In the current age of college football, and really college sports at large, has more variables than ever before. The introduction of the transfer portal and NIL have created more parity and, in turn, more variability within the sport.
One of the major things that has become harder is finding the “right guys” that are playing the game for the right reasons, and not just for the new ability to make millions of dollars.
It is no secret Texas sits atop the world of college football when it comes to financial resources. Which can create more concern about the “money over everything” mentality that does exist within college football. That brings us to Saturday after the Longhorns loss to Georgia, when Kirby Smart had some choice words about that current mindset among many players and programs in the sport.
What a quote from Kirby Smart here.
“A lot of these kids want a check. They don’t want physicality. If you have the check and no physicality, you end with nothing. You’re not just getting checks at our place. We’re hitting people.” pic.twitter.com/q1Wpg01aWk
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) November 16, 2025
Now, is this a shot at the Texas program? Almost definitely. Is it ONLY a shot at the Texas program? Absolutely not. To me, the reason for the quote is rather simple. Kirby Smart’s team just got a top 10 win, at home, in front of an elite crowd in dominating fashion, and he saw a chance to make a recruiting pitch. Every other coach in the country would, and should do that after a win like that one.
The question isn’t whether it was a shot at Texas or not, it’s is he right? Because, if it’s just counter recruiting, that happens all the time and really doesn’t change much for Texas moving forward. On the other hand, if he’s right, the Longhorn program has a problem that is not overly easy to fix.
So, is the Texas Longhorns program “money over physicality”? That’s far from a simple yes or no answer.
Let’s just start at this baseline: Steve Sarkisian took over a program that had 7 scholarship offensive linemen, very little identity and took the Longhorns to the CFP in back-to-back years within his first four years. That doesn’t happen without a culture that is made of the right stuff. Now, that’s far from saying THIS team is made of the “right stuff”.
When teams find success, it becomes more likely for complacency and poor culture to sneak in. Has this happened to the Longhorns? I would argue no.
It should be said, unless someone is in that building on a daily basis, they can’t tell you whether or not a program is made of the “right stuff”. Obviously, the results on Saturday give us a sneak peak, but to know the true motivations of players, you have to be around them on a consistent basis. So, I am far from the authority on this topic, but I believe Texas is still made of the “right stuff” because of the leaders of this team.
Every college football program takes on the attitude of their leaders, coaches and players included. Despite some controversial press conference answers, I believe Steve Sarkisian has proven his mentality is correct. That is further proven when you listen to the leaders of this particular Texas team.
Colin Simmons, you’ll be great one day talking and moving like this. pic.twitter.com/1yPbuCMHG0
— Brooks Austin (@BrooksAustinBA) October 19, 2025
Colin Simmons is wired the right way, there is no question about that. I have no question Anthony Hill Jr., Arch Manning, Michael Taaffe and Malik Muhammad are wired the right way. I believe younger players like Ty’Anthony Smith, Kade Phillips, Justus Terry and more are wired the right way. This team, and particularly the leaders of this team, have shown plenty for me to feel confident they are made of the “right stuff”.
None of what I just said changes that the results of this season are disappointing, despite what Steve Sarkisian might say. That doesn’t change this program has issues that are not going to be fixed overnight. There need to be changes to the staff, in a number of places. The portal needs to be attacked in a very real, but strategic way. The program needs changes, but I believe saying the culture is money driven is a step too far for me.
It’s impossible for me to speak with absolute confidence on this. It’s entirely far for people to watch that Georgia game and question the physical nature of the Longhorn program. My counter to that would be the Oklahoma and Vanderbilt game, where every single player on both sides of the ball fought with two of the more physical teams in the country and won both times.
The Texas program has come a remarkably long way under Steve Sarkisian. Are there areas where they need to get better? Of course. Every program, including the one Texas just lost to, has areas they need to improve. To me, that doesn’t mean Texas is a “money over physicality” program, it just means they haven’t hit the elite levels they are capable of.
The standard of the Texas Longhorns program is to beat teams like Georgia, win SEC championships and compete for National Titles on a yearly basis. There is no and, if or but about that. The Texas program needs to make changes to make sure Steve Sarkisian’s record in top 10 games and the elite coaches in the country improves. To me, that isn’t totally changing the foundations of the program, it’s more about turning the final few keys to get the Longhorn program humming.
So, is Texas a “money over physicality” program? My answer would be no, right now. In the current age of college football, that can change very quickly, and Texas needs to be cognizant of that. To me though, losing to Kirby Smart’s Georgia in Athens at night is not enough proof to say the program is motivated by the wrong things. It’s proof they have more work to do, but not that the work that’s been done was done incorrectly.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Kirby Smart seemingly takes shot at Texas Football, but is he right?
