The last seven years have been a turbulent time for Texas coach Steve Sarkisian. After being fired from USC in 2015 due to his struggle with alcoholism, he thought his days as a coach and offensive coordinator were over—until Nick Saban came along.
“I’ve said this numerous times, but I would not be the head coach at Texas if it weren’t for Nick Saban,” Sarkisian told ESPN. “He gave me a chance when I had a hard time getting an interview, never mind a job. There were days that I thought, ‘Man, I’m never going to be a head coach again. I’m never going to be an offensive coordinator again. I’m never going to get another job.’
“But Coach Saban took a chance on me when I needed somebody to believe in me again,” he continued.
The Longhorns coach credits Saban as the person who “saved my career” when Sarkisian was hired as an analyst for Alabama’s 2016 season. He went on to take Lane Kiffin’s place as offensive coordinator, but Sarkisian’s stint lasted less than two months after taking the Falcons’ offensive coordinator position in February 2017.
He stayed in Atlanta for two seasons until being fired when the team’s coaching staff was shaken up. Despite his dismay with the current Texas coach for leaving so abruptly after his promotion, Saban hired him back as the team’s offensive coordinator where Alabama’s offense shined in both ’19 and ’20.
In 2021, he signed with Texas to be the program’s new coach after winning a national championship with Alabama. He will now play host to Saban and the Tide Saturday at noon. Even after all these years, Sarkisian hasn’t forgotten what the Alabama legend did for his career. But Saban isn’t quick to take all the credit.
“Sark is the one who did the work,” Saban told ESPN. “We supported him and made sure there were the right resources and people in place to help him, as we have with many others. But, listen, he saved his own career by doing a great job for us and rehabbing himself professionally, and I’m not just talking about personally, but professionally in a really, really positive way that impacted our program greatly and helped us be successful here.”
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