Sarkisian: ‘Eyes’ will be belted proudly
AUSTIN — Steve Sarkisian landed in Austin on Tuesday morning, a few hours after No. 1 Alabama polished off No. 3 Ohio State in the CFP championship game to claim its sixth national title since 2009. Proud as the Crimson Tide’s now ex-offensive coordinator was of how his offense eviscerated the Buckeyes, Sarkisian had already shifted gears. He was a Texas man now, the team’s 31st head coach, the next great hope for a program that’s cycled through a couple since Mack Brown hit that old dusty trail in 2013.
Over the course of about an hourTuesday afternoon, Sarkisian fielded questions about everything from his coaching philosophy to locking down in-state recruits to the ongoing “Eyes of Texas” controversy.
Here’s a sampling ofwhat Sarkisian had to say during his first official press conference as head coach of the Texas Longhorns:
On “The Eyes of Texas” controversy:
“I know this much, ‘The Eyes of Texas’ is our school song and we support that song. We’re gonna sing that song. We’re gonna sing it proudly. I think when I come into the fold, any talks we need to have, whether it’s about the ‘Eyes of Texas’ or any other issues that comeup, I think it’s having the discussions. We can’t put our head in the sand and act like things aren’t happening.
“We have to really have those discussions with them and educate our players to make sure that we’re all on the same page and understand that. I think sometimes there are tough discussions that need to to happen. Without speaking too candidly, we’re living in country right now where there’s some turmoil going on. But as long as we can have those discussions and be on the same page, we can do that. As it pertains to the ‘Eyes of Texas,’ that’s our song and we’re fired up to sing it.”
On renewing the rivalry with Texas A&M:
“Iwould love to play that game. I think it’d be great for the for the state of Texas. Would look forward to it.
On what he’s taken fromformer bosses like Alabama’s Nick Saban and former USC coach Pete Carroll (2001-09):
“I think the one thing with coach Carroll and coach Saban, I think the end result is very clear. They both want to win. They both want to develop young men into grown men. I think they have the best interests of their players at heart. But the one lesson I got out of it was they did it their own way.
“We all see Pete Carroll on the sidelines, the fun, energetic, upbeat personality that he has. And then we all see Nick Saban on the sidelines and the stern focus and
drive that he has, both of which work, right?
“What I got out of it was, you gotta know who you are. You gotta have a belief in who you are, and you have to stick to your beliefs, neither of which wavered for those guys. I think it took them some time to figure it out who they were. Clearly, I’ve had that time to do that.”
On mixing Tom Herman assistant coaches, like running backs coach Stan Drayton and wideouts coach Andre Coleman, with new hires:
“I think, generally speaking, anytime there’s a coaching change there’s mixed emotions for players on a roster. Some feel one way; some feel another way. My job coming in now is to make sure we’re assembling a staff that has the best interests of our players at heart. And we’ll clearly convey that to the players of why we did what we did with our staff and the direction that we went in. It is truly for the betterment of them,
at least in our opinion.
“I think assembling the staff is like forming a jigsaw puzzle and there’s intricate pieces that need to get put in place. There’s a balance to it. I think the guys that we’re gonna hold over fit to what I’m looking for. And ultimately, we aren’t going to view anybody as he’s from the old staff; these guys are from the new staff. We are the current staff. And I think our players need to view it that way.”
On recruiting and his message to Texas high school football coaches:
“To the high school coaches in the state of Texas, this is your program. Our doors are always open. I’ve so much respect for the high school football in the state of Texas. To get back to the top of college football, we need to keep the best players in the state of Texas home. And that’ll be the priority when it comes to recruiting.”