AUSTIN (KXAN) — The college football landscape is rapidly changing, and if teams and programs don't adapt, they risk being left behind. Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is typically at the front of the line in those situations and made a big philosophical shift in response to the transfer portal.
As the Longhorns prepare for the Sugar Bowl and potentially the CFP National Championship Game, the rest of the college football world still keeps spinning at a ridiculous pace — much of it fueled by the free agency-style player movement due to the portal. Players have until Jan. 2 to enter their names into the transfer portal, leaving those who are on teams with bowl games in a situation that "sucks," Sarkisian said.
"They put in a lot of hard work, and since January they've been busting their tails with the team," Sarkisian said. "They committed a lot to the program, and for them to not be able to see it through, I hate that for them."
He hates it so much that he and the coaching staff gave transferring players the option to stay with the team while they looked for a new place to play next year. That's something Sarkisian said they didn't do last season, but since the Longhorns didn't play for nearly the entire month of December when the portal is open, he thought the timing was right.
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"They are valuable to our team's success, and I'm appreciative of them," Sarkisian said.
He said wide receiver Casey Cain, offensive lineman Sawyer Goram-Welch and defensive back Larry Turner-Gooden decided to stay with the team while they looked around. Cain is headed the UNLV while Turner-Goodwin will continue his career at San Jose State. Goram-Welch hasn't found a landing spot yet.
He said he understands why transferring players want to move on and get with their new team as soon as possible, but he admitted it's still "a little disappointing."
"They mean a lot to us, but in the end, when I go out to practice, that's the team I've got," Sarkisian said.
