When it comes to recruiting, Steve Sarkisian is all about making a splash. The Texas coach has a history of making bold moves in the recruitment game. This time he’s going above and beyond to land a 5-star recruit in style. With excitement buzzing in the air, Sarkisian is back with eye-catching tactics that have fans fired up. Sarkisian is not holding back in demonstrating his firm commitment to building a winning team for the city of Austin. 

Recruiting in college is both an art and a science, and Steve Sarkisian knows it well. He understands these top high school athletes are looking for more than just a school — they want to feel appreciated by the program they want to play and a chance to stand out. So Steve Sarkisian made headlines recently by arriving in a classy black helicopter to watch 5-star recruit Michael Fasusi’s high school game in Lewisville.

Lewisville’s star offensive lineman, 17-year-old Michael Fasusi, is the ‘it guy’ everyone’s talking about. Standing tall at 6-5 and weighing around 295 pounds—almost the same as NFL legend Aaron Donald—he’s also fast, running a 5.0 flat 40. Despite interest from Texas A&M and Texas, Fasusi has committed to the Oklahoma Sooners, thanks to the strong recruiting efforts of Coach Bill Bedenbaugh and Coach Brent Venables. Fasusi himself shared, “You want to talk to somebody you can rely on as a coach, as a mentor, as a father figure. That’s what I see Bedenbaugh as.”

So, why all the buzz? Well, this 5-star athlete is ranked as the No. 3 offensive tackle in the 2025 class. But in college football, things are always shifting—commitments are never set in stone. There’s always a chance that Fasusi could reconsider and lean toward the Longhorns, especially given Coach Sarkisian’s ongoing efforts and the appeal of Texas’s NIL advantages. Sarkisian, with the support of standout OL coach Kyle Flood, has years of experience pulling top recruits, and he’s back in the picture to make a play for Fasusi. After all, he’s been doing such moves for ages now!

Steve Sarkisian’s luxurious recruitment history

Coach Sarkisian is raising the bar for the Longhorns football program by using luxury to attract top recruits. In 2023 alone, the Longhorns spent $2.4 million on the recruitment process, landing 9 standout solid players and recognition on national TV. A big chunk of the budget went to star quarterback Arch Manning, with $280k spent on his visits, covering airfare and luxurious accommodations.

Sarkisian’s got a pretty cool strategy to keep the Longhorns on top. He’s partnered up with Lamborghini Austin, and it’s not just about the cars. This partnership is a big part of the program’s NIL deals, and it’s even caught the eye of former Longhorn star Bijan Robinson, who signed a deal with the brand. Now, this year, the Longhorns are rolling up to games in custom orange, black, and white Lamborghinis. It’s a genius move! These top recruits are just like us—they love nice cars. It looks like this high-end marketing strategy is a game-changer for Sarkisian and the Longhorns.

The Longhorns have already secured the No. 6 recruiting class in the country, but they’re not slowing down. NIL deals have completely changed the game, and Texas is taking full advantage. Just recently, four-star defensive lineman Josiah Sharma decommitted from Washington and flipped to Texas after seeing those sweet Lamborghinis on social media. And that’s not all – they’ve also landed 2025 class four-star linebacker Elijah Barnes. Now, all eyes are on whether they can flip another top recruit, Fasusi.