Texas
Texas' Steve Sarkisian 'very impressed' by Dawn Staley amid push to get Longhorns over the hump
Former WNBA great and current South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley secured the program’s third national championship this past Sunday.
Staley has coached the women’s basketball team to an impressive 109-3 record over the past three seasons, winning two titles over that span. The Gamecocks reached the Final Four last season, where they were eliminated by Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Sunday’s highly-anticipated matchup between South Carolina and Iowa attracted record viewership. Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian was among the millions of viewers who watched Staley coach the Gamecocks to victory.
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Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns looks on during the second quarter against the Washington Huskies during the CFP Semifinal Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 01, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
South Carolina is a longstanding member of the Southeastern Conference, the same conference the Longhorns are set to join next season. Sarkisian appears to be drawing inspiration from Staley’s successful run in the SEC and beyond.
“I watched both games. I watched both tournaments, quite frankly,” Sarkisian said, via On3.com. “And I think what coach [Dawn] Staley has done has been obviously very impressive in that she’s assembled talent year after year, but she’s got her culture for sure, and it’s in place. She instills it in them.”
“She had a whole new team this year, and they went out and won every game. And last year they lose in the semis, they couldn’t get it done,” Sarkisian continued. “So very impressed with what she’s been able to do.”
SOUTH CAROLINA’S DAWN STALEY PRAISES CAITLIN CLARK FOR ‘LIFTING UP OUR SPORT,’ CALLS HER’‘ONE OF THE GOATS’
Sarkisian said he is “striving” to reach a level of success that is similar to what Staley has achieved in Columbia, South Carolina.
Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates as the confetti falls after beating Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament National Championship at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on April 07, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Sarkisian coached Texas to an 11-1 regular season record, a Big 12 Conference title, and a berth in the College Football Playoffs semifinals. But, Texas ultimately came up short, losing to the Washington Huskies.
“We’re always all striving for that and looking at those great teams that do it at a high, high level,” Sarkisian added. “I’ve been fortunate to be part of some great teams in that era with Pete Carroll, so it’s not a one-time thing. You’ve got to continually work on the things that are important to you to recreate it year after year after year.”
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian watches the run of play during the Allstate Sugar Bowl playoff game between the Texas Longhorns and the Washington Huskies on Monday, January 1, 2024 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA.
Sarkisian was also complementary of UConn coach Dan Hurley, who secured a second consecutive national title on the men’s side on Monday night.
“And very impressed with what coach Hurley has been able to do. I think he lost three or four NBA players off last year’s team.”
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Sarkisian credited both Staley and Hurley for their respective abilities to “coach hard.”
“But one thing that is very clear in both of them. I’d say two things,” Sarkisian said. “The first is they coach hard. There’s not for a second, you watch their interaction with their players, where they’re not coaching them hard. And they’re demanding of their players. But you can also feel the love coming from them with their players.”
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The Texas Longhorns entered the 2025 season with more expectations than any team has had to deal with in recent memory.
Many among the media were ready to crown the team and quarterback Arch Manning before they even played one game. Of course, those unrealistic expectations were never met, even though the team finished with a 10-3 record and a Citrus Bowl win over the Michigan Wolverines.
2026 is heading in the same direction for the Longhorns. Many believe head coach Steve Sarkisian has the most talented team in the country. But in order to fix the issues from this past season, the Longhorns needed to fix one issue that has cost them in the past.
Changing The Narrative
One of the biggest issues the Longhorns had last season was the play of the offensive line. It was apparent in the first game of the season against the Ohio State Buckeyes that Manning didn’t have the pocket time needed to make big plays.
This offseason, Coach Sarkisian went out and found two massive transfer portal additions that should completely change the narrative on this offensive line.
It starts with potential starting right tackle Melvin Siani. Siani has spent time with the Temple Owls and last season with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Longhorns are set at left tackle with Trevor Goosby, who could play himself into being a top 10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. If the team can get competent play from Siani, the offense will be able to open up the playbook, and the world may finally see Manning at his college peak.
The Longhorns also went out and found a potential fix at left guard for the 2026 season. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers transfer Laurence Seymore could be another strong patch for the holes in the offensive line.
After spending the first two seasons of his college career with the Miami Hurricanes, Seymore made stops with the Akron Zips and the Hilltoppers.
Of course, the one concern with Seymore is wondering if he can compete at the SEC level coming from the C-USA.
This season for the Longhorns starts and stops with the play of Manning. Coach Sarkisian and the rest of this coaching staff understood that protecting their quarterback was the most important goal when building the 2026 roster.
The Longhorns are going to be leaning on veteran talent to protect their quarterback, and it may very well be the best decision they made this offseason.
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