For twelve seasons since Mack Brown left Texas, the Longhorns have only hit the ten-win mark four times. That’s a brutal drop from Brown’s era, where ten wins was the floor for nine straight years, including a national title. It’s a clear sign this program is still chasing shadows, going shopping for names without really knowing what it needs.
The Coaching Carousel: A Wild Ride Since Brown
Man, oh man, the coaching situation at Texas has been a wild ride. Even back in January 2013, when Mack Brown was fresh off a nine-win season, regents were already on the phone with Nick Saban’s agent. Saban stayed put at Alabama, signing an extension that December, and Brown stepped down the very next day. Just three weeks later, Texas hired Charlie Strong, a coach it reportedly never even wanted. Red McCombs, whose name is literally on the business school, ripped the hire on the radio. Strong, a defensive guru, even took over his own defense’s play-calling in his third year, but he never posted a winning record.
So, what’d Texas do? They swung the other way, bringing in Tom Herman, the offensive coordinator who won a national championship with Ohio State in 2014. And when Herman hit his wall, they basically hired him again, but with a different nameplate: Steve Sarkisian. The source says Sarkisian is essentially Herman with “fancier pre-snap motion, scripted play designs, and a better résumé.” He has, at least, accomplished more at Texas than either Strong or Herman. But this trend says it all: Texas keeps shopping for the hot name or the offensive mind, when the job has always been bigger than either. They’re still buying before they know what they’re truly looking for.
The Blueprint That’s Gone, And The One They’re Ignoring
The legends at Texas knew what was up. Darrell Royal, the best coach Texas ever had, compared the job to getting “all the BBs back in the box,” meaning the coach has to pull all those different types of people following Texas football together. Royal was his own athletic director for most of his career and won with a wishbone offense his own staff drew up. That setup isn’t coming back in modern college football.
But Mack Brown’s way? That could absolutely come back. Brown knew he was a capable CEO, but also knew other coaches were better at certain jobs. He worked the politics, kept the big-money alumni with their opinions (but no coaching experience) at bay. He surrounded himself with amazing position coaches and just let them teach the players. Greg Davis ran his offense for 13 seasons, calling the plays, but Brown still kept final say over every single call. “I hear every play,” Brown said. This approach worked, big time. Texas won at least 10 games every single year from 2001 through 2009, snagging the 2005 national title and coming a Colt McCoy injury away from a second. Ten wins was the floor for those nine seasons. Think about that: Brown’s worst year in that stretch was as good as Texas’s *best* four times in the last 12 years. Even though Brown’s tenure ended with a 5-7 record in 2010 and never more than nine wins again, the program jumped the gun. They went shopping without knowing what they needed, and they still haven’t stopped.
Texas has to figure out what it actually needs instead of just what’s shiny. The pressure is on for this program to finally get those BBs back in the box and find a path forward, because right now, this storied program is still lost in the wilderness.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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