Steve Sarkisian has undeniably brought in top-tier skill talent at Texas. However, the Longhorns’ head coach occasionally faces criticism for continuing to search for the glue pieces and versatile contributors who hold everything together.
How Georgia’s Dominance Over Texas Spotlights Steve Sarkisian’s Roster Moves
In an appearance on “The Solid Verbal” podcast this week, analyst Cole Cubelic discussed Sarkisian’s roster decisions at Texas, especially in light of how the Longhorns have matched up against Georgia’s physicality.
“I do think that some of the changes that Sark made that people look at the roster and say, ‘What in the world?’” Cubelic said. “I think he wanted to try and get a little bit more big time with his playmakers. There are a couple of guys who left, and you say, ‘Why would you? Well, he was working. Like what’s happening?’ You know you got another starting running back at one point, and he is going to be at Kentucky next year.
“But they may have gotten a little more juice at a couple of positions, which can help the way his offense operates. They just have to get more rugged at the end of the day because the last two times we’ve seen Georgia line up against Texas, Georgia said we were about to find out how rugged you are, and there were probably terms that I would use in a different manner for that.”
Texas’ 35-10 loss at Georgia on Nov. 15 is the most recent example of the Bulldogs bullying the Longhorns. Kirby Smart’s squad dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring Texas 21-0 to secure the blowout win.
Georgia also won a close 22-19 overtime thriller in the SEC Championship Game against Texas on Dec. 7, 2024. Even though the score was close, the physical toll the Bulldogs took on the Longhorns was a major talking point. Some analysts believe Georgia doesn’t necessarily out-gameplan Texas, but rather uses superior physicality to win the trench battles.
Sarkisian is trying to rectify the inability to manage that level of physicality, and a major question for Texas moving forward is identifying the utility workers and culture leaders.
“Here’s my biggest question with Texas right now: Who are your hard hat guys?” Cubelic said (28:50). “Who are the glue guys in the facility? Who will do anything you ask him to do… I’m not saying they don’t have them. I’m telling you, I don’t know who those guys are for Texas right now. And if they find those guys and they find a pretty good number of them, they can hold it together, and I do think Arch Manning is one of those guys, by the way, and probably doesn’t get credit for that.”
Manning finished last season with an 83.1 score in the PFSN College Football QB Impact Metric, ranking No. 37 in the nation. Former Texas figures like Mack Brown and Vince Young have encouraged him to move beyond his developmental phase and take on a more vocal leadership role within the program.
