Source: Steve Sarkisian agrees to new contract with Texas

A little more than a week after its College Football Playoff season ended, Texas has agreed to a new contract with Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian, a source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Saturday, confirming information. The sides reached agreement Friday evening on a deal that includes an extension.

A source told ESPN that it’s a seven-year deal for Sarkisian, 50, that adds a year to his deal and makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.

The Longhorns, in their first season in the SEC, advanced to the title game and won two CFP playoff games, against Clemson and Arizona State, before being eliminated by Ohio State last Friday in the Cotton Bowl.

Texas played close against Ohio State before a late fumble return increased the Buckeyes’ lead to 14 points. When all was said and done, Sarkisian said being the last SEC team in the playoffs in his first year in the league was something the Longhorns were proud of.

“I truly believe this is a premier soccer conference in America because of the weekly toll it requires physically and mentally,” Sargsyan said. “I know that unfortunately for Georgia, they lost their starting quarterback in the SEC championship game, and I’m sure other teams in our conference have had to endure things that can take a toll on your team , and that’s not an excuse on the day, we have to find a way to make our way, but to be here on this stage and get back to the final four wearing that SEC patch on our jersey, we’re going to do. our best to represent it because it is a what a great conference.”

Sarkisian arrived at Texas in 2021 after serving as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama during his previous stop. As a head coach previously at Washington and USC, combined with his time at Texas, he is 84-52 overall. With the Longhorns, he is 38-17 and won the Big 12 title last season.

Texas will begin next season with a rematch against Ohio State on August 30 in Columbus, Ohio. In this game against the Buckeyes, the likely starter under center for Sarkisian will be Arch Manning, who backed up Quinn Ewers for two seasons and will soon have the chance to headline what will be one of the most successful quarterback situations. most anticipated in recent memory. The nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning and grandson of Archie Manning arrived in Texas as ESPN’s No. 5 recruit in the 2023 class.

Arch Manning saw more playing time this season while Ewers was dealing with an injury, and he completed 61 of 90 passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns. He also showed great playmaking ability as a runner, breaking off a 67-yard run against UTSA and averaging 4.2 yards per carry.

News of the deal was first reported by The Action Network.