Texas' Steve Sarkisian questions NCAA's rules on player agents in NIL world: 'Might be their college roommate'

Texas Longhorns caput shot manager Steve Sarkisian inactive has 1 much crippled to play successful his 2025 season, but similar each different programme successful the country, helium has to enlistee for 2026 and beyond astatine the aforesaid time. 

That process has evidently changed present crossed each assemblage athletics aft the instauration of name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, which has turned recruiting into a fiscal game. 

But 1 of the galore holes successful the system, astatine slightest successful the eyes of Sarkisian, is the deficiency of regularisation surrounding the agents these athletes prosecute to negociate those NIL deals earlier heading disconnected to school. 

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Head manager Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns holds Horns Up arsenic helium walks into the stadium earlier the SEC shot crippled betwixt Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies connected Nov. 28, 2025, astatine Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium successful Austin, TX. (David Buono/Icon Sportswire)

Before the Longhorns instrumentality connected the Michigan Wolverines successful the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Sarkisian discussed that facet of recruitment, suggesting immoderate of the agents are not adjacent qualified to beryllium negotiating deals that could beryllium millions. 

"Which cause are you dealing with? There’s immoderate agents who are rational and past there’s immoderate wherever it’s their archetypal clip ever being an agent," Sarkisian told reporters, per OnTexasFootball. "I don’t adjacent cognize if they’re licensed to beryllium agents, and each of a sudden, they get to beryllium agents due to the fact that we person nary certification process successful assemblage football, wherever the NFL you person to beryllium certified. In assemblage football, it mightiness beryllium their assemblage roommate their freshman twelvemonth who’s their cause close now."

Sarkisian was asked astir what Texas is looking to bash this offseason to regenerate immoderate cardinal players, including moving backmost Quintrevion Wisner, who entered the transportation portal. Wisner made the announcement of the determination this past Friday, joining CJ Baxter and Rickey Stewart Jr. arsenic Texas moving backmost transfers.

While Sarkisian explained however the squad needs different beryllium strategic, identifying what they request versus what they want, arsenic good arsenic looking astatine the "luxuries" they person connected the roster, helium besides made definite to notation the precocious schoolhouse recruiting people for 2026 that needs to beryllium looked at.

Head manager Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns speaks during SEC Football Media Days astatine Omni Dallas Hotel connected July 17, 2024 successful Dallas, Texas.  (Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Either way, Texas continues to peruse the transportation portal, and Sarkisian knows he’s going to person to proceed having telephone conversations with "agents" moving forward.

"Again, I deliberation there’s thing incorrect with that," Sarkisian said aft reflecting connected however financials person travel into play erstwhile it comes to gathering a assemblage roster. "We’ve conscionable got to tighten it up. Hopefully, we tin get determination sooner alternatively than later, due to the fact that again, I’m astir apt going to beryllium connected the telephone with an cause contiguous who’s going to propulsion a fig astatine maine that I’m going to beryllium like, ‘Good luck, I anticipation you get it. If you don’t, telephone america back. But I can’t bash that number.’"

Head manager Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns connected the tract anterior to a crippled against the Arkansas Razorbacks astatine Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium connected Nov. 22, 2025 successful Austin, Texas. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

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Unlike different lower-level programs, the University of Texas has immoderate tremendous NIL funds to enactment with. In fact, the highest-paid NIL jock successful assemblage shot is their quarterback, Arch Manning, who volition stay with the squad heading into 2026. He’s hoping to decorativeness beardown successful his archetypal vessel crippled commencement connected New Year’s Eve.

Texas led the mode with a monolithic NIL fund for the 2025 season, ranking higher than immoderate squad successful assemblage shot astatine $22.2 million, according to 247 Sports.

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