Alabama OC Steve Sarkisian Focused Solely on CFP Title Game
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With Texas announcing the hiring of Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian as its new head coach, you would think that the two-year Crimson Tide play caller would have a lot on his plate.
Which is exactly what Alabama fans are worried about.
Alabama football has had its fair share of coaches departing the team before, during and after preparation for the College Football Playoff. This season marked the first time in quite a while that Alabama retained both its offensive and defensive coordinators from the prior year.
In December of 2016, then-Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin was announced to be departing the Crimson Tide after its playoff run. Three weeks later, Kiffin was relieved of his duties early. Sarkisian, who was serving as an offensive analyst at the time, took his place. However, Alabama fell short to Clemson in the title game 35-31.
Needless to say, Crimson Tide fans remember that season’s ending well. When the news broke this past Saturday regarding Sarkisian’s hiring at Texas, many felt feelings of déjà vu.
On Wednesday, however, Sarkisian help put some of those fears to rest. When asked about how he was dividing his time between Texas and Alabama’s upcoming CFP title matchup with No. 3 Ohio State, Sarkisian’s answer was firm.
“Quite honestly, my week for me would be a normal game week as if I hadn't taken the Texas job,” Sarkisian said. “My focus is on the game. I'm prepping for the ballgame. 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.
“But I would say my week has been as normal as it could be, and has been, of game planning and prepping for the ballgame.“
In fact, when opening his last press conference as a member of coach Nick Saban’s staff, Sarkisian went as far as to request that no questions be asked about his anticipation of Texas, and that the press conference be solely focused on Alabama.
“I would say just I know the questions will come,” Sarkisian said. “Clearly I'm excited about the opportunity at Texas. It's a tremendous one for me. Looking forward to getting started there. But like the commitment I made to coach Saban two years ago 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, and that's what we've always preached here is to put our players in the best position to be successful on the field and off the field, and this week has been no different.
“But definitely, I want this thing in this [press] conference to go keeping the focus on that game, because I think this game is what this is about, and I'd prefer to keep it that way.”
You can’t help but admire that kind of commitment to his players and to his team.
Saban has developed quite a reputation for establishing a sort of ‘rehabilitation program’ for former head coaches as well as a launching pad for coordinators. Butch Jones, who served as the head coach of Tennessee, served as an offensive analyst before being hired at Arkansas State as its new head coach back in December. Lane Kiffin also was the head coach at both Tennessee and USC before coming to Tuscaloosa to work as Saban’s offensive coordinator.
And now, it’s Sarkisian’s turn. As former head coach at both Washington and USC, Sarkisian now prepares for Texas after serving as two years under Saban.
According to Sarkisian, he sees Saban as a mentor.
“Coach Saban offers guys like myself an opportunity to come into his program, learn, develop as coaches, 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,” Sarkisian said. “I think you need to come in — 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, regardless if you'd been a head coach for seven years, and there's been a variety of us that have come and gone through here.
“But he's a tremendous mentor, and if you allow yourself to be mentored, I think you gain even more out of this experience.”
And now, just days before his final time on the sidelines wearing a Crimson Script A on his chest, Sarkisian will never forget his time in Tuscaloosa, nor the knowledge he gained while working under who he calls the greatest college football coach of all time.
“That's all I tried to do in my time here,” Sarkisian said. “Whether it was my year here in 2016 as an analyst or the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator, is, one, coach the kids and do the best job I could do coaching the kids, but, two, really try to be a sponge with [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 now that hopefully you can take some of these things with you to be a better coach down the road.”
