Texas has been hit with an unwelcome distraction ahead of Friday’s Cotton Bowl Classic showdown with Ohio State, with head coach Steve Sarkisian being linked with a move to the NFL.

Sarkisian, 50, has been highly impressive since taking over a struggling Longhorns program in 2021. This is the second successive season he has reached the College Football Playoff semifinal, and he hopes to go one better this year by reaching the national championship game.

But on the eve of Friday’s clash in Dallas, ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported that some NFL teams with head coaching vacancies will be eager to interview Sarkisian. And the number of interested teams will only grow if Sarkisian can find a way to lead the Longhorns to national championship glory.

“Well, I think there are a couple of teams that have some interest in speaking with Sark after the season ends,” Schefter said on Thursday’s edition of ‘Get Up’. “So, if Texas were to lose this week, then that would free him up to go do that if that’s what he wanted.

“And, if they win and go on and somehow find a way to win the national championship, I would think there might be even more teams that would be interested in talking.”

There are six head coaching vacancies in the NFL after the conclusion of the regular season. Matt Eberflus, Robert Saleh and Dennis Allen were fired mid-season by the Chicago Bears, New York Jets and New Orleans Saints respectively.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian reminded Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and others about the inconvenient truth behind their College Football Playoff snubs

Sarkisian has led the Longhorns to the semifinals in back-to-back years ( 

Image:

Tim Warner/Getty Images)

The Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars also let go of Antonio Pierce, Jerod Mayo and Doug Pederson after the conclusion of Week 18. And a seventh vacancy could become available when the Dallas Cowboys finally decide the future of out-of-contract head coach Mike McCarthy.

Sarkisian has spent the vast majority of his coaching career at the collegiate level, although he had a brief stint as the Oakland Raiders’ quarterbacks coach in 2004 and later spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons from 2017-18. It remains to be seen whether the possibility of returning to coaching in the pro ranks appeals to Sarkisian.

In the meantime, he has business to take care of. The Longhorns (13-2) are six-point underdogs after scraping a double-overtime victory over unfancied Arizona State in the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day. Ohio State (12-2), meanwhile, has been a buzzsaw in the playoff, routing Tennessee in Colombus before dismantling No. 1 Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl last week.

The game will likely hinge on the performance of Longhorns redshirt junior quarterback Quinn Ewers, who has been inconsistent in recent performances. Sarkisian is backing his signal-caller – who spent one season as a backup at Ohio State before transferring to Texas – to get the job done.

“I’m very proud of Quinn,” Sarkisian said at Thursday’s press conference. “His journey has been unique to him. It’s almost like he’s the new era of college football. Here’s a guy that goes to one school, transfers to another, and ends up playing that school in the semifinals. Just the portal and all that it entails.

“The guy has been a really — he’s been a steady sea for us, and as much as the rocky waters could be around him, he remained very steady, very focused, very attentive to the details. His work ethic has been unmatched. And I’ve just been proud of him, because I think he’s found a source for him that has been a motivating factor where he can play free and play loose and play confidently.”