‘Something Really Special!’ Texas Longhorns Are More Than Just SEC-Ready

FOX College Football lead analyst Joel Klatt can’t get behind doubters of Texas Longhorns football and Steve Sarkisian’s move to the SEC.

“(Sarkisian) is very comfortable in his own skin,” Klatt said. “He is very authentic to who he is right now and what he wants to do at Texas. That is manifesting in really solid recruiting and a culture within the building that is vibrant and authentic. I think the players understand that he cares about them, and in return I believe, at least I have felt when I’m around that program that they care about him.”

Texas’ 2024 recruiting class ranked fifth on 247Sports with two five-star, 14 four-star, and six three-star recruits.

Not to mention, a stellar transfer haul filled with difference makers at key positions of need.

“I could not be more bullish on Texas football right now,” Klatt said. “Due to the fact that I’ve known Steve for a long time and when I sit with him now, I sense something really special.”

Many SEC fans don’t believe Texas is ready for the move to a football-dominated conference with powerhouses like Georgia and Alabama, but Klatt disagrees.

“I don’t think that sentiment holds any water, like zero water,” he said. “I mean they just beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and that is not a down Alabama team. It’s an Alabama team that was in the (College Football Playoff), for goodness sake. They beat Nick Saban’s Alabama team on the road. You cannot be more SEC-ready than that, you just can’t.”

It’s not just last season wins that back that confidence, it’s also who is coming into the program and who keeps growing in it.

“They’re gonna have one of the best offensive lines in the country,” Klatt said. “That’s what you have to have in the SEC, but they also have one of the more talented skill position cores in the country, which is what you have to have. They’re gonna have a quarterback who’s gonna be in the top three in the Heisman Trophy odds to start the year. That’s what you have to have.”

Texas football’s 2024 season starts against Colorado State on Aug. 31. Its SEC debut against Mississippi State comes nearly a month later on Sept. 28.

“Texas is not just SEC ready and I think that’s just an overblown concept,” Klatt said. “They are national championship ready.”