Skip to main content
Join Now
Team Avatar
Texas

Steve Sarkisian explains why rev-share spent on true freshmen offensive linemen is 'dead money'

Byington mugby: Alex Byington04/17/26_AlexByington

After years of downplaying the value of relying on the transfer portal, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian reversed course this offseason and went all-in on college football’s free agent market.

In fact, in a likely effort to capitalize on what’s expected to be the final season with likely 2027 No. 1 overall draft pick Arch Manning at quarterback, the Longhorns added 22 players from the portal since it opened in early January. And those portal efforts don’t appear to be slowing down any time soon after Texas signed two more transfers over the past two days.

SUBSCRIBE to the On3 NIL and Sports Business Newsletter

Still, building an elite championship-caliber roster in the day and age of the transfer portal, NIL and revenue-sharing isn’t without its challenges. As part of last summer’s House v. NCAA settlement, Division I schools have a $20.5 million rev-share cap to spend on their players. Though, at major programs like Texas, the cost to field a championship roster regularly exceeds that cap, with some teams believed to be nearing the $40 million mark thanks to third-party NIL deals.

And while the Longhorns certainly aren’t hurting for cash, there’s still the issue of fiscal responsibility. For Sarkisian, that means players at certain premium positions like offensive tackle get rev-share scraps — especially for those coming from the high school ranks. Ultimately, as Sarkisian points out, freshmen offensive tackles are simply a bad investment in today’s system given the natural mental and physical development required of young linemen.

“Let’s just go with the narrative out there that there’s $20 million in revenue-share. … So, I got a $20 million roster. OK, I gotta pay a quarterback that’s going to play. I’ve got to pay an elite receiver or two if you want to be really good. I’ve got to pay a pass rusher or two,” Sarkisian began on a recent episode of the Get Got Pod podcast with former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch. “The elite (high school) left tackle from whatever state, you’ve got to pay him to come. That’s called a signing bonus or whatever it is, and that money’s coming out of that $20 million.

“But to say that he’s going to come in and start at left tackle as a true freshman, I mean, he’s got to protect that quarterback and he’s got to block for that running back, (and) in this conference, that’s probably not realistic,” Sarkisian continued. “So, the more money you invest in those young linemen, that’s really dead money, because that’s a development position. And what’s happening is, those players aren’t getting developed, they’re just getting thrown to the wolves because they’re making money. … And, in college football, some of these pass rushers have been there for 6-7 years, they’re 24-25 years old.”

It’s a stark reality for young offensive lineman, especially if they’re looking to break the bank out of high school. Sarkisian’s stance might also explain why Texas only signed a single offensive tackle apart of its 2026 prep recruiting class — three-star local product Kaden Scherer. Meanwhile, the ‘Horns inked deals with two transfers at the position in four-star Wake Forest tackle Melvin Siani, the No. 3 tackle in the 2026 portal class, and three-star Texas A&M tackle Jonte Newman.

“Remember us as young players, we might have had the physical ability early, but we didn’t have the mental discipline to play 70 snaps of doing right every play,” Sarkisian continued. “… For young players, that’s the difference. (The young tackle) is going to make a mistake. … Think about Indiana, they had a hell of a year. Curt Cignetti did an amazing job, (and) he was starting six six-year seniors.”

Indiana’s success might help explain why Sarkisian shifted gears with his approach to the portal this offseason. Texas landed On3’s No. 10 portal class of 2026 thanks in large part to additions like five-star wideout Cam Coleman (Auburn), the No. 1 transfer WR, four-star linebacker Rasheem Biles (Pitt), and four-star running backs Hollywood Smoothers (NC State) and Raleek Brown (Arizona State), the No. 2 and 4 transfer RBs in the class.

Given the Longhorns’ narrowing window with Manning, it’s no wonder Sarkisian opted to spend Texas’ money on experienced transfers over unproven freshmen, especially along the offensive line.