ESPN lists SEC head coach as Texas A&M's top archvillian heading into the 2025 campaign

USA Today

10-07-2025

For every college football superhero, there must be an opposing villain who aims to strike terror into his archenemy and cruelly laugh as he suffers defeat.
Well, at least that is how the comics and movies tend to go. When it comes to rivalries in the Southeastern Conference, the teams on each side tend to feel this way about their teams. They are the ultimate superheroes here to save the day and stop their mortal enemies from becoming powerful and overthrowing them. The Lone Star Showdown between the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies is no different.
In the first contest between the in-state rivals since Nov. 24, 2011, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian led his program to a 17-7 victory at Kyle Field in Bryan-College Station, Texas. Second-year head coach Mike Elko will aim to rewrite the narrative in favor of the Aggies this season, as Texas A&M brings in a transfer portal class that ranks above the Longhorns at No. 16, according to On3 Sports' 2025 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings.
Similar to Superman having Lex Luthor, Elko now has Sarkisian to deal with. Heading into a new campaign with a plethora of fresh faces on both sides, Texas A&M will look to take down its Darth Vader and bring home the Lone Star Showdown for the first time since 2010.
In a recent article via ESPN, the publication discussed way-too-early archvillains for every college football team ranked in the top 25. As anticipated, the Longhorns' head coach was named as the No. 1 archenemy heading into 2025.
"Sarkisian has done a masterful job reloading Texas to meet its potential. Last year, he took the Longhorns into Kyle Field and spoiled the Aggies' chances of getting into the SEC championship game, and this year, A&M visits Austin for the first time since 2010 where Arch Manning hysteria dominates the headlines and the Longhorns will be seeking a coronation for a playoff run. Sarkisian, an avowed fan of college rivalries and traditions, will look to push all the right buttons to ignite his team," ESPN college football reporter Dave Wilson said.
While Manning will provide a spark for the Texas offense, the program's offensive line still has many question marks heading into the fifth season under Sarkisian. Although he did not get much playing time while Quinn Ewers was at the helm, this is now Manning's team to lead.
For the Aggies, sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed will be called upon to lead the Maroon and White into Austin with confidence, as the program from College Station could potentially play spoiler and crush any hope Texas has of reaching this year's SEC Championship and College Football Playoff.
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