"This is the kickoff to the season for us," Sark said of being at the THSCA convention on the heels of SEC Media Days.

Sarkisian says this week at THSCA is always like the kickoff of the football season.

Sark's first question is about balancing TXHS recruiting vs. national balance.

Points out 19 of the 23 draft picks in the last two years have come from within the state of Texas.

Sark said one of his goals in the next 12-24 months is to "corral the state of Texas" and figure out how the Longhorns can do a better job of recruiting the state of Texas.

1 minute ago, CJ Vogel said:

Sark's first question is about balancing TXHS recruiting vs. national balance.

Points out 19 of the 23 draft picks in the last two years have come from within the state of Texas.

This was as lengthy an answer I have ever seen from Steve Sarkisian – talking about in-state recruiting.

Sark: "I don't really care about the rankings."

Sark is excited about the season because Michael Taaffe is the only player left on the roster who was on the 5-7 team.

Sark says there was one player left on the roster who went 5–7 in 2021. And that was Michael Taaffe.

 

"I like the hunger of this team."

Just now, CJ Vogel said:

"I like the hunger of this team."

TWO seasons in a row of semi finals loses in the red zone. I would hope they are chomping at the bit to get ahold of ohio state. 

Sark said he'll use two full weeks of camp to get ready for Ohio State. It'll be a lot like a bowl game, he said.

The last few seasons, Sark said they'd use the third week of camp as a primer for the big non-conference game. This year, they'll start preparing for Ohio State during the third week of camp and stay after it until the game.

Sark on the staff's recruiting process: "We don't chase stars."

Sarkisian: "We don't chase stars."

Added the staff trusts their evaluations and prioritizes fits in the program/culture over anything else.

Sark doesn't think the recruiting dynamics going head to head against Texas A&M have changed much since Texas joined the SEC.

"We won a couple of critical battles that helped us along the way," he said.

15 minutes ago, Jeff Howe said:

On Chad Scott, he's one of the few running backs coaches I've heard in a clinic setting get into the nuances of pass protection. Again, there were some good Tre Wisner clips of what he did during spring practice while protecting the quarterback.

Seems like we got a good one. Enjoyed some of his quotes. 

Sark would like to deal with high school coaches more in recruiting.

"I think they need to be bullish to not let their role be diminished," he said.

Just now, Jeff Howe said:

Sark would like to deal with high school coaches more in recruiting.

"I think they need to be bullish to not let their role be diminished," he said.

Sark said high school coaches can't throw their hands in the air and accept that agents are involved.

Sarkisian says he prioritizes talking with high school head coaches in the world of agents in high school recruiting. Urges HS coaches to remain impactful in the lives of high school recruits and take control of these conversations.

Thanks for going on the road.  Are u guys able to post video here?

Just now, MJ Filla said:

Thanks for going on the road.  Are u guys able to post video here?

That's the plan.

Sark said there's a difference between collecting talent and building a team. Relationships allow the Longhorns to build a team and a culture instead of just adding talented players to the roster.

Sark said you could feel Trey Moore's presence late in the year on third down. They moved him to linebacker to take advantage of his versatility.

Just now, Jeff Howe said:

Sark said you could feel Trey Moore's presence late in the year on third down. They moved him to linebacker to take advantage of his versatility.

Sark said Moore has had a great summer, "which setting up for a great fall for him," he said.

They've got Michael Terry III "honed in" on being a wide receiver right now.

"Once he can master that, or come close to, we'll let him spread his wings a little bit," he said.