Winning at the University of Texas isn't just about football. It's about politics. It's about oil money, 40-acre expectations, and a fan base that genuinely believes 10 wins is a failing grade. If you look at the lineage of Texas Longhorns football coaches, you’ll see a graveyard of elite resumes. Being the head man in Austin is basically like being a CEO, a politician, and a local deity all at once. It’s a lot.
Some guys thrive. Most don't.
Since Darrell K Royal stepped away in 1976, the program has basically been chasing that same high. We’re talking about a school with more resources than some small countries, yet the coaching carousel has spun fast and loud for decades. From the legendary "DKR" years to the Mack Brown era and the current Steve Sarkisian "All Gas, No Brakes" culture, the seat has never stopped being hot.
The Ghost of Darrell K Royal
You can’t talk about this job without starting with DKR. He’s the reason the stadium has his name on it. He won three national championships (1963, 1969, 1970) and 11 Southwest Conference titles. Royal wasn’t just a coach; he was an innovator. He helped unleash the Wishbone offense on a world that wasn't ready for it.
But here is the thing people forget: Royal’s exit wasn't exactly a fairy tale. The mid-70s were tough. The pressure to stay at the top is what eventually wears everyone down. When he retired, he left a vacuum that took twenty years to properly fill. Fred Akers came in and actually had a great record, going 86-31-2. By any modern standard, that’s elite. But at Texas? He didn't win the "big one" often enough. He was let go after a 5-6 season in 1986. That’s the Texas standard. You win big, or you’re out.
Then came the "Shock the Nation" era with David McWilliams, which fizzled. Then John Mackovic, who won a Big 12 title but couldn't keep the boosters happy. It felt like the program was stuck in a loop of being "almost" back.
Mack Brown and the Golden Age of the 2000s
Mack Brown changed everything. When he arrived from North Carolina in 1998, he brought a CEO-style approach that the program desperately needed. He was a master recruiter. He understood that to be one of the successful Texas Longhorns football coaches, you had to win over the high school coaches in the state of Texas first.
His 2005 season is still the gold standard. Vince Young running into the corner of the end zone at the Rose Bowl remains the most iconic moment in the history of the program.
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- The 2005 National Championship: 13-0 record.
- The Streak: Nine consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins.
- The Talent: Producing NFL stars like Jamaal Charles, Earl Thomas, and Colt McCoy.
But even Mack couldn't outrun the expectations forever. After the 2009 national title loss to Alabama, things started to slide. A 5-7 season in 2010 was a massive red flag. By 2013, the relationship between Mack and the administration had soured. It was messy. It was public. It proved that even a legend can stay too long at the fair.
The Wilderness Years: Strong and Herman
When Charlie Strong was hired in 2014, it felt like a shift. He was a defensive mastermind. He talked about "core values." But the results on the field were, frankly, brutal. Three straight losing seasons. It was the first time that had happened at Texas since the 1930s. Strong was a good man and a good coach, but the fit in Austin was off from day one. He struggled with the media, and the offense never found an identity.
Then came Tom Herman. The "genius."
Herman had just set the world on fire at Houston. He was supposed to be the guy. And for a second, it looked like he was. In 2018, Texas beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, and quarterback Sam Ehlinger famously shouted, "We're baaacckkk!" into the microphone.
They weren't back.
Herman’s tenure was defined by winning games they should lose and nearly losing games they should win. The "mensa" persona wore thin on the boosters. By the time he was fired in early 2021, the program felt exhausted. Not broken, just... tired of the drama.
Steve Sarkisian and the SEC Transition
Enter Steve Sarkisian. "Sark" came with baggage but also a pedigree. He was the architect of the terrifying Alabama offenses under Nick Saban. He knew how to build a modern, high-flying vertical passing game.
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His first year in 2021 was a disaster. A 5-7 record, including a loss to Kansas at home. People were already calling for his head. But the administration stayed patient—a rarity in Austin. That patience paid off. Sarkisian didn't just recruit players; he recruited a culture. He utilized the Transfer Portal and the new NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) landscape better than almost anyone in the country.
The 2023 season was the proof of concept. A Big 12 Championship. A College Football Playoff berth. A win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Suddenly, the conversation around Texas Longhorns football coaches changed from "Who's next?" to "How long can we keep him?"
Now, as Texas moves into the SEC, the stakes are even higher. You aren't just playing Baylor and Iowa State anymore. You’re playing Georgia, LSU, and Bama every year. Sarkisian’s ability to build depth in the trenches—something Strong and Herman failed to do—is the only reason Texas is currently a national title contender.
Why This Job Breaks People
Honestly, the "donor" situation at Texas is unlike anywhere else. In most schools, the Athletic Director runs the show. At Texas, there are a handful of incredibly wealthy individuals who have a massive say in how things operate. If a coach doesn't play ball with the big-money boosters, the seat gets hot regardless of the record.
You also have the Longhorn Network (though that's changing with the SEC move). For years, coaches had to provide endless content for a 24-hour channel dedicated solely to their school. It was a massive distraction.
The Recruitment Pressure
Texas is arguably the most talent-rich state in the country. If a Texas coach lets a five-star quarterback from Dallas or Houston go to Oklahoma or Texas A&M, it’s viewed as a personal insult to the university. The pressure to "seal the borders" is constant.
The Media Fishbowl
Austin is a weird city. It’s a tech hub, a music hub, and a college town. The media coverage is relentless. Every press conference is dissected. Every tweet from a coach’s wife is scrutinized. It takes a very specific type of ego to handle that. You have to be confident enough to lead, but humble enough to realize you’re just a temporary steward of a massive brand.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the History
A lot of fans think Texas has always been a dominant juggernaut. Truthfully? They’ve had long stretches of mediocrity. Since the early 70s, they’ve really only had two "elite" eras: the Mack Brown decade and the current Sarkisian window.
The idea that any coach can just walk into Austin and win because of the "Longhorn brand" is a myth. In fact, the brand can be a hindrance. It creates a sense of entitlement among players that coaches have to fight against every single day.
Key Lessons from the Past Coaches
- Don't ignore the trenches: Charlie Strong tried to win with defense but had no O-line. You die in the Big 12/SEC that way.
- Manage the boosters, don't let them manage you: Mack Brown was a master at this. Tom Herman struggled with it.
- Adapt or die: Sarkisian’s use of the portal is why he survived a 5-7 start. He didn't stay married to "his guys" if "his guys" weren't winning.
The Path Forward for Texas Football
If you're following the trajectory of the program, it’s clear that the "CEO" model is back. Sarkisian handles the big picture, while a massive staff of analysts and recruiters handles the minutiae. This is how Saban did it at Alabama, and it’s the only way to survive the modern era of the sport.
The move to the SEC is the ultimate litmus test. For years, the knock on Texas Longhorns football coaches was that they were playing a "soft" schedule in the Big 12. That excuse is gone.
To stay relevant, the next decade of Texas coaching needs to focus on:
- Defensive Line Depth: You cannot survive the SEC without two-deep NFL talent on the interior.
- Quarterback Succession: Moving from Quinn Ewers to Arch Manning is a masterclass in roster management. Keeping both on the roster in the NIL era is nearly impossible, yet Sark did it.
- Mental Toughness: Avoiding the "trap games" that defined the Herman and Strong years.
Texas is finally acting like a blue-blood program again. They aren't just spending money; they’re spending it intelligently. Whether Sarkisian becomes the next DKR remains to be seen, but he has at least stabilized a ship that was taking on water for over a decade.
What you should do next: If you want to really understand the current state of the program, stop looking at recruiting rankings and start looking at "Line of Scrimmage" metrics. That’s where the SEC is won. Follow the snap counts of the defensive rotations. That will tell you more about the future of Texas football than any post-game press conference ever will. Watch how the staff manages the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes—specifically the offensive tackles. That’s the real barometer for whether the Longhorns are actually "back" for good.