NFL reporter responds after Texas coach Steve Sarkisian blasted her article saying he could leave for the pros

NFL reporter Dianna Russini has clarified her reporting on the future of Steve Sarkisian after the Texas coach's furious attack on the claims. 

Russini, an insider for The Athletic, reported ahead of Saturday's clash between the Longhorns and Mississippi State, that Sarkisian was open to leaving college football behind for the NFL. 

Yet, the head coach issued a fiery retort to the claim after quarterback Arch Manning helped the Longhorns secure a dramatic comeback win over Mississippi State, branding the reporting as 'ridiculous' and 'unprofessional.' 

After feeling the wrath of Sarkisian, Russini attempted to clear her name during an appearance on the The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz when she was asked: 'Isn't that a good thing if there are rumors out there about him wanting to go to the NFL?'

'No, it's horrible,' Russini responded. 'When you're the head coach of Texas, and you've got recruits visiting, and it's gameday, and you got NIL, and just all the weird landscape of college now that goes with this. 

'You're right. Like, years ago, who cares? Steve Sarkisian wants to be an NFL coach. Not breaking news, right? Most college coaches want to coach in the NFL. But in 2025, there are just so many different factors. With the portal, players wanting to maybe leave if they don't trust that their coach is going to be there. There are a lot of layers.'

She went on to admit that Sarkisian's fury was valid. She added that she had not sourced her reporting directly from Sarkisian or his representatives directly. 

However, she stood by her report, claiming that Sarkisian had not stressed his desire to stay at Texas in his response. 

'And they have every right to be mad,' Russini added. 'Unfortunately, they never added that Steve Sarkisian wants to stay at Texas, right? They just said, "This is not true; we did not talk to any NFL teams."'

'And Jimmy Sexton and Steve Sarkisian, just to be clear, the reporting I did did not come from them,' Russini continued. 'Like, Steve didn't call me on Saturday morning and be like, "Hey, report this." 

'So, I think, does Steve Sarkisian have thoughts about coaching in the NFL? Absolutely. We'll just see how this goes the rest of the year. I think it's totally fair and understanding to say that Steve Sarkisian is always going to keep his options. He should. He should. It would be smart business for Steve to always have options outside of Texas.'

Russini had claimed on Saturday that Sarkisian's representatives have told NFL teams that he would be interested in potential jobs. 

The 51-year-old is currently in his fifth season with Texas but it was claimed that his agents have reached out to teams including the Tennessee Titans, who are 1-7 and currently without a permanent head coach following the dismissal of Brian Callahan. 

Sarkisian’s agents, Jimmy Sexton and Ed Marynowitz of CAA, released a statement playing down the reports as 'patently false and wildly inaccurate.' 

The coach himself was also unable to keep his frustration at bay when he addressed the reports following the Longhorns' game.  

'I’d love to touch on this, so bear with me for a second,' Sarkisian began. 'It really p***es me off that one person can make a report that, in turn, the entire media sports world runs with as factual.

'To the point [that] my agency and my agents have to put a statement out, that they never have done. Historically, CAA, Jimmy Sexton, and Ed Marynowitz have never had to do that. But I had to do that to protect my locker room and my team.'

He continued: 'I thought it was absolutely ridiculous... I thought it was completely unprofessional of that person to put that report out. And the fact that everybody ran with it is borderline embarrassing for the media.

'And I respect what you guys do. I really do, and everybody else. But the fact that everybody ran that is truth is really embarrassing.

'I’ve got a small circle when I make decisions on what I do and what I don’t do, and nobody would speak on my behalf without me knowing... so, where that report came from, I’d love to talk to that person because it’s absolutely ridiculous.'

Texas is now 6-2 for the season after a miraculous comeback against Mississippi State. Sarkisian's team came back from 17 points down in the fourth quarter to win 45-38 in overtime.