Sarkisian: Texas won't hold spring game this year
Texas is nixing an annual tradition as the team begins preparations for next season.
"We're not going to have a spring game. ... Over the last two years, we've played 30 games," head coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday on "Up and Adams." "That's a lot for college football. Fourteen two years ago, 16 this year, and I just mentioned we've had 25 guys get invited to the NFL combine the last two years. So we've got a lot of young players on our roster."
That youth means the team needs to change its development process, Sarkisian said, adding that the Longhorns will take a more "NFL-driven" approach, similar to the way the league holds OTA activities ahead of spring practices. Sarkisian said he doesn't believe that a spring game is the best use of the team's time with each school only being allowed 15 practices.
The Longhorns competed in the Big 12 and SEC title games in the past two seasons and qualified for the College Football Playoff field in both cases. Texas finished its 2024 campaign with a 13-3 record after being eliminated in the CFP semifinals by Ohio State.
Texas joins a growing trend of programs opting not to hold spring games due to the changing landscape of college football. Ohio State and USC canceled their spring games, while Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule was skeptical that his team would hold its annual event.
Texas' board of regents also approved a raise and contract extension for Sarkisian on Thursday. The coach's salary will rise from $10.4 million to $10.8 million in 2025, and the deal now runs through the 2031 season. The Longhorns boast a 38-17 record in four seasons under Sarkisian.
Texas will open its 2025 campaign against Ohio State on Aug. 30 in a rematch of last year's Cotton Bowl.