In a report out of Austin early Saturday morning Dianna Russini of The Athletic posted that Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is open to NFL head coaching jobs, including the Tennessee Titans where Brian Callahan was fired on October 18.
Sarkisian makes $10.8 million as coach of the Longhorns. The four highest-paid coaches in the NFL range from $16-$20 million. Pro coaches don't have to recruit and player management falls to the front office. They typically get a month off between the end of the season and OTAs, though some use that time to focus on the draft.
Texas is the most well-funded program in college football with an NIL and revenue sharing budget between $35 and $40 million. Ranked No. 22 this season at 5-2, a disappointing year by Longhorn standards with losses at Ohio State and in the Red River Rivalry to No. 13 Oklahoma, the Horns reached the College Football Playoff quarterfinal and semifinal in the last two seasons.
This was already going to be a crazy coaching carousel. If Texas opens as well … https://t.co/wm4VVSiAsN
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) October 25, 2025
With a $40 million roster and Arch Manning at quarterback, Longhorns GM Brandon Harris and athletic director Chris Del Conte will target every big name in the sport, including Oregon's Dan Lanning, for the richest program in the ultrarich SEC.
Lanning's not leaving, but his name will be mentioned early and often. The short lists always include the shiniest fish, the whoppers, the ones that just escape the net. If the Southeast Missouri native turned down Bama and Texas A&M, he's not leaving for Austin, though it's a fine city and an attractive head coaching opportunity.
But it's not just the job, it's all the ripple effects of the job. Someone will take it, someone dynamic, hard-charging and celebrated, and that will open a big job somewhere else. Maybe it's Eli Drinkwitz at Mizzou, or Jeff Brohm at Louisville, or James Franklin. The Longhorns will even call Ryan Day and Kalen DeBoer. No agent is not taking a call from Texas.
Each job that opens up increases chances there will be changes to the Oregon staff. Already in October there are a dozen jobs open around college football, including Florida, Penn State and Va Tech, high-prestige academic institutions like Stanford. After this weekend there will be perhaps three or four more.
Will Stein and Tosh Lupoi are certain to get calls, probably not for the Texas job, but for the jobs that open up after Texas makes a hire. Maybe Jeff Traylor at UTSA or Jon Sumrall at Tulane accept a new position. Stein worked for Traylor with the Roadrunners before taking the Oregon OC spot.
So far this year three Oregon opponents have fired their coaches a few days or weeks after crushing losses to the Ducks, Oklahoma State, Oregon State and the Nittany Lions. Embattled Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell is 2-5, 0-4 in the Big Ten, and a 31.5-point underdog this afternoon in Autzen Stadium.
Dan Lanning said this week that any head coach is only two weeks away from the hot seat. In the same way a successful one or a dynamic assistant is only a month away from a golden hat.