​The Texas Longhorns will take the field in 52 days and with fall camp looming, there is a major lingering question. During the Steve Sarkisian era, Texas has had a penalty problem. Whether it was the 5-7 2021 team or the 13-3 2024 team, they’ve consistently struggled with penalties, particularly in critical moments. Texas can’t win a National Championship with major penalty problems, so can Texas fix this issue?The Longhorns finished last season averaging 69.7 penalty yards per game, finishing 132nd in the country. For those keeping track, there were 136 teams in the FBS last season. In the two CFP seasons in 2023 and 2024, they averaged 52 penalty yards per game, ranking 73rd in the country both seasons. It was not as much of an issue in 2021 and 2022 averaging just 47.8 penalty yards per game and ranking 45th and 39th in the country, respectively.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn 2021 and 2022, Steve Sarkisian and Texas did well enough avoiding penalties to win a title, but didn’t have a title-worthy roster. The past three seasons, the penalties have kept true title contenders from reaching their potential. If Sarkisian wants to avoid another disappointing season, that average penalty yardage needs to return to 2022 levels.Now, it should be noted Texas is not a team that will avoid penalties entirely. One of the staples of the Steve Sarkisian offense is outside zone. This essentially is a run outside the tackles that requires the offensive line to stretch towards the sideline. That can be ripe for holding penalties, simply because it’s difficult for any offensive lineman to execute that consistently. That’s not to say Texas can’t be better in this category, but the holding penalties are almost inevitable for the Longhorns.What will make the issue be fixed(enough) is avoiding coverage and pre-snap penalties. Multiple times last season, the Texas secondary had defensive pass interference or holding to extend drives. Many more times, the Texas offense would stall in the red zone because of an untimely false start. Those things can’t happen if this season is going to meet the “championship or bust” expectations.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis is the most talented team of the Steve Sarkisian era. Among their starting 22, I don’t see any definite holes. They have one of the best players in the country at just about every position on the field. The one thing Texas can’t do in 2026 is beat themselves. If the penalty problem can be stifled this season, all the goals for this team can be realized. If the issue lingers, Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns’ season will end in a loss.This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Can Texas fix penalty problem in 2026?