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Steve Sarkisian’s adding another veteran voice to his Texas staff – this time it’s Mark Stoops, who’s joining the Longhorns as a special assistant just a week before spring practice kicks off, according to 247Sports.
Stoops brings over 30 years of coaching to Austin. He spent 13 of those years at Kentucky before getting fired following the 2025 season, but he’s still the winningest coach in Wildcats history.
His record at Kentucky wasn’t flashy – 82-80 overall – but that’s actually pretty solid considering where the program was before he arrived. Stoops managed seven winning seasons and won four bowl games in Lexington, which is no small feat in the SEC.
This isn’t Sarkisian’s first rodeo with bringing in experienced coaches to help out.
Paul Chryst and Gary Patterson have both worked as special assistants under Sarkisian at Texas. Patterson just left to become the new defensive coordinator at USC, which opened up a spot on the staff.
Stoops is coming to a Texas program that’s looking to get back to the College Football Playoff in 2026. His defensive experience will be valuable – that’s where he made his name throughout his career – but there are still some questions about how the offense will look next season.
The good news for Texas? Arch Manning’s back after playing really well down the stretch in 2025, and he’s a legit Heisman Trophy candidate heading into next season.
