Texas coach Steve Sarkisian caused widespread discourse among fans and analysts last week when he pointed out the Ole Miss Rebels’ competitive advantage in recruitment due to their lower academic standards when compared to the Longhorns. Sarkisian’s comments set the stage for an intriguing season in the SEC among some of the top contenders.
Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian Clarifies His Comments About Ole Miss
While speaking to the media at the Touchdown Club of Houston on Thursday, Sarkisian clarified his comments aimed at the Rebels’ lowered academic standards vis-à-vis the Longhorns’.
“We were talking about the inequalities in college football, the only reason the Ole Miss thing came up is because two of my best friends were there, Lane Kiffin and Pete Golding,” Sarkisian said. “We know when we would compete with them that they were able to take players and then they were able to graduate.
“I probably shouldn’t have used basket weaving as my example for the class. Macro economics, I don’t give a damn. Yoga, we have yoga at UT. Like the class part of it was irrelevant.”
In an interview with USA Today’s Matt Hayes, Sarkisian further blasted the Rebels for tampering with former Clemson Tigers linebacker Luke Ferrelli in a case that firmly landed them in the NCAA’s sights.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney grabbed the headlines in January when he accused coach Pete Golding’s Ole Miss of tampering with Ferrelli despite the linebacker not being in the transfer portal anymore.
Despite the intrigue surrounding Ole Miss, Golding’s Rebels lured 30 players to Oxford after the departure of polarizing coach Lane Kiffin to the LSU Tigers to snag the No. 14-ranked transfer portal class in the country.
While addressing reporters, Sarkisian further delved into the different academic quotas that student-athletes have to satisfy before graduating from the respective institutions and why it gave Ole Miss an undue advantage.
“The point I was trying to make is at UT, you have to complete half of your degree at the University of Texas, 60 hours, you have to do those 60 hours in UT to get a degree from the University of Texas,” Sarkisian said.
“At a school like Ole Miss, referencing that way, they can take one class and get a degree, maybe that one class is basket weaving, maybe that one class is macroeconomics. I don’t know, statistics, irrelevant.”
In five seasons at the helm of the Longhorns, Sarkisian has amassed a 48-20 record, including leading Texas to two of the last three College Football Playoff semifinals. After missing out on the College Football Playoff last year, Sarkisian’s Longhorns brought in the No. 10-ranked transfer portal class in the country to boost their postseason chances.
