Timing, as they say, is everything in life.
Steve Sarkisian signed a 6-year, $34.2 million deal upon taking the Texas job in 2021. He was due for an extension as he moved past the halfway point following this season.
A breakthrough campaign that saw his Longhorns win the Big 12 and reach their first College Football Playoff undoubtedly drove up Sark's price beyond the $5.8 million he is scheduled to earn under the terms of the current deal.
And then Nick Saban retired.
The timing of that colossal move could not have been more fortuitous for Sark's ongoing contract negotiations -- if he chose to capitalize on it. That has not been the case. Alabama's search has focused elsewhere, and Sarkisian has been busy making preparations for 2024, most notably securing the return of quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Following a flurry of social media activity from late Thursday night, with involvement from Sark's wife Loreal and Texas president Jay Hartzell, the program sent this tweet out Friday morning, amplified by Sark himself.
— Steve Sarkisian (@CoachSark) January 12, 2024
Sark was also spotted recruiting for Texas early Friday morning.
Point being: if he wanted to, Sark and his camp could have made the process of securing an extension as painful as they wanted to for Texas. Clearly, they didn't want to. There's a reason for that: Texas ponied up a raise that will take him from his current standing (30th in the country, one spot below Kansas's Lance Leipold) to a salary in line with his accomplishments and market value.
Chances are we'll see an announcement and dollar figures from Texas very soon.
In the meantime, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.