Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian talks NIL: ‘Never sacrifice character for talent’

In the new age of college football, understanding how to utilize players’ name, image and likeness opportunities is key to building a successful roster. Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian understands this, according to a conversation he had about NIL strategy with former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy on his show, Clean Pocket.

“I think NIL has been good for the University of Texas,” Sarkisian said. “I think we’ve managed it the right way, I think we’re fair with our players.”

Considering the talent they’ve landed in recruiting and their College Football Playoff success, the Longhorns have plenty of high-value players on their roster who warrant big NIL deals. Texas quarterback Arch Manning, 247Sports Composite’s top-ranked recruit in 2023, recently signed one with Red Bull and boasts an estimated NIL value of $6.5 million, according to On3. Texas edge Colin Simmons, the Shawn Alexander Freshman of the Year, sits at around $1.5 million.

More: How Arch Manning has been prepping to take over as Texas football starting QB

Data from USA TODAY shows the University of Texas as the second-highest grossing athletic department in terms of revenue, bringing in $239 million last year — only bested by Ohio State’s $251 million. That doesn’t mean they can afford to roll the Brink’s truck out to every player on the roster.

“When we think a guy is overpriced, we let him go,” Sarkisian said. “We look at the value of the player on our roster and where he might sit, we put a number on it and it is what it is.”

The landscape of college football is drawing closer to the NFL, with the transfer portal mirroring free agency, teams having to budget their roster-building and the CFP expanding into a 12-team field. McCoy brought this up as an advantage for Sarkisian, who was the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator from 2017-18 and understands the machinations of a salary cap.

“You’ve got to manage it and place a premium on certain things that matter to you as a program,” Sarkisian said. “I think so many teams struggle when they don’t know and are grab-bagging. They’re reactionary instead of forward thinking.”

And while talent is a big part of how Texas decides to divide up its NIL pie, it’s not everything. Sarkisian emphasized a player’s fit with the Longhorns’ culture as a critical factor in their team’s construction.

“Never sacrifice character for talent,” Sarkisian said. “There’s a lot of talented players. But if you believe in culture, you got to make sure you look at the character too.”

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