Sarkisian ushers in new era at Texas: 'We can't sit back and relax'

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is tempering expectations in his first season with the program.

"Winning is hard," Sarkisian said Thursday during Big 12 media day, according to ESPN’s Dave Wilson. "Winning takes work. Winning takes grit and great teamwork."

The former Alabama coordinator takes over for Tom Herman, who the Longhorns let go in January after he tallied a 32-18 record over four seasons. The team went 7-3 in 2020, picking up a win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl.

Sarkisian, who pointed out he’s coached in four national championships, believes that a good program is more than just stacking talent.

"We can't sit back and relax and think because we've got a great stadium, because we've got great resources, because we've got five-star, four-star players, that we just sprinkle a little magical fairy dust and all sudden we're a really good football team."

With a Heisman Trophy contender in running back Bijan Robinson, Texas is anxious to contend for a conference title sooner than later.

The Longhorns are attempting to return to the top of the Big 12 for the first time in over a decade. Texas has not won a conference title since 2009 under bench boss Mack Brown.

Meanwhile, Sarkisian remains reluctant to name a front-runner between Hudson Card and Casey Thompson in the starting quarterback competition.

"I will say it is a little bit of a luxury for me to have two quality quarterbacks like this. They're gonna make it tough on me."