SEC Head Coach Under Pressure To Shed 'One-Hit Wonder' Narrative

Even SEC head coaches deal with pressure from time to time. On3 Sports' Jesse Simonton ranked the SEC head coaches by the pressure they faced in 2024.

The SEC welcomed the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns to the conference on Monday. The pair left the Big 12 after their last seasons as members in 2023. The Big 12 will have the Colorado Buffaloes, Arizona Wildcats, Utah Utes, and Arizona State Sun Devils as new members this season.

Texas had a memorable season under head coach Steve Sarkisian in 2023. The Longhorns won the Big 12 Championship and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

However, Sarkisian is now in a much tougher conference. The Texas head coach is pressured to prove that last season was not a fluke.

"...Now can he do it again—only in a tougher conference? The pressure is on Sarkisian to prove last season was not a one-year wonder," Simonton said. "The Longhorns have a stacked roster and will be a unanimous Top 5 team entering the season."

The Longhorns will have quarterback Quinn Ewers back under center this season. Texas also went to the portal to address a need for a wide receiver after losing Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell to the NFL Draft.

Texas starts the 2024 season against the Colorado State Rams on Aug. 31. Kickoff will be at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Related: SEC Head Coach Facing Extreme Pressure Heading Into 2024 Season