Sarkisian thankful for redemption shot
AUSTIN — A lifeline arrived in September 2016, 11 months after Steve Sarkisian’s world crumbled. And when Nick Saban offers a way back in you walk through the door, no questions asked.
The offensive analyst role paid about $3.26 million less than Sarkisian’s previous gig as USC’S head coach, but options were somewhat limited for a man fired as his struggles with alcoholism spilled into the work environment, including games and one notorious fundraising event held before the 2015 season. But Saban saw an unemployed coach who just completed a stint in rehab, who seemed contrite enough to rejoin the FBS, who still owned a sharp football mind and a desire to compete.
“Clearly, coach Saban offers guys like myself an opportunity to come into his program, learn, develop as coaches,” Sarkisian, hired last week as Texas’ 31st head coach, said Wednesday during College Football Playoff virtual media day. “But I think it’s a two-way street in that I think when you come in like a guy like myself, I think you need to come in understanding what
your role is.
“I don’t want to call it necessarily humble, but I do think there’s a piece of humility that has to come into this. This is the greatest college football coach of all time, and recognize the space that you’re in. If you allow yourself to be mentored, I think you gain even more out of this experience.”
Saban thought highly enough of Sarkisian to tab him as offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin’s replacement one week before the 2017 CFP national championship. With Kiffin off to Florida Atlantic, the job of devising a way to beat Clemson fell to Sarkisian.
The Crimson Tide lost, Saban’s first defeat as head coach in a national title game, despite taking a 24-14 lead into the fourth quarter. But Sarkisian had rehabilitated his image enough in Tuscaloosa, Ala., to earn a job as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator.
“That’s all I tried to do in my time here is, one, coach the kids and do the best job I could do coaching the kids,” Sarkisian said. “But, two, really try to be a sponge with him (Saban) and why he goes about what he does, some of the decisions he makes, so that if you ever get the opportunity like I’m getting nowthat hopefully you can take some of these things with you to be a better coach down the road.”
Sarkisian has pinballed around some since his second head-coaching stint ended in disgrace. Atlanta fired him on New Year’s Day 2018 following two lackluster offensive seasons, and Saban happened to need a new offensive coordinator after Mike Locksley left to lead Maryland’s program.
This fruitful two-year reunion between Sarkisian and Alabama, set to end Jan. 11 with the CFP title game at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, is what made him so appealing to Texas. When the situation with former coach Tom Herman became untenable after the failed pursuit of Urban Meyer, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte
turned to Saban’s top offensive lieutenant to lead the program.
“Sark has done a marvelous job here,” Saban said Monday, per Al.com. “He’s very well organized. He works very well with all the people in the organization, players and coaches alike. He’s a good play caller on game day. He does a really good job of preparing the players game plan wise for each and every game, and he’s just done a great job.”
In 2019, Bama ranked No. 1 in passing efficiency (199.6), No. 2 in scoring offense (47.2), No. 3 in passing offense (342.2) and No. 6 in total offense (510.8 yards) among FBS teams. It was even more prolific this year, boasting three top-five Heismanfinishers (including the winner, wideout Devonta Smith) and averaging more total yards (535.0), passing yards (349.3) and points (48.2).
That offensive dominance earned Sarkisian the 2020 Broyles Award, bestowed annually to the top FBS assistant coach. Even with Alabama’s recurrent advantage in talent, it was a remarkable feat for a coach five years removed from the lowest point of his professional career.
And Sarkisian has just one small bit of business remaining before relocating to Austin for the next stop on his redemption tour.
“Any of the spare time that I do have, that’s getting my attention for the job at Texas, whether that’s staffing or recruiting, things of that nature,” Sarkisian said. “But the commitment I made to coach Saban is the same commitment I’ve made to these players, and that’s focusing on this game, giving this game the attention that it deserves so our players have an opportunity to go out and play to the best of their abilities.”