College Football Coaches Praise Steve Sarkisian's Player Prep for the NFL Draft

SEC coaches heaped praise of Steve Sarkisian for how swiftly he has managed to Texas back into an elite generator of NFL talent. The Longhorns had 12 players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, setting a school record for the seven-round period.

That figure also represented the third-highest total for any program nationwide and the second-highest within the SEC, trailing only one other team. Georgia , who had 13 players drafted. That would be impressive in any year, but it is even more so considered where Texas was in terms of NFL talent when Sarkisian took over in 2021.

Coming off of a 5-7 finish in the coach’s first season, the Longhorns saw no players drafted for only the second time in school history. To now have taken the program to the opposite end of history is no small feat, and one that earned Sarkisian a pat on the back from other coaches in a recent article from ESPN.

“Texas had a huge number, set the record,” an SEC coach said . “Three years ago, they didn’t have anyone. Now he sets the record. That’s pretty impressive by Sark.”

In total for the past two years, no team has had more draftees than Texas with 23 players selected. This year’s draft saw three University of Texas players picked in the first round and a total of five defensive players chosen.

"Particularly when it comes to their defensive skills, they're outrageous," an SEC offensive coordinator commented, as reported by ESPN.

Over the last two seasons, Texas' impressive roster has shown through their gameplay as they secured a spot in the College Football Playoff each time. This past season, the Longhorns progressed to the CFP semifinals but were ultimately defeated by the eventual champions. Ohio State , which saw 14 players selected, more than any other team.

Texas witnessed talents like Xavier Worthy and T’Vondre Sweat thrive during their debut NFL season in 2024. Worthy even assisted the Kansas City Chiefs in reaching another Super Bowl, ending up as the team’s second-leading receiver with 59 receptions for 639 yards and six touchdowns.

Offensive lineman Kelvin Banks The first Longhorn was selected ninth overall this year when he went to the New Orleans Saints as their pick. cornerback Jahdae Barron and receiver Matthew Golden joined him as the other Texas players to be taken in Round 1.

They’ll look to go on to become the next Longhorns alumni to make an impact in the pros. As for Steve Sarkisian, he has another roster loaded with NFL talent and it’s safe to safe there will be another big number of Texas players taken in 2026.

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