Steve Sarkisian Faces Massive Challenge Crafting Texas Longhorns’ Week 1 Game Plan as SEC Era Begins With High Expectations
As the summer heat gives way to fall anticipation, college football enters its most intense and exhilarating phase—game preparation. For most programs, Week 1 is about setting the tone, establishing rhythm, and building momentum. For the Texas Longhorns, however, Week 1 of the 2025 season carries a weight unlike any in recent memory. With a top-ranked roster, national attention, and the first full season in the SEC looming large, the pressure is on—and no one feels it more than head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Crafting a Week 1 game plan is never easy, even for seasoned coaches. But in Sarkisian’s case this year, it may be one of the most complex and pivotal challenges of his career. From evaluating quarterback dynamics to countering an opponent that likely has been game-planning for Texas for months, the opening game holds a unique intensity. It’s not just a test of physical readiness—it’s a test of scheme, culture, preparation, and poise under fire.
Sarkisian’s offensive pedigree is well-documented. His time at Alabama as offensive coordinator, where he constructed one of the most efficient and explosive units in college football history, earned him widespread acclaim. His knack for blending NFL-style concepts with college tempo and spacing has become a hallmark of his identity. At Texas, he has gradually infused that identity into the program, but Week 1 in 2025 will be a defining moment.
The difficulty of assembling a Week 1 game plan lies in the uncertainty. While film study of the opponent’s previous season is valuable, no team is ever the same from one year to the next. Coaches must anticipate schematic changes, personnel rotations, and the possibility that their own tendencies have been heavily scouted. It becomes a chess match, with both sides hiding their aces until the final moment. Sarkisian, known for his creative play design and in-game adjustments, will have to be at his sharpest.
One of the first and most significant challenges for Sarkisian is managing the quarterback position. With Quinn Ewers expected to return and Arch Manning waiting in the wings, how Sarkisian balances development, loyalty, and results will shape not only the offense but the team’s overall chemistry. Ewers has the experience, but Manning has the pedigree and upside. Sarkisian must prepare both quarterbacks, knowing full well that one play, one injury, or one poor start could flip the depth chart and change the narrative.
Preparing two quarterbacks to be SEC-ready in Week 1 is a delicate task. The offensive game plan must be tailored enough to give whoever starts the best chance to succeed, while remaining adaptable in case a change becomes necessary. Sarkisian must anticipate the defense’s reaction to both QBs, understand how each one processes the field, and construct a package of plays that maximizes their strengths without tipping his hand too early.
On top of that, the Week 1 opponent isn’t some pushover warm-up game. Texas will likely face a ranked or highly competitive team eager to make a statement. The target on Texas’s back has grown, especially now that they’re in the SEC. Every opponent will treat playing Texas as an opportunity, and they’ll bring their best. The Longhorns will not be allowed to ease into the season—they will be forced to fight from the opening whistle.
That means the offensive line must be ready to protect in hostile conditions against ferocious pass rushers. The new freshmen—some of whom are expected to contribute right away—must be mentally locked in and physically ready. And Sarkisian must decide how to incorporate a deep receiver room that features players like Dakorien Moore, Johntay Cook II, Isaiah Bond, and others who demand touches and can change a game with one play.
On defense, Texas faces another massive challenge. Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski will undoubtedly have his hands full, but it’s Sarkisian who oversees the big picture. Game-planning in Week 1 on defense means preparing for the unknown—an offense that may debut new schemes, formations, or personnel. The defense must be versatile, disciplined, and communicative from snap one.
Texas’s defense in 2025 is expected to be fast, aggressive, and fundamentally sound, led by players like Anthony Hill Jr., Ethan Burke, Malik Muhammad, and incoming freshman stars like Justin Williams and Kobe Black. But it’s Sarkisian’s responsibility to ensure that every defensive wrinkle the opponent might throw at them has been accounted for in walkthroughs, film study, and practice simulations.
Special teams also play an outsized role in Week 1. Mistakes in the kicking game or poor decisions in field position battles often decide early-season contests. Sarkisian must work closely with his special teams coordinator to ensure the units are prepared for trick plays, fake punts, and all forms of pressure. A blocked kick or a return touchdown can swing momentum, especially in front of a raucous home or neutral-site crowd.
There’s also the psychological aspect of Week 1 preparation. Sarkisian has to get his team mentally and emotionally ready for the grind. After a long offseason of weight training, film, and controlled practices, everything becomes real in Week 1. Nerves run high. Energy can be misplaced. The coach’s job is to keep his players focused—not overhyped, not underwhelmed, but in that perfect state of competitive edge.
Texas has one of the youngest and most talented rosters in the country. But with youth comes volatility. Sarkisian must lean on his veteran leaders to set the tone in the locker room, but he also knows that many of the game’s pivotal moments may rest in the hands of true freshmen or first-time starters. That’s the nature of high-stakes programs in the modern era—talent arrives early, and impact is expected immediately.
Another difficult part of Week 1 preparation is self-scouting. Sarkisian knows that opposing coaches have studied every snap from last season. They’ve analyzed formations, motion tendencies, third-down preferences, red zone behavior, and more. So the pressure is on to evolve—change just enough to remain unpredictable while maintaining the foundational structure that makes the offense click. It’s a tightrope walk: keep what works, but keep opponents guessing.
He’ll also be unveiling parts of the playbook that have been worked on behind closed doors all offseason. It’s a showcase not just for fans, but for the college football world. And in today’s hyper-connected media landscape, one explosive performance in Week 1 can catapult a player into the Heisman conversation or shift the perception of a team from contender to frontrunner. Sarkisian knows the power of the moment.
Yet with all the pressure, all the complexity, and all the moving parts, there’s one thing working in Sarkisian’s favor: he’s done this before. He’s coached in national championship games, navigated quarterback controversies, and rebuilt programs. He knows the value of structure, of preparation, and of execution. The hours leading up to kickoff in Week 1 will be long and relentless, but they’re also the culmination of everything the offseason was designed to achieve.
Sarkisian understands that the opening game sets the tone not just for the season but for the entire SEC chapter of Texas football. Win convincingly, and the confidence will ripple through the locker room. Struggle or lose, and the noise will be deafening. There is no easing in, no buffer, no grace period. That’s what makes this game plan so vital—and so difficult.
And it’s not just about strategy. Sarkisian is shaping culture, expectation, and legacy with every decision. How he prepares his team, how he adapts under pressure, and how he manages personalities in the heat of battle will all be on display. In Week 1, there are no secrets—only execution.
So as the countdown to kickoff draws closer, all eyes turn to Steve Sarkisian, the man tasked with leading Texas into this new era with precision and poise. It’s a challenge that demands everything from a head coach—football intellect, emotional intelligence, leadership, foresight, and a willingness to trust in the work that’s been done.
Week 1 may be just one game on the schedule, but for Texas in 2025, it feels like the first battle in a war for respect, relevance, and redemption. And Sarkisian, for all his experience and talent, knows there’s no room for missteps. The plan has to be perfect—or as close as humanly possible. Because when that first whistle blows, the entire country will be watching.
