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HOUSTON — Ahead of last Friday's Texas-Texas A&M baseball game, Longhorns football coach Steve Sarkisian was tasked with throwing the ceremonial first pitch at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Throwing to freshman outfielder Jonah Williams — who's also one of Sarkisian's five-star football recruits — Sarkisian zipped a pitch that was clocked at 58 mph. For a 51-year-old, that's not bad. But for someone who once played college baseball at USC and El Camino College before he became a star quarterback for BYU, Sarkisian wasn't that impressed.
"I was a little disappointed," Sarkisian assessed on Monday at the Bayou City Event Center. "It was more of a two-strike pitch. I had to kind of paint the black a little bit, had a little movement on it. I was throwing a little harder in warmups."
MORE:Will Matthew Golden break Texas' long drought of NFL Pro Bowl receivers? | Golden
On Monday, Sarkisian was making a different kind of pitch. Speaking at an annual luncheon hosted by the Touchdown Club of Houston, the Texas coach pitched fans on the Longhorns and their upcoming season.
Speaking in a crowded room, he reflected on the 2024 season and previewed the season ahead. He said the Longhorns' time is coming. He even shared that he and quarterback Arch Manning had turned down a chance to appear on the cover of EA Sports' popular College Football 26 video game.
Sarkisian also answered questions from the audience.
Will Arch Manning declare for the NFL draft after this season?
"I hope he's got a really hard decision to make on about Jan. 21," Sarkisian said. "That means we played for a long time; that means he probably had a really good season."
What about that young offensive line?
"I would say maybe we're inexperienced," Sarkisian answered.
And that failed second-and-goal call against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl?
"I own that," Sarkisian said. "It didn't work out the way we would have liked it to do, but I own it as a play-caller and then as a head coach, too."
Sarkisian didn't just speak about his current players. During a pre-luncheon press conference with media members, he noted that the Longhorns had a modern-day record 12 players selected in the NFL draft. He reveled in the sight of seeing UT players Matthew Golden and Barryn Sorrell taken by the Packers while attending the draft in Green Bay. He discussed the prospects of Houston-area products Kelvin Banks Jr., who was taken by the New Orleans Saints, and Jaydon Blue, drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.
And there also was time to speak about QB1.
On Saturday, former UT quarterback Quinn Ewers was drafted by Miami in the seventh round. The slide to the 231st overall pick came as a surprise to many since Ewers was rated the No. 5 quarterback prospect in this draft class by NFL.com.
Since Ewers had a season of eligibility left, a conversation arose over the weekend about whether he should have played another season of college football. In order to enter the draft, he reportedly turned down an offer to enter the transfer portal that would have netted millions of NIL dollars.
Sarkisian said he feels Miami is a "great fit" for Ewers since the Dolphins' system is similar to the one used by Texas and because the team has offensive weapons. He also weighed in on the discussion about the decision made by Ewers, who was his starting quarterback at Texas the past three years.
"I also think it's ironic in that so many things are written and talked about the players from a negative standpoint (who) transfer schools or stay in school to take more money," Sarkisian said. "But all of a sudden, here's a guy that said I wanted to leave a legacy at Texas and I wanted to go play in the NFL, and now they're knocking him for not taking the money in college. I don't know which side of the fence everybody sits on on that, but in the end, I think it just speaks to the character of him, of what he believed in and what he stood for.
"Nobody wanted to win a national championship more than Quinn on our team the last couple years. And I don't think anybody felt it more than he did when we didn't beat Ohio State. ... In the end, it wasn't about going to another school. It's about the next part of the journey in his career and in his life, and that was going to the NFL. He's got a good opportunity in front of him. Now it's time to go make the most of it."
Sarkisian also shared that Ewers never took any money from the Texas One Fund during his time at Texas. All of the quarterback's NIL earnings were raised off his name, image and likeness.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas football's Steve Sarkisian talks Quinn Ewers, team, transfers
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Throwing to freshman outfielder Jonah Williams — who's also one of Sarkisian's five-star football recruits — Sarkisian zipped a pitch that was clocked at 58 mph. For a 51-year-old, that's not bad. But for someone who once played college baseball at USC and El Camino College before he became a star quarterback for BYU, Sarkisian wasn't that impressed.
"I was a little disappointed," Sarkisian assessed on Monday at the Bayou City Event Center. "It was more of a two-strike pitch. I had to kind of paint the black a little bit, had a little movement on it. I was throwing a little harder in warmups."
MORE:Will Matthew Golden break Texas' long drought of NFL Pro Bowl receivers? | Golden
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Sarkisian speaks at Houston Touchdown Club
On Monday, Sarkisian was making a different kind of pitch. Speaking at an annual luncheon hosted by the Touchdown Club of Houston, the Texas coach pitched fans on the Longhorns and their upcoming season.
Speaking in a crowded room, he reflected on the 2024 season and previewed the season ahead. He said the Longhorns' time is coming. He even shared that he and quarterback Arch Manning had turned down a chance to appear on the cover of EA Sports' popular College Football 26 video game.
Sarkisian also answered questions from the audience.
Will Arch Manning declare for the NFL draft after this season?
"I hope he's got a really hard decision to make on about Jan. 21," Sarkisian said. "That means we played for a long time; that means he probably had a really good season."
What about that young offensive line?
"I would say maybe we're inexperienced," Sarkisian answered.
And that failed second-and-goal call against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl?
"I own that," Sarkisian said. "It didn't work out the way we would have liked it to do, but I own it as a play-caller and then as a head coach, too."
You must be registered for see images attach
Sarkisian reflects on Quinn Ewers' draft slide, conversation
Sarkisian didn't just speak about his current players. During a pre-luncheon press conference with media members, he noted that the Longhorns had a modern-day record 12 players selected in the NFL draft. He reveled in the sight of seeing UT players Matthew Golden and Barryn Sorrell taken by the Packers while attending the draft in Green Bay. He discussed the prospects of Houston-area products Kelvin Banks Jr., who was taken by the New Orleans Saints, and Jaydon Blue, drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.
And there also was time to speak about QB1.
On Saturday, former UT quarterback Quinn Ewers was drafted by Miami in the seventh round. The slide to the 231st overall pick came as a surprise to many since Ewers was rated the No. 5 quarterback prospect in this draft class by NFL.com.
Since Ewers had a season of eligibility left, a conversation arose over the weekend about whether he should have played another season of college football. In order to enter the draft, he reportedly turned down an offer to enter the transfer portal that would have netted millions of NIL dollars.
Sarkisian said he feels Miami is a "great fit" for Ewers since the Dolphins' system is similar to the one used by Texas and because the team has offensive weapons. He also weighed in on the discussion about the decision made by Ewers, who was his starting quarterback at Texas the past three years.
"I also think it's ironic in that so many things are written and talked about the players from a negative standpoint (who) transfer schools or stay in school to take more money," Sarkisian said. "But all of a sudden, here's a guy that said I wanted to leave a legacy at Texas and I wanted to go play in the NFL, and now they're knocking him for not taking the money in college. I don't know which side of the fence everybody sits on on that, but in the end, I think it just speaks to the character of him, of what he believed in and what he stood for.
"Nobody wanted to win a national championship more than Quinn on our team the last couple years. And I don't think anybody felt it more than he did when we didn't beat Ohio State. ... In the end, it wasn't about going to another school. It's about the next part of the journey in his career and in his life, and that was going to the NFL. He's got a good opportunity in front of him. Now it's time to go make the most of it."
Sarkisian also shared that Ewers never took any money from the Texas One Fund during his time at Texas. All of the quarterback's NIL earnings were raised off his name, image and likeness.
Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas football's Steve Sarkisian talks Quinn Ewers, team, transfers
Continue reading...
