Steve Sarkisian, Texas Longhorns agree on 4-year contract extension

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Halfway through his initial 6-year contract with the Texas Longhorns, head football coach Steve Sarkisian is getting four more years.

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte announced Saturday that Sarkisian's contract is extended through 2030, coming off a Big 12 Conference championship and the program's first appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Longhorns finished the 2023 season 12-2 and ranked No. 3 in the season-end Associated Press Top 25 poll.

"What Coach Sarkisian has done in building us back into one of the nation’s premier football programs has been awesome to watch," Del Conte said. "As we head into the SEC next year, we’re doing that with a great deal of momentum, a program we’re extremely proud of and with a great head coach and leader. "We knew that Coach Sarkisian was the man for the job when we hired him, and he’s proven that each step of the way."

When Sarkisian signed his initial contract in 2021, it was worth $32.4 million over six years, starting at $5.2 million in the first year while increasing $200,000 yearly to $6.2 million by 2026. Terms of the extension were undisclosed by the university at the time of the announcement.

In three seasons at the helm, Sarkisian went 5-7 in 2021, 8-5 in 2022 and 12-2 with a CFP berth in the Sugar Bowl this past season.

"He’s done a remarkable job rebuilding and taking our football program back to great heights in three short years," UT president Jay Hartzell said. "But the things that make me most proud are the leadership he’s brought and its impact on our student-athletes. This shows up in the culture he’s built in our program and the wonderful ways our student-athletes represent the University."

Texas begins the 2024 season at home Aug. 31 against Colorado State and then travels to Ann Arbor to take on CFP national champion Michigan on Sept. 7.