Texas coach Steve Sarkisian got defensive when asked about a recent report claiming the Longhorns are set to spend around $40 million on their team for the 2025 college football season
Most college football blue bloods aren’t naive to the fact that their programs can’t spend more each season than their rivals. The figures they can spend vary. Kirk Bohls of the Houston Chronicle reported that Texas is set to spend between $35 and $40 million next season in an attempt to get over the College Football Playoff semifinal hump.
Coach Steve Sarkisian was not impressed with this stir. “It was a little bit of irresponsible reporting,” he said Tuesday during a hit on SiriusXM radio.
Even after losing the likes of Quinn Ewers to the NFL, Sarkisian can still rely on a star-studded and expensive roster in 2025, led by ascending quarterback Arch Manning.
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“I wish I had $40 million on our roster, we’d probably be a better team than we are,” Sarkisian continued. “The idea to think that a lot of other schools aren’t spending money to get players, I mean, it’s the state of college football right now. It is what it is.
“We’re fortunate, don’t get me wrong. We’ve got great support. Chris Del Conte, our athletic director, does a fantastic job. People are excited, and we’ve been to the CFP two years in a row and have had 20-something guys drafted the last two years. It has been a great run.”
Sarkisian has taken well to life in Austin. The coach of the 2025 preseason No. 1, making north of $10 million annually, has a 38-17 record with the Longhorns.
This stint comes on the back of a successful run as Alabama’s offensive coordinator.
Texas fell agonizingly short of the CFP final a season ago. Trailing by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter against Ohio State, Ewers fumbled the ball on a fourth-and-goal snap — it was returned over 80 yards by Buckeyes linebacker Jack Sawyer to secure the victory.
“We have been to the CFP two years in a row, and we’ve had 20-something guys drafted the last two years,” Sarkisian added. “So it’s been great. It’s been a great run. I wish I had another $15 million or so; we might have a little better roster.”
He bemoaned the lack of real reporting on his team’s finances.
“I’ve watched this for 25 years now, the evolution of Twitter and social media, and podcasts,” he said.
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“One guy writes an article from an anonymous source that says that’s what our roster is. Everybody ran with it. And I’m talking real publications, ran with it.
“Nobody asked me one question. Okay, sure, but if that’s the narrative you want to paint for our team. That’s fine, whatever.”
Sarkisian and the top-ranked Longhorns will open the season with a CFP rematch, traveling to Columbus for a matchup against a dangerous Ohio State side.