Longhorns prepare to join SEC, and football will take center stage | Golden

Football will be the SEC barometer for Texas. As if you didn’t already know.

Coach Steve Sarkisian’s mission to bring a national title back to Texas began three years ago, but Year 4 is pivotal because it will come in a much more dangerous league against some of the nation’s preeminent football factories.

Ready for the pressure cooker, Sark?

We’re about to find out.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian greets quarterback Quinn Ewers during UT’s NFL pro timing day March 20. They will be the two central characters in the team’s first season in the SEC. Monday will be the school’s first day as a member after leaving the Big 12, which it co-founded in 1996.

Was, is, always will be about Texas football

Long before last week, it was well understood that Austin was a party town, but Texas has taken it to another level.

The heavy hitters atop the university introduced new baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle on Wednesday in a lavish and possibly overcooked affair in the Hall of Fame room behind the north end zone with plenty of dignitaries present.

More: Hiring away Jim Schlossnagle was the first blow in this Texas-Texas A&M SEC war | Golden

And now football will take center stage.

UT will host the SEC Celebration on Sunday, the day before it officially joins the Southeastern Conference on Monday. The SEC Network will broadcast Sunday’s celebration live from campus, and Pitbull, aka “Mr. 305,” will perform in the evening.

The Horns are definitely feeling this moment after a 12-2 finish, a Big 12 title on their way out the door and a College Football Playoff  appearance that nearly ended with a miraculous comeback win over Washington in the Sugar Bowl. But while getting to the CFP was impressive, sustaining that success is another challenge altogether, especially after losing 11 players to the NFL draft, including stars Xavier Worthy, Byron…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/longhorns-prepare-join-sec-football-215200041.html

Author : Austin American-Statesman

Publish date : 2024-06-29 21:52:00

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