Longhorns Coach Steve Sarkisian Talks Alabama Speculation: 'Wasn't a Reality'
As soon as legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban retired following the end of another run to the College Football Playoff, Steve Sarkisian was seen as one of the top candidates to head back to Tuscaloosa to replace him.
There was hardly any real drama, as the Texas Longhorns put speculation to bed by locking down their head coach with a massive new contract while the Crimson Tide hired Kalen DeBoer to take over for Saban.
However, Sarkisian took things a step further and acknowledged the Alabama rumors while providing more details during a recent interview with former NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson.
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"I think that the speculation and the outside world was probably just that," Sarkisian said on the All Facts No Brakes podcast. "We were in the process of developing and getting my new contract here done, and I think we're just on the cusp of doing some really special things here at the University of Texas.
"Fortunate, but no that was not really a reality," he said of the Alabama rumors.
While Sarkisian admitted that what he's built over the past three years in Austin is all the reason to stay - something many Texas fans felt was obvious once the Alabama rumors began - he also provided some interesting and unique details on why heading to Tuscaloosa wasn't in the cards for him.
"For me, growing up in L.A., I like a little city in my life," Sarkisian said. "I like a little bit of concrete. I don't mind that the I-35 runs just east of campus right here. I love that there's plenty of places downtown to go eat. I love that we have a city over a million people now in Austin.
"But I also do love this, I love that in Austin there's no pro sports. Texas football, we're really the pro football team in this town, and so we kind of have the best of both worlds. That's nothing to take away of being in Tuscaloosa which is a true college town, obviously much smaller in size."
As it stands, Sarkisian is set to earn $10.3 million in 2024, with his salary increasing by $100,000 every year until 2030, when he will earn $10.9 million.
He'll lead the Longhorns into the SEC next season with sights set on a second straight berth to the College Football Playoff.
