Sarkisian is latest project for Saban
As Steve Sarkisian’s past and future intersect at the Peach Bowl, sightings of the man himself are rare.
It is a vanishing act by design, his way of bridging a gap that once looked to be a chasm that would swallow up both man and coach. By spending time in Nick Saban’s shadow, he has reclaimed the bright future he had all but squandered after a messy firing at Southern California brought on by alcohol abuse.
“I was really excited for him,” said Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, who persuaded his friend to come to Alabama this fall and will pass his headset to him when the season ends and he leaves for Florida Atlantic. “He’s had a rough road here.” Kiffin and Sarkisian were the brightest stars on Pete Carroll’s staff at USC, helping lead the Trojans to the 2003 national title. Kiffin’s career nosedived after failed head coaching stints with the Oakland Raiders and USC; Sarkisian had a steady rise.
He revived a moribund Washington program that had won 12 games in the five years before he arrived, going 8-4 in his fifth season. When USC dumped Kiffin during the 2013 season, Sarkisian was the logical replacement.
“I think we were surprised at first,” Washington senior offensive lineman Jake Eldrenkamp said. “But I don’t think anyone was surprised he wanted to get back to USC.”
On the field, Sarkisian succeeded, with nine wins his first season back in Los Angeles, but his life was unraveling off of it. His wife filed for divorce. He appeared inebriated at a booster event before the 2015 season, slurring his words and using an expletive.
By mid- October last year, he was asked to take a leave of absence amid reports he showed up intoxicated for team meetings. He was fired the next day, receiving the email dismissing him while on his way to rehab.
“People can say what they want about him, but I don’t think people really know him,” said Washington receiver John Ross, who raves about the coach he used to battle in dominoes. “He’s a really good dude, and it’s just good to see him back on his feet.”
Sarkisian was sober, young — he’ll be 43 in March — and considered one of the finest offensive coaches around, but the offers did not exactly roll in. The split with USC was messy, with Sarkisian suing the school for wrongful termination and discrimination.
But one person who reached out was Saban, whose five national titles have earned him carte blanche of sorts to take risks and give second chances. He didn’t have any openings on his staff but, sure, Sarkisian could come work with the defending national champs as an “analyst.”
“There’s a lot of folks out there that have made mistakes in their life before,” Saban said Thursday during media day at the Peach Bowl. “When they work hard to try to take advantage of any future opportunities, I think that should be recognized.”
Saban might seem an unlikely sort to be a savior, dour in personality and exacting in his standards. Yet his compassionate streak is equally fierce.
Alabama has become college football’s version of a halfway house under him, a haven for once-promising coaches who have torpedoed their careers. Kiffin, current assistants Mario Cristobal and Tosh Lupoi and now Sarkisian have picked themselves up with Saban’s helping hand.
“I think sometimes we like to condemn people for a mistake or something that’s happened in their past,” Saban said. “I sort of would rather take the approach that, ‘Is this something I feel can be a positive for us and is not going to be an issue for us?’ ”
Sarkisian’s job description is nebulous, and clarity is impossible since Saban’s assistants are rarely allowed to talk to the media. This week is an exception, with media sessions mandated by Playoff organizers.
But Sarkisian remains exempt because he’s not a full-time staffer; though he was named the offensive coordinator Dec. 16, he does not take over until Kiffin leaves. Until then, he is seen only at practices, and it is left to others to expound on his redemption.
“I’ve known Sark for a long time. Always had a tremendous amount of respect for him,” Saban said. “Having him with us for three or four months this season certainly taught me a lot about the kind of person that he was and how he is managing and battling the issues that he’s had in the past.”
Sarkisian can’t do anything about that past, but it no longer has to dictate his future. He will decides where life takes him.