TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 09: Head coach Nick Saban (L) and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian of the Alabama Crimson Tide stand on the sideline during the second half of the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the Clemson Tigers at Raymond James Stadium on January 9, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)With the national championship game officially in his rearview mirror, Steve Sarkisian is ready to lead the Texas Longhorns back to prominence.
Sarkisian had multiple stints as a head coach over the course of his career. Only time will tell if he’s learned from his mistakes at USC and Washington, but it’s easy to see why he was such a hot commodity on the coaching market.
Alabama’s offense was legitimately unstoppable this past season, averaging 48.5 points per game. Najee Harris, Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith formed the best trio in college football by a wide margin.
Sarkisian might not have stars like Harris and Smith on his roster, but Texas should be able to land talented recruits. However, the pressure will be on him to show that he’s grown as a coach.
So, what has Sarkisian learned from Nick Saban during his time in Tuscaloosa? He revealed that being able to have discipline on a daily basis is the most important trait he has picked up from the legendary coach.
“I would say the discipline that he has to do his job on a daily basis,” Sarkisian said, via 247Sports. “Just consistently, not much rocks coach Saban’s boat. He’s going to focus on what he needs to focus on to be the best head coach he can be. And then I just tried to adopt the same thing while I was there to be the best offensive coordinator I could be. There is something to the routine factor. And when people are all in the same routine, you can kind of recreate that game, week in and week out.”
The Crimson Tide allowed Sarkisian to rebuild his image as a coach. We saw a similar situation play out a few years ago with Lane Kiffin.
Sarkisian admit that he wasn’t sure he would have a second chance to coach a program again, saying “I wanted it again, but I didn’t know how, if it would happen or how I could make that happen.”
The past few years have been disappointing for the Longhorns, but it’s possible that Sarkisian will have the program back on top in the Big 12 fairly soon.
