Texas AD wanted to hire Sonny Dykes instead of Steve Sarkisian?

The Texas Longhorns are in their second season under head coach Steve Sarkisian, and things aren’t going great.

After going 5-7 last season and having a six-game losing streak, the Longhorns are 6-4 this season. They lost to TCU on Saturday, and the offense looked putrid.

Ahead of the game, the Austin American-Sportsman’s Kirk Bohls reported that Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte wanted to hire Sonny Dykes as the Longhorns' head football coach. Conte knew Dykes and recommended Sonny to TCU. Bohls said a deal was all but done in December 2020 for Dykes to coach Texas.

However, the report says the school’s boosters, led by Texas regent Kevin Eltlife, wanted Sarkisian.

Sarkisian, who was the Alabama offensive coordinator, ended up being hired in January 2021.

Dykes was in his fourth season at SMU at the time Conte was apparently talking with him. Dykes remained at SMU for another season and went 8-4 last season. He is now 10-0 in his first season at TCU and just beat the Longhorns over the weekend.

Sarkisian has lost at least four games in every full season he has been a head coach. Dykes flopped at Cal but has proven to be a success coaching in Texas, whether it’s at SMU or TCU.