Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian sat down with the media ahead of the SEC Championship game in Atlanta vs. the Georgia Bulldogs. Here is everything he had to say:
Earlier in the season, the Longhorns suffered the only blemish on their 11-1 record to Georgia in Austin, falling in an embarrassing 30-15 loss. That loss not only cause many to doubt the legitimacy of the Texas team in the College Football Playoff race, but also called into question whether or not they were truly ready for the SEC.
Georgia is a great football team. I think Kirby and the University of Georgia have been the standard of college football for about the last seven years or so. National championships, conference championships. Recruited at a really high level. Has a great coaching staff. We know how hard the Southeastern Conference is. To earn the opportunity to play in this game with an opportunity to be conference champions is something we hold in very high regard.
I don't ever get too caught up in why certain guys are ranked where and not. We try to make our own evaluations of every player. We try to rank every player as it predicates to how they can fit with us.Why somebody didn't give them more stars? I don't know. You probably would have to ask them. That's a better question.
Clearly we know we're essentially going on the road. For a road game you play in Georgia at Atlanta. I also know there's a ton of pride from Longhorn Nation in support of our team. He continues to prepare at a really high level. So inevitably as you work your way through a season, sometimes you got to keep a few things up your sleeve. That's the way it goes.
I don't think we could think of two better teams from a talent standpoint. Georgia's an extremely talented football team. Got great coaches. We feel like we've got a pretty good football team. We think our coaches coach well. An opportunity for a rematch, if you want to call it like that, for the fans.
The reward to play in a championship game like this is one that we cherish. On the same token, I surely hope this year and the years to come that nobody ever gets punished if they don't come out on top in this game because it is a real grind. I think it's a really versatile class with a variety of positions, highlighted by high-level players. As always, we really pride ourselves on recruiting the high school ranks. We think when we can get players in here young, then immerse them into our culture, into our off-season conditioning program, develop them as we go throughout their career, that's when we really reap the benefits of having these guys in our program.
He's a really dedicated young man. He's got a great work ethic. He has a beautiful family. They're all very successful people. They know about discipline and hard work. Again, we've got a little bit of time for that. We're trying to manage everything as it's coming at us here. With signing day being yesterday, SEC Championship game on Saturday, transfer portal opening on Monday, there's definitely some moving parts. But I think our staff has done a really good job of compartmentalizing those things. The people that are responsible for what they're responsible for are handling their business.
For a younger player, it's not just me once every three months talking about something. It's a very consistent message that I think the players then can reciprocate to one another. I think that in turn builds the belief in what we're trying to do. Your quarterbacks, you guys have done a really good job of managing them. In this day and age, especially with the portal, how challenging is it to be able to develop guys and retain guys, get guys to their peak?
That's the premise of our program. How can we serve others? How can we get them better? Ultimately, sure, I'd love for them to have that success here. I'm also a realist of the day and age and the state of college football right now where guys can move on. There's a lot of communication that has to take place. There's a lot of fundamentals and techniques that are needed. There's a lot of timing that is needed on those runs.
SARKISIAN: Right, no, I think it starts with, one, his work ethic, his drive, his competitive nature. He's a guy who has worked extremely hard at his craft, not only physically but mentally. We rely on him a lot at the line of scrimmage in communicating calls, the run game, the pass game.
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