Is it time for Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian to give up play calling?

As a former football coach, I have long admired Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian as a play caller and as a coach. From his time at USC to his days as an Alabama offensive coordinator, I have always enjoyed his wrinkles as a play caller. He is always on the cutting edge of calling plays and the latest trends in sport, but after watching him coach last year and the 1st game against Ohio State, is it time for him to stop calling plays and focus on being a CEO coach?

In today’s era of College Football, coaches are pulled in more directions than they were 10 years ago. College Head Coaches must navigate the NIL world. They must communicate with donors about contributing money.  Then they need to talk with the players about different NIL deals. Head Coaches are still in charge of recruiting and developing players, plus signing prospects out of the transfer portal. It is a lot, and every day it continues to get more difficult. Then, specifically for Sarkisian, he must deal with the politics of being the Head Coach at the University of Texas. This is something his predecessor Tom Herman struggled with, but to Sarkisian's credit it he has navigated it well.

The flip side of being a head coach in the NFL is totally different. In the NFL, you have a GM who handles the roster and scouts who even help him navigate it. You also do not have donors that you need to deal with. Being a head coach in the NFL is largely football-related. We have seen coaches like Andy Reid of the Chiefs call plays and be successful. Even defensive coaches can still call defense and be a successful head coach. In College, it is getting more difficult to be able to call the plays and still be a successful head coach.

All Sarkisian must do is look across to the other sideline from Saturday’s game against Ohio State to see that Ryan Day gave up play-calling, and the transition has been smooth.

The reason to bring this up is that many have noticed Texas has struggled at times with consistency on offense in key situations. An example was last year, when Texas was 54th-ranked in the country in Red Zone touchdown %. Plus, they were 102nd in Red Zone scoring last year. Flash back to the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State, Texas was inside the 5, and they couldn’t score the ball late in the 4th quarter. Then you look at Saturday’s game, the same situation. They were 0-2 in the Red Zone, and 1/5 on 4th downs. Something is off with the Texas offense.

The other thing is, if Sarkisian would give up play calling, it doesn’t mean he can't be part of the game plan. He can still be an integral part of the offense, but it would free him up to help run the entire program and allow the offensive coordinator to focus on calling plays. If Texas wants to win a Championship this year, Sarkisian might want to consider giving up play-calling because the last coach to win a Championship who called plays was Jimbo Fisher in 2013. In 2013, compared to today, College Football is not even close to the same sport. Don’t expect Sarkisian to give up play calling just yet, but it's something he might want to strongly consider in the future.

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