"He's battling through a tough year right now": CFB insider issues his verdict on Steve Sarkisian - NFL rumors ahead of Week 10 challenge

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is fighting battles on all fronts, whether it comes to his team's on-field progress or his professional pursuits amid reports of potential departure from the Longhorns program. After the Tennessee Titans fired their head coach, Brian Callahan, theories emerged about Sarkisian's potential interest in the job and that he was open to more opportunities.

This theory spread like wildfire in seconds, to the extent that Coach Sark's agent, Jimmy Sexton, and his team had to issue a statement refuting the reports.

According to football insider Diana Russini, Sarkisian was potentially pursued for the NFL job. Given his past experience in the league, this move could occur at any time.

Per Fox insider Joel Klatt, Sarkisian may not be leaving Texas. It is a dream job for any head coach in the college football circles and given his success in amateur athletics, it is hard to believe that Sarkisian would be leaving for an NFL opportunity.

“Okay, he’s got to say that for his locker room,” Joel Klatt said on his podcast on Tuesday. [Timestamp - 45:01]

“And I personally believe him until that’s false. I think he’s in Texas. He loves it at Texas. That’s a great job. That’s a top-two job in college football. Top two job, maybe the best job in college football, and he’s got it and he’s battling through a tough year right now, primarily because the offense has not been great,” he added.

Steve Sarkisian gets real about Week 10 challenge

After a 6-2 record, Texas will be heading for the weekend game against the Vanderbilt Commodores for an SEC blockbuster.

Like any other coach in the league, he gave Vandy QB Diego Pavia his flowers and shared that Pavia is the crucial playmaker of the team.

“He's one of the more competitive players that I've competed against. He's their leading rusher. He obviously passes the ball. He makes plays at critical moments when they need to have it,” Sarkisian said to the reporters on Tuesday.

So far, Pavia has passed for 1,698 yards and scored 15 touchdowns while also rushing for 458 yards and five TDs. He had reshaped the program, achieving the best record since World War II.

No doubt, this weekend's game will be a chance for Sarkisian and QB Arch Manning to find their feet in a jittery 2025 season.