Akers received criticism from those who believed he failed to match the standard set by previous head coach Darrell Royal.
However, much of that was mitigated by an impressive overall record and a winning mark against Barry Switzer of the Oklahoma Sooners, who was 3–0–1 against Texas before Akers came along.
During his tenure in 1978, Akers was lampooned by future Bloom County creator Berke Breathed, whose student strip The Academia Waltz appeared in the school newspaper.
In 1986, after notching Texas' first losing record in 30 years, Akers left to become the head football coach at Purdue University, replacing Leon Burtnett.
In 1999, Akers served as head coach of the Shreveport Knights in the short-lived professional Regional Football League.