College Football’s Coaching Paradox

**Sarkisian Slams College Football’s ‘Microwave Society,’ Asks: ‘Who Are You Going to Hire?’ Amid Coaching Purge**

**AUSTIN, Texas** – Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t mince words on November 13, 2023, weighing in on the escalating pressure and rapid turnover in college football coaching. Just a day after his SEC rival, Jimbo Fisher, was dramatically dismissed from Texas A&M, Sarkisian pointedly asked, “Everybody wants to fire a coach. Who are you going to hire?”

Sarkisian, speaking at his weekly press conference, expressed concern over what he termed a “microwave society,” where fans, media, and even athletic departments expect instant success and championship contention. He lamented the lack of patience afforded to coaches, often leading to dismissals after just one or two disappointing seasons, regardless of the significant challenges inherent in building a sustainable program.

His remarks resonated deeply within the college football landscape, coming on the heels of several high-profile coaching changes. Fisher’s firing from Texas A&M on November 12, 2023, was a particularly stark example, with the Aggies paying a staggering buyout reportedly exceeding $75 million for a coach who won a national championship at Florida State and carried a 45-25 record over six seasons in College Station. Just days later, Mississippi State followed suit, firing first-year head coach Zach Arnett on November 20, 2023, highlighting the increasingly thin margin for error.

Sarkisian emphasized that the job of a college football head coach has become more complex and demanding than ever before. He cited several contributing factors:

* **The Transfer Portal:** The constant churn of the NCAA transfer portal means coaches must perpetually recruit their own roster, manage player expectations, and navigate a fluid talent pool, making long-term roster stability a rarity.
* **Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Deals:** The advent of NIL has added a new layer of financial and relationship management, requiring coaches to engage with donors, manage individual player branding, and ensure competitive compensation structures, all while maintaining team cohesion.
* **Impending 12-Team Playoff:** The expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams in 2024, while offering more opportunities, also intensifies the pressure on programs to reach the postseason. A “good” season may no longer be enough, raising the stakes for every game and every decision.

“It takes time to build a program,” Sarkisian stressed, implicitly drawing on his own experience. When he arrived in Austin in 2021, the Longhorns were coming off a period of inconsistent performance. His first two seasons saw Texas go 5-7 and 8-5, respectively, before a breakthrough 2023 campaign that saw them win the Big 12 Championship and reach the College Football Playoff in the final year before their move to the Southeastern Conference.

Sarkisian’s comments underscore a growing sentiment among coaches and analysts: the pursuit of immediate gratification often clashes with the reality of program development. As the financial stakes and competitive pressures continue to mount, the carousel of coaching changes appears destined to spin even faster, leaving many to wonder, as Sarkisian did, just who will be left to step into the ever-hotter seat.