{"id":609338,"date":"2026-04-27T13:55:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/609338\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T13:55:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:55:21","slug":"steve-sarkisian-and-his-2026-texas-roster-are-now-on-the-clock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/609338\/","title":{"rendered":"Steve Sarkisian and his 2026 Texas roster are now on the clock"},"content":{"rendered":"

Steve Sarkisian\u00a0is known to say, \u201cindividual success follows team success.\u201d You\u2019ll certainly see us share some variant of that statement during the month of May when the Texas head man takes to the speaking circuit. His statement, designed to underscore the importance of team buy-in, correlates to the facts on the ground.<\/p>\n

2021:\u00a0Texas went 5\u20137 and had 0 players drafted in the 2022 draft.<\/p>\n

2022:\u00a0Texas went 8\u20135 and had 5 players selected in the 2023 draft.<\/p>\n

2023:\u00a0Texas went 13\u20132 and had 11 players selected in the 2024 draft.<\/p>\n

2024:\u00a0Texas went 13\u20133 and had 12 players selected in the 2025 draft.<\/p>\n

2025:\u00a0Texas went 10\u20133 and had 6 players selected in the 2026 draft.<\/p>\n

Kudos to Sark for moving the definition of \u201cdisappointing\u201d to 10 wins and 6 draft picks.<\/p>\n

The \u201cChicken and Egg\u201d Argument<\/p>\n

While there is a bit of a \u201cchicken and egg\u201d to what Sark says\u2014the team wins more games because the individuals are better\u2014there\u2019s also a lot of truth independent of the paradox to what Sark says. Look no further than National Champion Indiana.<\/p>\n

Indiana as the Case Study<\/p>\n

Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback\u00a0Fernando Mendoza\u00a0probably doesn\u2019t win the Heisman or go No. 1 overall if he wasn\u2019t on a team that made a deep playoff run. Not only did his profile grow by leaps and bounds after leaving Cal, his mettle was tested in games that made him part of Indiana\u2019s folklore forever.<\/p>\n

Wide receiver\u00a0Omar Cooper, who signed with Indiana out of high school, had his \u201cwho is that guy moment\u201d against Penn State, when he made perhaps the play of the year. He joined Mendoza in the first round after the Jets took him at No. 30.<\/p>\n

I still can\u2019t believe this play.<\/p>\n

Former Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. is visiting the Cowboys today, per source. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of at least eight pre-draft visits for Cooper, who kept the Hoosiers\u2019 perfect season alive with one of the greatest catches in football history: <\/p>\n

pic.twitter.com\/RwyCXSe1W8<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

DeAngelo Ponds, at 5-8.5, 185 pounds, was perhaps the pound-for-pound best player in the country. The defensive back was also selected by the Jets after they made the call in the 2nd round. Ponds started his career with Indiana head coach\u00a0Curt Cignetti\u00a0at James Madison. Ponds\u2019 size and point of origin don\u2019t exactly scream No. 50 overall.<\/p>\n

Running back\u00a0Kaelon Black\u00a0went in the 3rd round to the 49ers. Like Ponds, and so many others, Black began his career at James Madison. He went to the 49ers, a team increasingly known for drafting players \u201ctoo early.\u201d The Hoosiers\u2019 team success likely played a role in lifting Black\u2019s value in the eyes of Niners GM\u00a0John Lynch.<\/p>\n

Cooper wasn\u2019t the only wide receiver drafted.\u00a0Elijah Sarratt\u00a0joined him in the 4th round. Sarratt is yet another James Madison transfer. He probably wouldn\u2019t be drafted that early if he remained at James Madison, or if he wasn\u2019t paired with such a good quarterback on a great team.<\/p>\n

Tight end\u00a0Riley Nowakowski\u00a0was drafted by the Steelers in the 5th round. In 39 games at Wisconsin, he compiled 18 receptions. In 16 games at Indiana, he recorded 32. Did anyone have Nowakowski as being a more coveted prospect than Texas\u2019\u00a0Jack Endries? I damn sure didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Center\u00a0Pat Coogan\u00a0was taken by Tennessee in the 6th round. I\u2019m reminded of a buddy of mine, who coaches O-line in high school, wondering why Texas wasn\u2019t after the Notre Dame transfer while he was sitting in the portal last year. That was a great decision by Cignetti.<\/p>\n

The Texans took linebacker\u00a0Aiden Fisher\u00a0in the 7th round. Guess where he started his career. Seriously, take a wild guess. Damn, you still can\u2019t get it, Geronimo? Okay, I\u2019ll give you a hint\u2014\u201cFather of the Constitution.\u201d No, not George Washington University. Sigh.<\/p>\n

The Bigger Takeaways<\/p>\n

There are a number of takeaways here, including Sark\u2019s overarching premise of team success begetting individual accolades. If you beat an Ohio State team with roster-wide blue-chip talent and 11 draft picks, including 7 in the first two rounds, NFL GMs and scouts are going to take a much harder look at your roster.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s something else that precedes team success, which precedes individual notoriety, and that\u2019s coaching. Cignetti just turned half of his old James Madison locker room into a Disney movie through team discipline, talent evaluation, establishment of culture, efficient use of the portal, etc.<\/p>\n

Texas Outlook<\/p>\n

Texas enters next season, including draft season, with an embarrassment of riches.\u00a0Arch Manning,\u00a0Colin Simmons,\u00a0Trevor Goosby,\u00a0Cam Coleman,\u00a0Jelani McDonald,\u00a0Hero Kanu,\u00a0Rasheem Biles, and many more are now on the clock. In some ways, Sark is, too. <\/p>\n

That group of players should earn a number of individual accomplishments and early draft selections that follow team success. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m betting they will.<\/p>\n