On January 2, Texas Longhorns quarterback Casey Thompson had just finished giving a speech to kids at a football camp with his father, former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Charles Thompson, when he got the news.
Hours after Tom Herman was fired by Texas, the school announced the hire of Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.
“At first I was surprised and I was shocked,” Thompson said on Thursday during a Zoom call with reporters. “I didn’t see it coming, but I was excited.”
Thompson quickly kicked into gear, texting Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte to get Sarkisian’s phone number so he could reach out and start building a relationship with his new head coach.