With college football’s eligibility rules shifting under everyone’s feet, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is choosing flexibility over a hardline stance.
The chaos around transfers, court rulings and federal legislation has created a landscape where surprises can arrive late in the offseason, even for players who seemed headed elsewhere. The source of that uncertainty includes prospective LSU tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who was waived by the Cleveland Browns and could become the first player to return to college football after taking snaps in an NFL preseason game if he clears waivers.
Sarkisian isn’t eager to plant his flag on either side of the broader debate. If a future rule change gives Texas a chance to deepen the roster, he’d take it.
If it doesn’t, he’s fine with that too. What matters most to him is the group already in the building.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I don’t even know if it’s good or not,” Sarkisian said. “I’ll be honest with you.
I don’t know if it’s good because for us, I know we’ve got a locker room full of guys who have been working together, and their connectivity is so good for the last eight months. Is it worth rocking that boat?”
Texas did make one late roster move of its own when offensive lineman Cole Hutson was granted a fifth year of eligibility after filing a lawsuit against the NCAA in Travis County in response to the new five-for-five rule. That rule gives athletes from the class of 2023 five years of eligibility on a running clock that starts when they enter college. Hutson returned to the program on Aug. 7 after reaching a separate agreement with the NCAA.
Sarkisian sees a major difference between Hutson and a player arriving out of nowhere this late in the process. Hutson already knows the program, the coaches and the locker room after four years around the team. A brand-new addition, Sarkisian said, would be a “delicate situation.”
Where he is firm is on the five-for-five rule itself. Sarkisian believes it can help younger players stay engaged, knowing they can help on Saturdays in any role. It also gives coaches more freedom to play athletes without worrying about using up a redshirt year.
“Now, we really can just keep developing all of our players,” Sarkisian said. “When they earn their opportunities, we can put them out there.
They can play. They can compete.
I think that is healthy for the psyche of the young men now more than ever.”
For a head coach, the current moment may be the most unsettled in the sport, and Sarkisian admitted the uncertainty can be uncomfortable. Still, he said he embraces the challenge and the chance to find an edge inside whatever new rules emerge.
“I love the challenge of it all, and I love trying to find a way to find a competitive edge through all that,” he said. “Just tell us what the rules are, and we will play by them.”
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