The NEW Narrative Around Texas | How Steve Sarkisian, Longhorns Flipped The Script Ahead of 2024

notice how the narrative has changed around the Texas Longhorns from this time last year to where we sit right now sounds like some different things are being said around Steve staran and Company we'll address that together right now but first things first make sure you are two things first subscribed here right here to this channel we're live three times a week full hourong episodes also make sure you're subscrib to the podcast so I guess it's sort of three things subscriber to the YouTube channel to the podcast and then also to me on the social channel so we can have some good interaction back and forth JD pel on Twitter as well as on Instagram so as I said at the top of this thing the narrative around Texas is very very different right now than it was this time last year and I don't think we should just Overlook the way that people were talking about Texas because this time last year the narrative was we always hear the same hype around Texas they always underperform they always overpromise underd deliver Texas they've got bad culture they're never going to do this they're never going to do that and the mistake that we made across the college football public was we tied a narrative to a logo completely dismissing the reality that we had a different coach in Austin Texas we had a different quarterback in Austin Texas that was there for the previous Mis uh misfortunes and the the shortcomings they had had in Austin so I think what we need to talk about right now is how and why we arrived at this narrative that we're at currently because the narrative currently is Texas is poised to potentially be a college football national title Contender Texas I think most people feel pretty confident about where they stand day one in the SEC not going to say they're they're winning the conference outright and that's just the landslide thought but there is some I think concessions even from the people that used to think negative about Texas that okay they're probably going to be all right when they step into the SEC the culture problems people thought they had you don't hear much talk about that anymore and I think Steve sarkeesian deserves all the credit in the world for the job he's done out there on the 40 acres because the way that we used to perceive that Texas job forget Texas as a whole Texas job it was like yeah many have tried many have failed the culture there not just in that locker room yeah the Locker Room's got some issues was the thought outside looking in but the thought was hey the boosters the powers that be in Austin Texas they're not even going to let you do your job they're going to be to you know tugging on your shirt for Access they're going to be telling you what you have to do they're going to be asking for specific meetings the days before a game like is that was the thought was hey you can't do what you want to do as a head coach at Texas doesn't look that way based on how Steve sarkeesian is winning right now on the 40 acres 5- seven the first year had to get the Bat Out second year they go eight and four this past year Big 12 title before they leave the conference college football playoff birth beat Alabama by double digits in Tuscaloosa and I think the the the thing that we got to talk about with Steve sarkeesian is it wasn't an overnight success by nature of the records that I just mentioned but I think what Steve sarkeesian did from a ground level working up I have to believe is he changed the handbook for what it is required of you to be a football player at the at the University of Texas and that's not me saying that he legitimately passed out a different manual during their meeting room during fall Camp which maybe he did but I mean from what is asked of you as a Texas football player he changed the entire approach from the outside looking or from the inside out I guess is the better way to phrase that you know how I know that is based on how many players they had transfer out of Texas we say it a lot on this show whenever a program is in the process of being turned around there's some growing paints when you do things the right way there are some negative repercussions at the start of that to get to the ultimate positive outcome that you want to get to for Tex that that negative initial symptom was you had a lot of guys transfer out over 40 players from the first two years they were there from 2022 to 2023 both of those classes had over 20 guys transfer out now I'm not saying all those were culture transfers where hey it's not a fit culturally we're going to leave some of that was I'm sure playing time some of that was schem fit I understand all that but I do think a fair amount of that a solid percentage of that was guys that did not fit the way that Steve sarkeesian wanted to do things from a cultural level and said all right we don't need you here all right fine and whether it was Steve sarkeesian communicating that to them or whether it was them sort of coming to that conclusion on their own the bottom line here is they had to get the bad out before they could get the good in and the standard had changed internally when Steve sarkeesian got there and so when you put the barway up here not everyone's going to be able to meet it and that's a good thing that is addition by subtraction as folks like to say he said we're going to do things a certain way we're not going to Value the external things the things that people like to tie the University of Texas to we're not going to be about the off the field stuff the Instagram followers the likes like those things will come we can you know we can use those things as recruiting tools for us here at Texas once start winning some ball games but like we're not going to be about the off field stuff we're going to about the on the field stuff and we'll go forward from there and so when we look at Steve sarkeesian the way that he built it I think yes it's that culture it's also the staff he put in place to Foster that culture like Bo Davis I understand he's not at Texas anymore but most Texas fans would probably point to that moment where he yells at everybody on that bus and someone captured it on video which is probably a sign of what was going on there but Bo Davis yells at everybody involved on on that bus after a tough loss and says if you don't want to do things the way that we're doing it here get in the portal get in the portal and I think a lot of guys took his advice by nature of that 40 guys that had transferred out over that twoyear span he has done something Steve sarkeesian has that as we alluded to before many people tried and couldn't do and I don't think it's so much an issue of the previous individuals from a Charlie Strong to a Tom Herman just weren't good coaches obviously if you're able to be the head football coach in a place like Texas you've got to have some skins on the wall but I think Steve sarkeesian and his personality was exactly what Texas needed when he got there Steve sarkeesian I think was the Perfect Blend is the perfect blend of star power so the job's not too big for him and then also that cool confidence to where he's intense but he's not overly intense to where we're squeezing this thing too hard to where we play tight in our team Place tight as a response to that Steve sarkeesian called place for Nick sabbin Steve S call plays in the NFL Steve sarkeesian it's been well documented had some personal struggles Steve sarkeesian was the head coach at USC and failed and I think all those things in addition to his other stops along his coaching career prepared him for this job like this job wasn't too big for Steve sarkeesian this wasn't his first Big Break he had been to the mountain top he'd been to the valley and now being at Texas of course it's a massive opportunity and he understands that but he's not viewing it I think the same way that I have to believe maybe a coach who was taking that job and it was their first big break maybe would have taken it and so there's that part of it there's also the part where you talk about how that team performed against Alabama in Tuscaloosa week two where everybody's watching that game college game day is there like it was a circus we got to be there ourselves his team played extremely confident extremely cool and teams I believe take on the Persona of what their leadership operates like and Steve sarkeesian you heard I mean if you listen to the postgame press conference from different players they're like yeah we knew we had to be aggressive we were confident we prepare for that moment Steve sarkeesian instilled a lot of confidence in them for that moment and they executed and so looking forward now I think we got to talk about Texas a different way and then if you're just a college football fan period if you've made it to this far in the video and you are not a Texas Fan this is where this applies to you I think we got to stop tying narratives to logos we do I mean Texas is a great example they're never going to be able to win the conference they're never going to be able to make the college football playoff what I said at the top of this thing they're always going to overpromise underd deliver and then Texas last year goes out and does what they do and that narrative is pretty much thing of the past people used to say the same thing about Kirby Smart he can't win the big one he'll never be able to win a National Championship they'll never get over the hump and then two national titles later that narrative is pretty much dead it's it's I mean it's yesterday's news so narratives while they sound nice on Twitter and while they're great for YouTube thumbnails we have to understand now narrative are just at their narratives they have no power on fourth and one they have no power when you're playing for the the final play of the game and it's overtime and you got to get in the end zone The Narrative doesn't matter at that point in time when you need five yards on third and four narrative doesn't matter and so that's the first part of this but if you're Texas looking forward to the future like I think everything they have in place that Steve sarkeesian has installed now from culture to roster to the way they built the trenches to their Elite quarterback depth they have right now the way he's going to recruit the quarterback position they are going to be in a place moving forward here I think to where they're just getting started based on what happened this past season does the path get easier moving into the SEC of course not but the thought that you can't develop at Texas they had two first round picks this past year the culture is bad we saw them go through every single up and down from having their quarterback hurt to having to battle through different adverse situations with you know winning through just the defensive side of the ball like we saw Texas battle every single different scenario this past year to where if the culture was that would have been exposed didn't see that so the things they have in place right now are going to I think stand the test of time they're going to be sustainable and I'm I'm excited to see what Texas is that first year in the SEC and beond because if they win in the SEC this first year if they go out and just make it to Atlanta forget win the conference they show up in Atlanta and make the college football playoff and they're a let's call it a 10in two football team that's going to pour rocket F on that whole thing that that will be like putting Mentos into to the coke bottle that is that Texas program it'll just blow up in the most positive way possible so the narve around Texas has changed tremendously the difference a year makes and I think again they are just getting started and all the credit belongs to Steve sarkeesian for the way that he's developed his culture and his Perfect Blend eye think when it comes to his star power not having the job be too big for him but also having the cool confidence that his team has embodied and allowed them to have the success they had last season so let me know Twitter and Instagram get out me on there and let me know JD pel how you feel about Texas The Narrative around them and how you think they're going to be moving into the future we're live tomorrow morning 11:00 a.m. eastern make sure you are subscribed get in the live chat we have a good time also podcast can't stress enough podcast podcast podcast the hard count with JD pel on Apple and on Spotify we love yall we appreciate yall we're going to keep this party rolling we will see y'all next time hey y'all thanks so much for watching subscribe to the channel here to make sure you don't miss an episode of the hard count also be sure to check out other videos on the Onre YouTube channel