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Texas Money Men Have Had Discussions About Paying Steve Sarkisian $50 Million To Leave

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iStockphoto / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Steve Sarkisian is on the hot seat after two straight losses to unranked teams.


The Texas football team entered the season as a Top 5 team and national title contender. It is currently 4-2 and riding a two-game losing streak.

Boosters have discussed the possibility of firing Steve Sarkisian. In fact, those talks started even before the 2026 campaign began.

The Longhorns have some the deepest pockets in the sport. At this point in time, donors are paying for one of the most expensive rosters in college football. If the coaching staff continues to fail, money will be directed elsewhere.

Steve Sarkisian’s seat is hot.

The head coach has made two College Football Playoff appearances in his six-year stint. He, however, has failed to meet expectations in each of the last two seasons.

Last year, the Longhorns went 9-3 to miss the playoff field. This year could be a repeat.

Texas is 4-2 after back-to-back losses to unranked Florida and Oklahoma. They became the first AP Poll No. 1 since 1961 to accomplish that feat.

The losses hurt twofold. Obviously, the results are seen in the win-loss column. But furthermore, you want to win the games you’re favored in. It provides some room for error in tougher matchups. Texas must now be perfect, and the schedule will only get more difficult.

The Longhorns still have to face Ole Miss, LSU, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, and Missouri. Three of those teams are currently ranked. One more loss could end the program’s national championship pursuit.

Texas is tied for 11th in the SEC standings at this point in time. It is effectively 12th thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker loss to Oklahoma. SEC Championship odds are slim. An automatic bid will likely be the only path to the playoff. A 9-3 record did not get the team in last season. It might not this year, either.

The unexpected losses, combined with the pricy roster investment, are irritating fans. The fact that Sarkisian’s offense is the unit struggling with a former five-star passer and Heisman trophy candidate only adds fuel for critics.

Will Texas fire its football coach?

Bold takes are flying left and right following the Longhorns’ loss to Florida. Media members are predicting a parting of ways.

Brandon Walker of Barstool Sports believes the program could fire Steve Sarkisian to pursue a candidate like Will Stein at Kentucky. Brad Crawford of CBS Sports echoed that sentiment with a direct reference to boosters.

 Equipped with one of college football’s few rosters that exceeds $40 million, Sarkisian has to deliver down the stretch or the money in Austin will have an appetite for change. Texas has been ranked No. 1 in three consecutive seasons now, fans are exasperated at yet another 5-star QB and high-priced roster gone to waste.

Will Texas fire its head coach? One thing that was potentially saving Sarkisian was a buyout north of $50 million. It seems boosters are willing to eat that expense.

Crawford suggests that donors are open to paying the massive buyout. While shocking to some, it may not be news. Texas money men have long had influence in decision making. Sarkisian has seen it firsthand.

In 2021, he tried to hire Mike Stoops as a defensive assistant. The deal was all but done… until it wasn’t.

Stoops, then working at Alabama, was so confident in the move that he reportedly informed Nick Saban of his decision to leave. He was ready to begin searching for a house in Austin. Then, Sarkisian called at the last minute with a change of plans.

Stoops was not hired by Texas due to unspecified “backlash” from the powers that be, potentially linked to his ties to Oklahoma. He was forced to return to Alabama as an analyst after turning down multiple defensive coordinator opportunities to join the Longhorns.

That all goes to say that boosters within the program hold power in decision making. No coach is off-limits, present or future.

Texas money men have discussed firing Sark.

College football personality Josh Pate spoke to a Texas booster prior to season’s start. He alluded to the possibility of a firing in August.

“Here’s the way it was explained to me by a Texas booster,” he said on the Jim Rome Show. “We’re rich because we understand how to invest. Spending money on college football players does not return anything for us. The only return is a championship.

“If we’re doing everything that it takes to win a championship, and it’s not clicking, we’re not the problem. The logo isn’t the problem. We’ve only got one other place to point our finger, and it’s the head coach… I don’t think anything is off the table.”

The possibility of paying Steve Sarkisian $50 million to leave has been a topic of discussion throughout the offseason. Texas boosters have not been rewarded for their investment.

The Longhorns continue to lose games they shouldn’t with the sport’s priciest roster. It doesn’t look like a national title is in the works this year. If the downward spiral continues, the head coach could be counting his days.