defense.

While talking about the game plan to tackle athletes like Smith, Sarkisian shared the example of Julio Jones.

The veteran coach mentioned that he had an opportunity to train Jones during his time at Atlanta. Fans can expect a similar strategy when Smith takes to the field as Day's most lethal weapon, tied up with Julian Sayin.

“I had a chance to coach Julio Jones for two years. Reminds me a lot of him, so big and physical, but yet fast,” Sarkisian said on Thursday (03:40), via "The Herd with Colin Cowherd." "You see that just the ability to make contested catches, I do think at the end of the day that's where your attention needs to be.

“They got really good coaches. He's going to be moving around. He's not going to be lining up in one position all the time. Ideally, you've got multiple people with eyes on him and guarding him, but you can't. You still have to play great team defense.”

Steve Sarkisian unfazed about playing young roster in 2025

This upcoming season, the Longhorns will have a lot of young players, while having one of the toughest schedules in the Southeastern Conference.

They will travel almost 10,000 miles across the country to face their opponents. In circumstances like these, it is traditionally advised to have veterans who have had similar experience in the past.

However, Steve Sarkisian believes in his team's training, saying that the players were well trained for such conditions this offseason. The dynamics of football have changed drastically, and veterans like DJ Campbell are still leading the team.

With Arch Manning at the helm, many are expecting Texas to win at least 12 games in 2025.