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Steve Sarkisian has responded to comments made by Brett Yormark earlier this offseason. The Big XII commissioner said in a recent conference event that he plans to root against the Texas Longhorns this year.
The remarks came ahead of the program’s last season in the league as UT will be off to the SEC in 2024.
Conference realignment has been a major topic of discussion amongst college football fans over the last few years as teams hop from league to league in pursuit of media money. Texas and Oklahoma kicked things off in 2021 with an announcement that they planned to leave the Big XII.
The announcement started a domino effect that’s now led to the demise of the PAC 12. Though the Big XII has been able to replace the Longhorns and Sooner with teams like Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah, commissioner Yormark still holds some animosity towards the soon-to-be SEC schools.
Earlier this offseason, he said that he’d be actively rooting against Texas in games this year.
“And coach, I’m not going to put any pressure on you, but I’m going to be in Austin for Thanksgiving. And you better take care of business like you did in Lubbock last year.”
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark had some interesting words at Texas Tech’s Red Raider Club luncheon. pic.twitter.com/AsOgwU2gEP
— 247Sports (@247Sports) August 23, 2023
Head coach Steve Sarkisian has now responded to those statements.
Texas coach responds to Big XII commissioner’s comments.
With the season quickly approaching, Sarkisian was asked about the outlook of his Texas team heading into Week 1. The topic of Brett Yormark was brought about, leading the head coach to respond to the recent remarks.
“I got a letter from the commissioner on sportsmanship the day before that speech,” Sarkisian said. “I’m guessing he won’t have Thanksgiving with us before that game.”
The Thanksgiving matchup refers to the Longhorns’ game against instate rival Texas Tech. The Red Raiders took Texas down last season with a 37-34 victory. Yormark is hoping to see a repeat performance.
That contest with be the final game for both teams in the regular season, though many are predicting that Texas will be playing in the Big XII Championship shortly after.
Sarkisian seemed a bit taken aback by the words from his commissioner, though not many around the college football world were surprised.
It should make things even more interesting in the Longhorns’ final regular season game as Big XII members.