Steve Sarkisian says Texas called players-only meeting

Sep 3, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the game against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks in the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Texas was hoping to turn things around this season after a disappointing first year under Steve Sarkisian, but the results have not been great thus far. The head coach said his players are feeling a sense of urgency coming off another tough loss.

Sarkisian told reporters on Thursday that he is proud of the way his team has responded after their 37-34 overtime loss to Texas Tech last weekend. He said there was a players-only meeting on Tuesday to discuss some issues the Longhorns have had.

“What I was proud of with those guys was coming out of the ballgame last week, Monday they had a leadership council meeting. Then Tuesday morning, they had a player-only meeting where the leadership committee addressed some of the things that I talked about where we can improve,” Sarkisian said, as transcribed by Joe Cook of On3. “I thought that was a great sign they were willing to take that initiative and do that.”

Sarkisian then spoke about the importance of his team ignoring outside criticism and overreaction.

“I think the noise around our team is the sky is falling and ‘what happened to Texas’ and ‘we’re not very good,'” Sarkisian said. “We’re still a pretty good team, things just didn’t quite go the way we wanted them to go.”

Texas hired Sarkisian hoping he can help put the Longhorns back on the map. The team went 5-7 last season, but there have been some positive signs this year. They lost to No. 1 Alabama on a late field goal a few weeks ago, though Sarkisian was quick to shut down the moral victory talk.

If Texas has another losing season, fans are not going to be patient with Sarkisian. That pressure is felt throughout the program. For now, the coach insists his team is doing a good job of handling it.