Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian appeared to take aim at Ohio State’s football team on Monday morning. Sarkisian said that he starts spring practices before spring break to give his players a chance to prepare for finals after it’s over.
Finals in person, that is. The Longhorns leader said that his players don’t have the option to take online classes each day.
“Our players have to go to school at the University of Texas. They have to go in person,” Sarkisian said. “You know, we don’t get to go online every day and do it maybe like some other folks get to do it.”
While Texas offers “self-paced courses” as a part of its curriculum, it appears that Sarkisian is holding his player’s accountable through class attendance. This subtle shot comes as the Buckeyes football program has gained criticism from their academic standards.
Ohio State offers what the university refers to as a “distance-learning course” where all instruction, assignments and exams are online with no in-person requirements. Some are considered asynchronous with the content within the course being consumed at your own pace based on specific deadlines.
Last week, former Ohio State wide receiver Mylan Graham, who has since transferred to Notre Dame, noted that the biggest adjustment between the two programs has been taking in-person classes.
“You just have to actually go in person,” Graham told Talia Baia. “… At Notre Dame obviously everybody knows how it is with academics.”
Notre Dame does not offer “asynchronous” online classes, unlike Texas. So, there’s no other option for Graham and the rest of the Fighting Irish football team.
The rise of online courses in universities across the United States coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down most of the in-person activities on those campuses. Many schools now offer in-person, online and hybrid courses for students to choose from.
Not for the Texas football team, it appears. The Longhorns have national championship aspirations for the 2026 season, and for Sarkisian, that efforts begin in the classroom this spring.
To get there, the Longhorns will have to get through Ohio State, however. Texas hosts the Buckeyes on Sept. 12 and will try to earn back the loss it suffered in Columbus last season.