Texas HC Steve Sarkisian Slams Ole Miss for ‘Basket Weaving' Degree

Ole Miss has been taking some shots from head coaches around the SEC this week.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian piled on during an interview with USA Today when he compared UT’s academic standards to Ole Miss’ during a conversation about tampering.

"At Texas, we will only take 50 percent of a player's academic credit hours," Sarkisian said. "You may be a semester from graduating, but you're going all the way back to 50 percent if you play here and want a degree. But at Ole Miss, they can take you. All you have to do is take basket weaving, and you can get an Ole Miss degree."

The use of the term “basket weaving" is a pejorative term for easy academic offerings at a university.

In response to Sarkisian’s comment, Florida head coach Jon Sumrall defended Ole Miss on Tuesday.

“Grateful to coach at a top 10 public university that also offers advanced basket weaving,” he posted on X.

Texas and Florida are known for their academics, but that’s not why most football players sign up to play for Sarkisian. If it were, Texas would not be spending $47.87 million on its roster for 2026.

When explaining his decision to leave the Rebels in an interview with Vanity Fair, LSU head coach Lane Kiffin suggested it was harder to recruit some out-of-state players with black parents because Ole Miss didn’t feel diverse as other SEC programs.

“It feels like there’s no segregation,” Kiffin said of what parents would tell him.

Ole Miss might have been an afterthought for SEC coaches in prior issues, but it feels like no coincidence the shots are coming after the Rebels made the CFP last season and defeated Georgia in the quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl.

Per 247 Sports, Ole Miss had the No. 22 recruiting class for 2026, and new head coach Pete Golding made headlines for his aggressive pitches to players across the country.

For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.

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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 8:16 PM.