Steve Sarkisian has made significant efforts to position the running game as one of the team’s offensive strengths. However, this doesn’t imply that he had all the necessary components in place for the running game throughout the previous season. In fact, a pile of injuries and the decreased effectiveness on the outside zone made the overall scoreboard suffer a number of times. The consistent underwhelming output put the Texas running game in ninth place in the SEC in rushing yards per game at 164.1, sixth in average yards per carry at 4.7, and tied for seventh in rushing touchdowns with 18. But as long as Tashard Choice was there, there was reason to hope for a better comeback.

Steve Sarkisian is about to open a new page at Austin as QB1 Quinn Ewers left the party for good. The vast majority of the past season has been gone debating over who among the Ewers and Arch Manning should be the best under the center. Finally, Arch Manning has the opportunity to live up to all the hype by having a spectacular season. Not only will the QB position undergo a significant transformation, but a series of departures and arrivals have also upended the entire depth chart. To add to the suspense, the Longhorns also have lost a major piece of their coaching front, the standout RB coach Tashard Choice. Can Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers also lose their RB coach, Kiel McDonald, as a domino effect?

As per insider Jordan Scruggs, he’s ”an interesting candidate, you know, doesn’t have the strongest ties to Texas, is actually originally from the Bay Area but did some moving around growing up and went to high school in Colorado Springs, but when he was at Utah and USC, he almost exclusively only signed running backs from the state of Texas in 2023. His first real full cycle being at USC, he signed Quinten Joyner and A’Marion Peterson, who were like two of the top four ranked running backs in the state of Texas that year.” So, you see, there is some strong history out there. Sure, he is not the regular candidate you can read about on the Reddit discussions, but he holds weight to be considered as the next guiding light to the Sark’s RB room.

McDonald spent five seasons at the University of Utah before jumping ship to the Chargers. In 2019, McDonald helped eventual third-round NFL Draft selection Zack Moss record his third-consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season. He helped a lot of legendary names, such as Tavion Thomas, to come out as the leading RBs in their careers, and he got everything that can save Sarkisian and retain his job in Texas for a few more years.

‘‘A really good coach, really good developer, would be far from them flashiest hire, but you know it does make sense that this is a guy who coached in the NFL, we turbo,” Scruggs gave him a final nod as a candidate. Now, coming to the popular names, the one with the most votes is perhaps Ra’Shaad Samples. But there is some reason that points out to a possible debarring from the discussion.

Ra’Shaad Samples a utopian choice for Steve Sarkisian at the moment?

The Oregon Ducks running back coach Ra’Shaad Samples seems a fit from all perspectives. A few days back, Dallas Cowboys reporter Clarence Hill Jr. made it an obvious debate by tweeting, ‘‘Keep an eye on Samples coming home to Texas.” Being a Dallas native, Samples already has the lone state-level connection. He was instrumental in the wide receiver coaching room at Texas under Tom Herman back in 2018.

If he comes to Texas, he has big shoes to fill, as Choice has set an unprecedented benchmark to live up to for any of his successors. If it looks at his record, you can’t be convinced that Samples can’t do that at all, but the real question is why would he leave the Ducks for the Horns? Is it a bigger talent room? Well, no, Lanning has more talents in the RB room to let him produce and develop than Texas.

Is it a bigger paycheck? A bigger no. If you think that Dan Lanning will loosen up his grip on a guy who made Kyren Williams a pro bowler and has had lofty records with the best at SMU, Arizona State, and Ducks so easily, then you are living in a fool’s paradise. Oregon has enough money to compete and win over Texas at any given point.

So, pulling RaShaad will be a bit of a far-fetched idea at the moment. Rest, we will see how Sarkisian pans out with the available choices and makes a quality decision down the stretch.