As the 2026 college football season approaches, there is one question hanging over the Texas Longhorns that has become almost impossible to avoid: Can Texas fans truly trust Steve Sarkisian to finish the job?

The question is not about whether Sarkisian can coach. It is not about whether he can recruit. It is not even about whether he can build Texas into one of the most talented programs in the country. He has already answered many of those questions.

The real issue is whether Sarkisian can take Texas from being a highly talented, nationally relevant program to being a championship-winning program.

That distinction matters.

Texas enters 2026 with enormous expectations. The Longhorns are ranked among the nation’s top teams, have one of the deepest rosters in college football and are loaded with players who received preseason recognition. Texas had 11 players selected to the preseason coaches’ All-SEC teams, tied with Georgia for the most from any team.

That kind of talent changes the conversation.

There is no longer much patience for moral victories in Austin. There is no longer much interest in celebrating nine- or 10-win seasons simply because Texas looks better than it did during the years before Sarkisian arrived. The standard has moved.

Texas wants championships.

And Sarkisian knows it.

It would be unfair to judge Sarkisian as though he inherited a finished championship program.

When he took over Texas, the Longhorns were searching for stability, identity and consistency. Sarkisian’s arrival brought a clear offensive philosophy, improved recruiting and a renewed belief that Texas could compete nationally.

Under his leadership, Texas reached the College Football Playoff in consecutive seasons before falling short in 2025. The program became a regular fixture in the national championship conversation rather than an occasional participant.

That progress is significant.

But college football is ultimately judged by what happens when expectations become enormous.

The 2025 season provided a perfect example.

Texas began the year as the consensus No. 1 team in the country. Instead of turning that ranking into a championship run, the Longhorns finished 10-3 and missed the College Football Playoff. They recovered late and defeated Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, but that was not the season Texas expected.

For an ordinary program, 10 wins might represent a successful season.

At Texas, it can feel like failure.

That is the burden Sarkisian has helped create. He has raised expectations to the point where anything short of serious championship contention is going to invite criticism.

And that is why the trust question exists.

The biggest challenge for Sarkisian is that Texas has already shown what happens when the pieces do not come together.

The Longhorns entered 2025 with enormous expectations but lost to Ohio State in the opener. Losses to Florida and Georgia followed, eventually keeping Texas outside the playoff field.

Those results exposed some uncomfortable truths.

Texas had talent, but talent alone was not enough.

The offense struggled to consistently create explosive plays. The running game did not provide the balance the team needed. There were moments when the Longhorns appeared overwhelmed by the expectations surrounding them.

For Sarkisian, the lessons from that season are now part of the 2026 challenge.

He cannot simply tell his players to forget 2025.

He has to prove that the program learned from it.

That is one reason the 2026 season feels different. Sarkisian has made major changes to the roster, added experience through the transfer portal and attempted to strengthen the areas that contributed to last year’s disappointment.

The Washington Post noted that Sarkisian aggressively rebuilt the roster around quarterback Arch Manning in an effort to return Texas to the College Football Playoff.

That is not the approach of a coach trying merely to improve.

It is the approach of a coach who understands that his team has to win now.

The trust conversation cannot be separated from Arch Manning.

Manning enters 2026 as one of the most closely watched quarterbacks in college football. His name alone creates enormous attention, but the expectations surrounding him are based on more than his famous family.

Texas believes Manning can be an elite quarterback.

The problem is that his first full season as the starter was not completely smooth.

Manning endured an inconsistent beginning to 2025 before finishing the season strongly. His late-season improvement gave Texas fans reason for optimism, but questions about consistency and accuracy have followed him into 2026.

That puts Sarkisian in an interesting position.

He has to develop Manning while simultaneously building a team capable of winning immediately.

Those two objectives do not always fit neatly together.

Young quarterbacks generally need time. Championship contenders rarely have time.

Sarkisian has attempted to solve that problem by surrounding Manning with additional talent. Texas has added weapons and experience, while returning important players who can provide stability.

The theory is simple: if Manning can take the next step, and the players around him perform at a championship level, Texas should have enough firepower to compete with anyone.

But theory eventually has to become reality.

Perhaps the strongest argument in Sarkisian’s favor is the roster.

Texas has assembled the kind of talent that most coaches would love to have.

The preseason All-SEC selections provide a clear illustration of that depth. Eleven Longhorns received recognition from SEC coaches, including five first-team selections.

That is an impressive endorsement.

It also creates pressure.

When a team has that many highly regarded players, coaching decisions become more visible. Player development, game management, preparation, adjustments and situational football all come under greater scrutiny.

If Texas wins, Sarkisian will receive credit for building the program.

If Texas underperforms, questions will naturally shift toward the coaching staff.

That is the reality of coaching at a place like Texas.

At some point, the roster becomes too talented for explanations about potential to remain convincing.

The Longhorns have to produce.

Another reason trust in Sarkisian will be tested is the schedule.

Texas does not have the luxury of easing into the season and finding itself later.

The Longhorns face a schedule that leaves very little room for mistakes, with major opponents standing between them and their championship ambitions.

That makes preparation critical.

A bad performance against a lesser opponent can be just as damaging as losing to a national contender.

Texas needs consistency.

It needs to avoid the kind of mistakes that turn manageable games into dangerous ones.

And, perhaps most importantly, it needs to perform when the spotlight is brightest.

That is where Sarkisian’s biggest test lies.

Anybody can look like a championship coach when everything is going according to plan.

The true measure comes when the team is trailing, the offense is struggling, the crowd is hostile and the season is hanging in the balance.

Can Sarkisian make the right adjustment?

Can he keep his players calm?

Can he prevent one mistake from becoming five?

Can he put his team in position to win the biggest games?

Those are the questions Texas fans really want answers.

There is an important difference between trusting Sarkisian and blindly defending him.

Texas fans have every reason to believe Sarkisian is capable of leading the program to a championship.

He has demonstrated recruiting ability.

He has developed quarterbacks.

He has helped restore Texas to national relevance.

He has guided the program through the transition into the SEC.

He has built a roster capable of competing at the highest level.

But none of those accomplishments guarantee a championship.

Trust should come with accountability.

That may be the healthiest way to view Sarkisian heading into 2026.

Texas fans do not have to decide whether Sarkisian is a great coach or a bad coach. The evidence already suggests that he is a very good coach.

The more important question is whether he can become the coach who delivers the ultimate prize.

That remains unanswered.

One of the most difficult jobs at Texas is not simply preparing players physically.

It is managing expectations.

The Longhorns are expected to win. Their fans expect them to compete for championships. Their recruiting classes are filled with highly rated prospects. Their transfer portal additions attract national attention.

Every season becomes an evaluation of whether the program is moving closer to the ultimate goal.

Sarkisian has embraced that pressure rather than running from it.

After Texas fell short in 2025, he made clear that the standard had not changed. He acknowledged that the team had not achieved what it wanted and returned to work.

That attitude matters.

A coach who understands the standard is more likely to build a program capable of meeting it.

But eventually, words have to be replaced by results.

For many Texas fans, the answer is obvious.

Beat the best teams.

Win the SEC.

Reach the College Football Playoff.

Compete for the national championship.

That does not necessarily mean Texas has to win every game in 2026. College football has become too competitive and unpredictable for that kind of expectation to be realistic.

But the Longhorns have to look like a team capable of winning the championship.

They cannot spend another season wondering what might have been.

They cannot afford another year in which talent and expectations exceed execution.

They need to show that the program has matured.

And Sarkisian needs to show that he can guide that maturity.

As kickoff approaches, the discussion surrounding Sarkisian is bigger than one coach.

It is about what Texas wants to be.

For years, the Longhorns have talked about returning to the top of college football. Sarkisian has helped bring them much closer to that destination.

But being close is no longer enough.

Texas has now entered the stage where the margin between success and disappointment is extremely small.

The Longhorns have the quarterback.

They have the talent.

They have the resources.

They have the recruiting momentum.

They have the SEC platform.

What remains is execution.

That is why the question, “Can Texas fans truly trust Steve Sarkisian?” is more complicated than a simple yes or no.

Yes, fans can trust him to build a talented team.

Yes, they can trust him to prepare a program for high-level competition.

Yes, they can trust him to put Texas in position to compete for championships.

But whether they can trust him to actually finish the job remains the biggest question of all.

The 2026 season will provide the evidence.

Sarkisian has spent years rebuilding Texas into a national contender. Now he has to prove that he can take the final step.

And that final step is often the hardest one.

Texas does not need another coach who can make the Longhorns relevant.

It needs a coach who can make them champions.

As kickoff approaches, Sarkisian has earned the opportunity to prove that he is that coach.

Now he has to deliver.