“As long as I’m decent at it, I’ll probably continue to do it.” That’s Steve Sarkisian clinging to his play sheet. And yeah, he’s decent. Texas is 25-5 over the last two seasons, their only top-10 unranked team loss coming from Oklahoma in 2023. And then he signed a No. 6 recruiting class in 2024 with four elite prospects. But the red zone efficiency looked like a warning sign when Texas met Ohio State in the 2024 Cotton Bowl matchup. So now the question is whether he could do that and call plays at the same time. His answer’s up there, but not everyone agrees. 

On June 13, Sports Illustrated’s Brooks Austin joined George Wrighster’s College Football Podcast to reveal his biggest pet peeve. And unfortunately for Steve Sarkisian, he’s right in the middle of it.

“My biggest pet peeve is when head coaches think they can still remain play callers,” Austin said. “The greatest of all times don’t do that. Nick Saban did not call his own plays. Kirby Smart won two national titles, not calling his own plays. Dabo Swinney has never called a play. So it irks me. It’s my main concern about Steve Sarkisian. I know Kyle Flood’s heavily involved, but why are you still on the sideline with the Waffle House cart buddy? There’s so many different things you got to be paying attention to.” Truth may sting, but he’s not wrong.

Nobody can compare with former Alabama HC Nick Saban when it comes to coaching. He has won a total of seven national championships, one at LSU and the rest in Tuscaloosa. But even the GOAT delegates. He built a dynasty by empowering coordinators while he focused on overall strategy, culture, and player development. But Steve Sarkisian is still gripping his play-calling duties like it’s a lifeline. It’s not about ego, as he insists. It’s about rhythm, trust, and familiarity.

“When I got hired to do this job, I was the offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama and we were a pretty good offensive team,” Steve Sarkisian said, referencing his long-standing relationship with Kyle Flood, AJ Milwee, Jeff Banks, and the rest of the offensive brain trust that followed him from Alabama. “We brought those same pieces from that staff over. We all came together, and the rhythm that which we operated, we just kind of continued. We’ve kept that continuity. We’ve got a pretty good rhythm and routine.”

Continuity is a strength, no doubt. But with the CFB landscape evolving, the demands on head coaches have never been heavier. And it might not always get you to the mountaintop. The last play-calling head coach to win it all was Jimbo Fisher in 2013. That was the BCS era. Since then, Lincoln Riley, Ryan Day, and Sarkisian have all called plays and come up short. Except for the Buckeyes HC, who broke the chain in 2024. And see what happened. 

Should Steve Sarkisian follow Ryan Day’s path?

Maybe one of the best decisions that Ryan Day made ahead of the 2024 season is handing over play-calling duties to Chip Kelly. “I loved that part of it as well, but I felt like it was time for me to spend a little bit more time of my thoughts and resources with the team, defense, special teams,” he admitted. “It consumes your mind. That’s what makes great play-callers, great play-callers. It allowed me to step away a little bit.”

The result of that sacrifice was a more balanced, connected Ohio State squad, the same one that knocked Steve Sarkisian’s squad out of the Playoff and rode that momentum to a national title.

As Brook Austin added, “I thought it was why Ohio State was so connected as they were last year because Ryan Day could say ‘Hey look I don’t have to worry about offense. Chip’s got it. If I want to give him additives, if I want to give him tips, that’s fine.’”

Ryan Day’s move gave him freedom. Steve Sarkisian, meanwhile, keeps doubling down. His trust in his gang is rock-solid, and his offensive vision is clear. But at what cost? As more programs follow Nick Saban’s delegation blueprint to championship glory, the pressure mounts on the Longhorns’ HC to decide whether to hold the sheet or hand it off. 

Decent isn’t enough in Austin. Especially when 2025 is finally about to witness the highly anticipated Arch Manning era kick off with a gauntlet against Ohio State.