After spending millions this offseason and going all-in on the 2026 season, Texas fans are furious with the way things have gone so far under Steve Sarkisian. At 4-2 after consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Florida — both of which were unranked at the time — the Longhorns now face an uphill climb just to sniff the College Football Playoff.

If everything is bigger in Texas, that must include the disappointment which this season will come with if a Playoff run does not occur — disappointment that would almost certainly cost Sark his job. The resulting question is simple: What coach could Texas get who would do better with the same lineup? 

Sarkisian is a good coach, and it's worth remembering the state of this program when he arrived a few years ago. But the truth is that Texas can land darn near any coach they could want; this remains one of the richest jobs in the sport, in the richest conference in the country, at the center of a talent-rich state. Many of the names listed are unrealistic. but they are the ones who can get it done where most other ones cannot. So let's dive in, going from pie-in-the-sky to something more in the realm of possibility.

Curt Cignetti, Indiana

Cignetti made the Playoff in year one and won the national championship in year two — at Indiana of all places. He did so with a mixture of lower-level FBS players who came with him from James Madinson and a group of hardly highly touted transfers. His prowess as an evaluator and developer of talent is second to none.

Of course, Cignetti has already said that Indiana will be his final stop. And unlike other coaches, we tend to believe him. But if not, the players he could now bring from Indiana, the recruits he could get from Texas and Louisiana, and his great coaching — which has been the best in the country for two years — would create a behemoth in Austin that no one would care to deal with.

Cignetti has done more with less for so long that it would be amazing what he could do with even more. 

Ryan Day, Ohio State

As angry as Buckeyes fans can get at Ryan Day, if he were to leave Columbus and head south to Austin, he could become their biggest nightmare.

We know he can recruit, and we know he can call an explosive offense. He is also currently working with a $50 million budget. So, the only real question would be whether he could finish with the same results in the SEC that he's seen in the Big Ten. 

Day only has one national championship during his time in Columbus. But this is one more than Texas has, and they also beat the Horns in the 2024 semifinals en route to that championship. This means Texas knows exactly what Day can achieve when given premium resources.

Kirby Smart, Georgia

Not only is this one incredibly obvious, but it is also the most likely not to happen. Smart is with the Georgia Bulldogs until he decides to either retire or go off to the NFL; he's a native of the state and an alum of UGA, and there's nothing he could possibly want that he can't already get in Athens. Next.

Will Stein, Kentucky

Coming from Oregon, we know that Will Stein can recruit, and we know he knows his way around money. Being in Texas, it would be even easier to get players in such a talent-rich state. Even though Texas A&M revolted when their administration attempted to hire a sitting Kentucky coach, the state school in Austin would be more than happy to take this one from a conference foe.

The job Kentucky has done this season — with an enhanced budget, but not one that even sniffs $50 million — has been incredible, and has the Wildcats sitting in the top 15 in the latest AP poll. Two straight wins via late two-point conversion has only added to his legend. And have you seen the way Oregon has performed on offense without him?

Like the next two men on our list, Stein would be both incredible in Austin and presumably available (unlike Cignetti, Day and Smart).

Jon Sumrall, Florida

The man who just won in Austin would be an awfully enticing successor — but only if he brings OF Buster Faulkner with him, something the Longhorns administration would gladly pay for.

While I cannot choose Faulkner, as we do not know how he'd handle the head job, we have seen how well Sumrall can recruit and coach his players and how well Faulkner can deploy them. The issue with Florida this season has been their defense, but his track record there at Troy and Tulane is awfully strong, and there are no defensive concerns with the Longhorns right now.

With the defense Texas has and with the offensive ingenuity that Faulkner would bring, Texas would truly be back. Finally.

Willie Fritz, Houston

Fritz is 66 years old, which is admittedly a red flag. Then again, Cignetti was already in his 60s when he came to Indiana, and like Cignetti, all Fritz has done is win at every level. That includes Houston, where he took over a moribund program and now has them in real Big 12 and College Football Playoff contention in just his third year. He builds programs, and landing five-star QB Keisean Henderson this past cycle shows he can recruit big-time talent, too.

Texas might get a little antsy at this thought, and Fritz would have to answer questions about handling more resources and more staff than he's ever dealt with before. But they could do a lot worse.