While the Miami Dolphins haven't fired Mike McDaniel yet, the expectation, at least amongst the fans, is that that move will be coming as soon as the regular season is over. The Dolphins have underwhelmed this year -- and last year -- and it's become crystal clear that McDaniel isn't the right guy to lead this team.
If/when McDaniel is fired, who will be the next head coach for the Dolphins? Desmond Howard, a former Heisman Trophy-winning wide receiver who spent 11 seasons in the NFL, floated out a potential name that almost makes too much sense for the Dolphins.
Howard discussed on his Instagram account how the Texas Longhorns' job could be opening up. That would mean that Steve Sarkisian, who is the head coach of the program, might consider making the leap to the NFL, something that was rumored earlier in the season (though those rumors circulated around Sarkisian potentially ending up with the Titans).
“Don’t be surprised if that Texas job opens up at the end of the season,” Howard said on social media. “You guys were shocked when LSU opened up. Imagine how you’re going to feel if that job in Austin pops open. I’m not calling or saying anyone’s going to get fired... maybe a mutual parting of ways, you dig?”
Howard is implying here that Sarkisian would leave Texas on his own, and if he decided to do that, the NFL would naturally be the next step. Teams would certainly be interested in him, too, given what he's accomplished while leading the Longhorns.
The Dolphins would make sense for Sarkisian as a landing spot because they have two of his former quarterbacks on their roster in Tua Tagovailoa and Quinn Ewers. Sarkisian and Tagovailoa were both at Alabama together in 2019 when Sark was the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide.
Sarkisian and Ewers, meanwhile, know each other even better, as Sark was the head coach at Texas for Ewers' entire four-year career there. Ewers left after the 2024 season to enter the draft, where Miami took him in the seventh round.
If Sarkisian has his pick of any NFL job, the Dolphins would have to be a standout option for him, given his relationship with both of these quarterbacks. Tagovailoa has been a major disappointment this year and has not lived up to the contract he signed, but if he were to reunite with Sarkisian, perhaps that could turn things around for him. Tagovailoa threw 33 touchdowns and just three picks in that 2019 college football season.
As for Ewers, Sarkisian and him working together again could only benefit the former Longhorn. Perhaps he could become an even more polished backup option or, eventually, maybe he'd be good enough to take over as the starter.
This is all probably a stretch, but it's hard not to hear these rumors about Steve Sarkisian potentially leaving Texas and not link him to the possibly soon-to-be-open Dolphins head coaching job. He has relationships with two quarterbacks on the roster and could be just what this organization needs to finally get where they want to go.