In the world of college football, few voices are as prominent or polarizing as that of Paul Finebaum. As an ESPN analyst, his takes often become a topic of conversation, sometimes sparking intense debates across the sports world. One such hot take that drew considerable attention was Finebaum’s bold prediction about the University of Texas football program back in 2021. At the time, the Longhorns were transitioning under new head coach Steve Sarkisian after a disappointing end to Tom Herman’s tenure, and Finebaum’s commentary on Texas quickly became one of his most memorable and controversial opinions. But, as time has passed, many have looked back at his statements with the benefit of hindsight and seen how they backfired.
The Finebaum Take: “Texas Is Still A Long Way Away”
Paul Finebaum’s comment on Texas was made during the 2021 offseason, shortly after the Longhorns hired Steve Sarkisian as their new head coach. At that time, Texas fans were excited about the future under Sarkisian, a highly respected offensive mind with experience at Alabama. However, Finebaum wasn’t sold on the idea that Texas was on the verge of returning to national prominence.
On ESPN’s “Get Up” in April 2021, Finebaum said, “Texas is still a long way away from being an elite program. They’re not even close to competing for a national championship.” The comment was bold, particularly considering the talent Texas had recruited over the years. But Finebaum’s statement seemed to reflect a deeper skepticism about the Longhorns’ ability to translate that talent into on-field success in a conference as competitive as the Big 12.
Finebaum’s perspective wasn’t just a critique of the team’s immediate potential—it was a judgment on the larger state of the program. He referenced the Longhorns’ history of underachievement, especially in the post-Mack Brown era. Texas fans, who had grown accustomed to being a dominant force in college football, were frustrated by the fact that the program hadn’t made a major playoff appearance since its 2009 national championship game loss to Alabama.
In his opinion, Finebaum argued that, despite recruiting top-tier talent, Texas had failed to maintain the consistency necessary to truly challenge the heavyweights of college football, especially in the SEC-like environment of the Big 12. He pointed to previous head coaches like Charlie Strong and Tom Herman, both of whom had been unable to return the program to the elite status that many Longhorns fans expected.
The Backfire: Texas’s Move to the SEC
Finebaum’s skepticism about Texas’s future didn’t stop at coaching. The move to the SEC, announced in 2021, only added more fuel to the fire of Finebaum’s critiques. He expressed the view that the Longhorns’ transition to a more competitive conference would not instantly make them a powerhouse. Rather, Finebaum argued that Texas was entering the SEC with an incomplete roster, under a first-year head coach, and a program culture that had yet to demonstrate sustained success at the highest level.
This take also earned significant attention, as it mirrored Finebaum’s earlier skepticism of the Longhorns’ ability to contend for a national championship. As Finebaum saw it, joining the SEC would place Texas in a situation where they were competing against heavyweights like Alabama, Georgia, and LSU on a regular basis. His argument was that Texas would face a steep learning curve, and that it might take years before the Longhorns could even begin to compete with the SEC’s elite programs.
2021 Season: Texas Struggles Early Under Sarkisian
Finebaum’s criticism of Texas seemed prescient as the Longhorns’ 2021 season began to unfold. After an impressive start, the team suffered a major setback midway through the season. Texas dropped three straight games, including a blowout loss to Arkansas in Week 2. The Longhorns’ struggles on both sides of the ball were evident, and Sarkisian’s first season was looking more like a rebuilding project than the immediate return to prominence many had hoped for.
In particular, Texas’s defense, which had been a long-standing weakness, continued to be an issue under new defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski. Meanwhile, quarterback play was inconsistent, and the team struggled to establish a reliable running game after the departure of star running back Bijan Robinson’s backup, Roschon Johnson. The losses piled up, and Texas’s once-promising season quickly unraveled.
Finebaum, who had been skeptical about Texas’s ability to contend in the Big 12, seemed to have been vindicated by the team’s inability to meet expectations in the early stages of 2021. But what many didn’t anticipate was just how quickly things would get worse for the Longhorns.
The 2021 Texas Collapse: A Glimpse of Things to Come
In November 2021, just a few months after Finebaum’s initial comments, Texas suffered one of the most embarrassing losses in its history. The Longhorns were hammered by Kansas, one of the worst teams in college football, at home. The loss to the Jayhawks was an absolute disaster for the program, and it highlighted the deep issues still present within the Texas football operation.
Despite the talent on the roster, the Longhorns had underperformed across the board. The loss to Kansas sent shockwaves through the program, and many began questioning whether Sarkisian was the right man to lead the Longhorns back to the promised land of college football supremacy.
While some Texas fans were still holding out hope that Sarkisian could turn things around, Finebaum’s comments about the Longhorns being a “long way away” from championship contention continued to resonate. At this point, it was clear that Texas was far from being competitive in the same breath as teams like Alabama, Georgia, and even Oklahoma. Finebaum’s take, which had initially seemed dismissive, now appeared to have a clearer basis in reality.
The Long-Term Impact: A Bigger Picture
Fast forward to 2023, and Finebaum’s skepticism of Texas has proven to be both accurate and insightful. While the Longhorns may have a successful future under Sarkisian, it became evident that the program’s struggle to maintain consistency over the years was a much larger issue than just coaching or recruiting. It was a cultural problem that, despite Sarkisian’s best efforts, would take time to overcome.
That said, Finebaum’s hot take was perhaps not as much about Texas’s immediate future as it was a commentary on the state of the program as a whole. Texas has always had the resources to be great. But as Finebaum observed, the program’s lack of success in recent years could not be fixed with just a coaching change or by joining a different conference. In many ways, Finebaum’s words reflected the growing belief that the road back to national contention would be a long one—filled with bumps, setbacks, and a whole lot of rebuilding.
Conclusion
Paul Finebaum’s take on Texas back in 2021 raised eyebrows across college football, and in hindsight, it’s easy to see why his comments garnered so much attention. While many fans were eager to believe that Sarkisian could quickly turn the Longhorns into an elite team, Finebaum remained cautious, predicting that Texas was still a long way from national championship contention.
As Texas enters a new era of college football, joining the SEC and continuing to rebuild under Sarkisian, Finebaum’s critique has aged like fine wine. While the Longhorns may one day return to their former glory, it’s clear that the road back will not be easy, and Finebaum’s words about Texas’s long journey to the top continue to ring true.
