For the second time this fall, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has shut down speculation that he plans to leave the Longhorns after this season, this time calling a claim by Desmond Howard “absolutely false and untrue.”
"I'd like to comment on something before I get into our team that has been bothering me now over the past few weeks and that is people reporting that or insinuating that there's a possibility I could leave the University of Texas, and that is absolutely false and untrue. I'm not going anywhere. Never do I do this because I never want to be a distraction, so I never address these things. At this point, I feel like this is important that I do this because it's important for our team. It's important for our university," Sarkisian said Wednesday on an SEC coaches call.
Sarkisian added that he has had no discussions with his agent, the university, other schools or NFL teams about leaving Austin.
“I came here to win championships,” he said.
In an X on Monday, Howard said he would "not be surprised if that Texas job opens up at the end of the season" and that there could be a "mutual parting of ways" between Sarkisian and the Longhorns. Howard's comments traveled well on social media, even reaching Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte.
This is news to me Thanks for the insight https://t.co/9oD7wr24Ha
— Chris Del Conte (@_delconte) November 18, 2025
Sarkisian must have seen the post, too, as he ended his press conference with a direct comment at Howard.
"Think about something else when you're taking your trash out," he said.
Steve Sarkisian directs a comment at Desmond Howard to end his presser: "Think about something else when you're taking your trash out."
— David Eckert (@davideckert98) November 20, 2025
The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported on the morning of Oct. 25 that Sarkisian's representatives told NFL teams he would be interested in head coach openings. Sarkisian denied that report following Texas' win over Mississippi State that evening.
"It really pisses me off that one person can make a report that the entire media sports world runs as factual to the point where my agency has to put a statement out that they've never done," Sarkisian said. "I thought it was absolutely ridiculous. ... I thought it was completely unprofessional of that person to put that report out, and the fact that everybody ran with it is borderline embarrassing for the media."
In five seasons at Texas, Sarkisian has led the Longhorns to a 45-20 record. The program has made back-to-back appearances in the College Football Playoff semifinals, losing to Washington in 2023 and Ohio State in 2024.
