The SEC’s coaching vortex just sucked in another blue-blood, with reports Tuesday igniting speculation that Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is “expected” to abandon burnt orange for LSU purple, potentially sealing a seismic shift to the Tigers’ helm before the December 7 SEC Championship and the 12-team College Football Playoff reveal. Sources close to the Baton Rouge search committee tell NOLA.com that Sarkisian, the 52-year-old offensive savant who’s resurrected Texas from SEC doormat to back-to-back CFP semifinalist, tops the “short list” alongside Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin and Arkansas interim Bobby Petrino, with LSU boosters fast-tracking a $10 million annual offer laced with $50 million in NIL guarantees to snag the ex-Alabama OC whose 2019-20 Tide tenure minted Heisman winner Bryce Young. “Steve’s the blueprint—NFL polish, SEC scars, and that air-raid magic LSU craves post-Kelly,” one Tiger insider whispered to ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, who frothed on air: “Sark to the Bayou? It’s diabolical—Texas builds him up, LSU cashes in.” The timing? Razor-sharp: Texas’ 7-3 skid—capped by a 35-10 Athens annihilation to Georgia that torched playoff hopes—has fueled “mutual parting” whispers, while LSU’s 5-5 interim limbo under RB coach Frank Wilson begs for a savior before the Texas finale.
Sarkisian’s Longhorns renaissance—45-20 since 2021, including a 2024 Sugar Bowl thriller over Oregon—has soured into scrutiny amid three top-10 flameouts (Ohio State twice, now Georgia), with QB Arch Manning’s eight picks and a penalty-plagued D (last nationally in flags) drawing booster ire despite a projected Alamo Bowl berth. ESPN’s Desmond Howard fanned the flames November 17, predicting a “mutual parting” post-season: “Don’t be surprised if that Texas job opens up… You guys were shocked when LSU opened.” Sarkisian fired back Wednesday on the SEC teleconference, slamming the chatter as “absolutely false and untrue,” insisting: “I’ve had no discussions—not with my agent, not with the university, not with any other school, not with any NFL team—about ever going anywhere else.” Yet, his reps—Jimmy Sexton and Ed Marynowitz—quietly shopped NFL feelers earlier (Tennessee Titans OC buzz), per The Athletic, and LSU’s vacancy (post-Brian Kelly’s 4-4 axing) dangles unfinished business: Sark’s 2016-18 Falcons OC stint overlapped with Tigers’ NIL surge, and his son Brady (Texas RB commit) could flip to Baton Rouge. AD Chris Del Conte, stonewalling with a sarcastic X jab at Howard (“This is news to me… Thanks for the insight”), extended Sark’s deal through 2032 at $8.5 million last winter, but boosters whisper of a $12 million buyout that’s “chump change” for Death Valley’s $200 million war chest.
The Tigers’ desperation is palpable: Kelly’s October ouster after a 49-25 A&M embarrassment left a 5-5 husk eyeing a Music City Bowl scrap, with QB Garrett Nussmeier’s shoulder uncertainty (50% for the Texas tilt) and a D hemorrhaging 28 points per game. Sark, whose Alabama roots (two nattys as coordinator) make him a “homecoming king,” could import Texas’ portal hauls—WR Isaiah Bond, EDGE Colin Simmons—via NIL magnets, forging a spread-option juggernaut with RB Caden Durham. “Sark’s not just a hire; he’s a hire-back—beat Bama in ‘19, now own the SEC,” a source gushed to On3. Rivals quake: Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer quips, “Bayou reunion? We’ll rematch in the dome,” while Ole Miss’ Kiffin trolls on X: “Sark to LSU? Guess my Florida flirt’s safe. Hook ‘em… elsewhere?” For Texas, a Sark split risks portal pandemonium—Manning’s Heisman whispers (top-5 odds) could echo to USC—and a hot board (Deion Prime? Dabo Swinney?) that del Conte dreads mid-cycle.
X is a digital dust-up, #SarkToLSU exploding to 2.1 million mentions since dawn, with Austin alums splicing Sark’s Georgia sideline scowl over Tiger Stadium night-game montages: “From burnt orange betrayal to purple paradise?” Longhorn loyalists rally #StaySark with “45-20 don’t lie” edits, while Tigers flood: “Sark > Kiffin—real SEC blood!” Howard’s clip loops endlessly, drawing Finebaum fire: “Desmond’s hot air? Or prophetic? Sark’s resume screams upgrade.” Players stay mum—Manning’s “Eyes on Arkansas” post-game nod feels loaded—but insiders peg “serious talks” by week’s end, with Sexton’s dual dealings (Florida too?) as leverage for a Texas raise. Sark’s calculus? Austin stability ($8.5M comfort, CFP semis pedigree) vs. LSU fireworks ($10M pressure, natty ghosts vanquished). His post-Georgia plea—“We fight”—echoes a requiem, but Baton Rouge beckons with bayou blueprints.
As Texas preps for Fayetteville fog and the Razorbacks’ Bobby Petrino (ironically, another LSU link), this rumored exodus isn’t mere smoke—it’s a supernova, potentially crowning Sark Death Valley’s deity or dooming the Horns to hire hell. Hook ’em? Or Geaux Sark? By SEC title week, the carousel claims its Longhorn.
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