Steve Sarkisian makes example of Ole Miss 'basket weaving,' decries academic standards

“It’s like we’ve forgotten about academics, yet less than 5% of these guys will play in the NFL,” Sarkisian said.

Sarkisian has his own set of complaints about the current landscape, although he coaches at one of the richest athletic departments in college sports. The Longhorns landed one of the best transfer portal classes of the offseason, including additions like former five-star receiver Cam Coleman from Auburn and former North Carolina State running back Hollywood Smothers, who originally committed to Alabama before flipping to Texas.

The former Alabama offensive coordinator and Southern California head coach has a 48-20 record at Texas, and has led the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff semifinals in two of the last three seasons. While Texas missed the CFP and ultimately underachieved in 2025 after being ranked No. 1 in the preseason polls, it still has the potential to contend for a national title in 2026, especially with quarterback Arch Manning back.

And despite all of Texas' success and advantages in the sport, Sarkisian believes there are still some challenges for the college football blue blood.

“We all signed up to be part of the NCAA, and then we all allegedly make the rules,” Sarkisian said. “Everyone knows the rules, right? Then we go to our attorney general and say we don’t like that rule, let’s just sue. Right now, no one is afraid of the consequences.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Texas' Steve Sarkisian called out Ole Miss 'basket weaving' in recruiting