The Oklahoma Sooners now have a comment to hold over Steve Sarkisian when recruiting against Texas as long as he's leading the Longhorns.
During the same SEC Media Days this week that OU head coach Brent Venables and general manager Jim Nagy made it known that being a Sooner was a long-term investment for both the player and the program, Sarkisian revealed it's nothing like that in Austin. There's really no need for a high school recruit to commit to the Longhorns because they definitely won't return the loyalty.
Steve Sarkisian revealed the harsh truth every Texas recruit needs to hear
Sarkisian during his time on the big stage dropped a list of players by name that Texas cut ties with over the offseason to make room and free up funds for new additions from the transfer portal. The list included new OU wide receiver Parker Livingstone.
“To make the moves we make, to bring in a Cam Coleman, to bring in a Hollywood Smothers, to bring in a Raleek Brown, to bring in a Mike Masunas at tight end; we had to let DeAndre Moore go. We had to let Parker Livingstone go. We had to let Tre Wisner go. We had to let CJ Baxter go," Sarkisian said. "We had to let some pretty good players leave to create the cap space to bring those guys in.
"I think, strategically, there were some tough decisions to make. But, we made them. I think we all can agree that we’re probably better around Arch (Manning) today than we were a year ago at this time.”
Of the four players Sarkisian mentioned, all of them signed with Texas out of high school and had been in the program multiple years. None of them, though, will finish their career as a Longhorn, and not by choice.
Instead of coaching up and developing these young players, Texas cut them loose and looked to bring in a player someone else already developed for them. And when you leave, Sarkisian won't care enough to show you any sort of respect as one of his former players, either.
Oklahoma now has the ultimate response whenever Texas calls a recruit
This was the opposite message Venables delivered when he was behind the same mic a few days before. Venables controls the Sooners' defense and it looks like his entire starting unit in 2026 could be made up of homegrown guys who have spent their entire careers so far at Oklahoma. The same can't be said for the other side of the ball, but Venables made it clear that's exactly what he also wants for the offense, and it's getting there.
"At the end of the day, I think we've addressed and improved every one of the positions from the guys that are in the room. I think you develop that as well," Venables said. "I think modern college football today requires you to get more inexperienced players ready sooner rather than later to develop that. Raising the bottom half of your roster, if you will, guys that maybe haven't established themselves quite yet or they're out of high school, I think it's important that we do a great job.
"We're very mindful that we expeditiously develop them and put them in a position where they can create the kind of depth that helps you win. It's easier said than done, but that's really where the focus is."
Develop seemed to be the Sooners' buzzword of SEC Media Days. Instead of buying talent with big checks now, Oklahoma will develop a player to earn an even bigger payday later in the NFL. That's not to say players at OU are paid as a value, either. Recruits just have to buy in, and the Sooners will make sure that loyalty is rewarded. It's a two-way commitment and investment, while the Longhorns are just betting big and hoping to hit the lottery and get rich quick.
"You just gotta find guys that are about the right stuff," Nagy also said this week. "The money part (for NIL), we're gonna be competitive, but they gotta buy into what we're about, and that's the culture and the brotherhood and being developed and understanding guys that we recruit to Oklahoma should have NFL futures if they come in, if they put in the work, they allow themselves to be developed.
"Sunday money is always going to trump Saturday money. If that's the end goal is to play in the National Football League, I don't expect a guy to take half as much money to come to OU than another school, but if you see the big picture and you feel like if you're in the building and you love the coaches and you see the development and the track record of what Coach Venables has put in the league, there needs to be value in that."
Considering the state of Texas has always had a pipeline flowing to Norman, there's no doubt the Sooners are in the midst of recruiting battles right now with the Longhorns for NFL-level talent. That's when a video can be shown of Sarkisian bashing former players and making it known they'll cut you loose before letting you ever reach your potential. Then show off what Venables had to say. Who would you rather play for?
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