Steve Sarkisian Looks Back On Filling In For Nick Saban: "I Wanted To Do the Best Job For the University"
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Even if it was for only one game, University of Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian was back as an acting head coach after Nick Saban tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the Iron Bowl last month.
He led the team during the Walk of Champions and out of the tunnel before coaching the Crimson Tide to a 42-13 beatdown of the in-state rivals.
It was the first time in over five years that Sarkisian had been in that position since he left USC.
"Obviously it was a unique scenario," Sarkisian said on Tuesday during his Rose Bowl media availability. "And it was one that I just wanted to do the best job I could do for the university, for our football program, for Coach Saban. And ultimately it was about the players. The guys played their tails off in that game. They played really well in all three phases, and I just kind of did my part the best I could.And again, I didn't want to lose sight of what my initial role always is, and that's to have our offense ready to play and to call plays.
"So the end result, it was an awesome opportunity. It was great to kind of be back in that role for a few hours. But the reality of it is it was about the players and their performance. And I was proud of the way they played in the game."
The 2020 Broyles Award winner is nearing the end of his second year leading Alabama's offense and it's one of the most effective units in the country, averaging 49.7 points and 544 total yards a game which both lead the nation.
Under his leadership, the Crimson Tide offense has scored 35-or-more points in 24 straight contests, which is the longest in modern college football history.
"I think Sark has done an outstanding job in terms of, first of all, system and scheme; secondly, in terms of how he teaches the players," Saban said earlier this week. "And he's a very good quarterback coach. So he's really helped the development of the quarterback. I think Mac [Jones] would be the first one to probably tell you that.. He's contributed as much as anybody that we've ever had here in terms of his knowledge and experience and how he manages the offensive side of the ball."
Sarkisian has also played a massive role in developing redshirt junior signal caller Mac Jones who is a Heisman Trophy finalist, along with senior wide out DeVonta Smith.
In a shortened season game with only 11 games, Jones has thrown for 3,739 yards, 27 touchdowns, and leads the nation in yards per attempt (11.4) and completion percentage (76.5).
"Coach Sark, you can see it on the field, he calls great players, great at developing players," Jones said. "All the players love him. We're all behind Coach Sark 100 percent.And he's an aggressive player caller, and it shows on the field. And we love how he adjusts to what we're saying and telling him, too. Some offensive coordinators probably don't listen to their players as much, but he definitely takes in what we tell him and what we see on the field, and we kind of combine to come up with a game plan and even in-game adjustments."
After reportedly turning down a chance to interview with Auburn for its vacant coaching job earlier this month and pulling his name out of the Colorado search a year ago, it appears Sarkisian wants to stay in Tuscaloosa and isn't ready to hop back into a head-coaching role just yet.
Sarkisian is already one of the nation's highest-paid assistants at $2.5 million and he could very well be in line for a hefty raise and extension this offseason.
The 46-year old coordinator seems fine leading Alabama's high-powered offense for the foreseeable future and becoming, possibly, the next great story in Saban's long list of former head coaches who he has rehabilitated.
All Sarkisian says he wants to be at the moment is a sponge, soaking up all the knowledge he can from one of the game's very best.
"I don't know what he's learned from me," Sarkisian said of his relationship with Saban. "But I would say, at the end of the day, I've just tried to be a sponge here, man. I had a choice here two years ago with some other opportunities, and had the opportunity to come back here to Alabama. I jumped on the opportunity, not just to coach the players and be part of the team, but to be around him. Coach Saban is the best ever to do it. And then a year ago I had a couple opportunities to become a head coach, and I decided to come back because I felt like my work here wasn't done. I felt like I owed it to him. I made a commitment to him to be part of this program. And I just try to do the best I can do. I try to be the best version of Steve Sarkisian every day that I show up and be a sponge, all of the aspects of the program that he has his fingerprint on, which is literally everything.
"And I think probably the biggest thing I've learned from him is his ability to balance all aspects of the program, whether it's on the field, off the field, recruiting, all that goes into being a head coach at a place like Alabama. Those are all the things that I've tried to take in from him because his balance of all of that, I think, is what is pretty incredible."
