Charean Williams ,
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For the second time this season, Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian has addressed rumors about his future in Austin.
“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 ,” Sarkisian said in a long opening statement on the SEC coaches call Wednesday, via Anwar Richardson of orangebloods.com. “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.
“I’ve had no discussions, not with my agent, not with the university, not with any other school, not with any NFL team about ever going anywhere else. I came here to win championships.”
ESPN analyst Desmond Howard said in a social media post this week that he would “not be surprised if that Texas job opens up at the end of the season.” Howard said Texas and Sarkisian could have a “mutual parting of ways.”
Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte responded on social media, writing, “This is news to me. . . Thanks for the insight.”
The Longhorns, the preseason No. 1 team in the AP Top 25, lost to Georgia on Saturday to fall to 7-3 overall. They are ranked No. 17 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, likely too far back to make the playoffs even if they close out the regular season with victories over Arkansas and No. 3 Texas A&M.
A different report last month intimated Sarkisian would have an interest in returning to the NFL. Sarkisian’s agents, Jimmy Sexton and Ed Marynowitz, issued a statement saying Sarkisian had not had communication with NFL teams.
Sarkisian was quarterbacks coach for the Raiders in 2004 and offensive coordinator of the Falcons in 2017-18.
Plenty of coaches, most notably Nick Saban, have insisted they weren’t going anywhere only to go elsewhere. So, Sarkisian’s statement isn’t likely to stop the speculation until all the NFL jobs are filled.
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