Steve Sarkisian didn’t want to replace Nick Saban. No reason leave Texas football | Toppmeyer
My only surprise in Steve Sarkisian’s disinterest in replacing Nick Saban is that he needed a full minute to consider the possibility.
I would’ve thought Sarkisian decided within 10 seconds that he’d rather remain Texas’ coach than bolt in favor of being Saban’s heir. Perhaps Sarkisian used the other 50 seconds to negotiate his Texas contract extension and raise.
Sarkisian admitted in a recent interview with ESPN that he briefly considered Alabama’s vacancy. The idea was gone in 60 seconds.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it,” Sarkisian told ESPN. “But it took me all of about 60 seconds to say, ‘Yeah, I’m not doing that.’
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What motivation would Sarkisian have to leave Texas for Alabama? Historically, Alabama is a greater program, but what’s Bear Bryant’s six national championships got to do with Texas’ robust NIL collective?
Why would Steve Sarkisian want to replace Nick Saban? No good reason
A coach usually leaves a job for one or more of a few reasons:
1. He can make more money elsewhere. This didn’t apply to Sarkisian. Although Saban ranked as the nation’s top-paid coach in his final season, Texas is a revenue giant. The Longhorns aren’t in danger of being outbid for Sarkisian, who earned a pay bump to $10.3 million for 2024. Comparatively, Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer will earn a starting salary of $10 million. Plus, Texas has no state-income tax.
2. A struggling coach decides to restart his clock at a fresh job. This also doesn’t apply to Sarkisian. Texas is coming off a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals, equaling its best season since 2009. Sarkisian’s stock has never been higher.
3. A coach feels pulled to a certain job. Think Lane Kiffin leaving Tennessee for Southern Cal, what he considered his “dream job.” Saban helped rejuvenate Sarkisian’s career when he employed him for three seasons, first as an analyst and later as his offensive coordinator. Sarkisian feels gratitude for Saban. But, Sark is a California native who played at BYU. Alabama holds no trump card. Sarkisian found success before ever working for Saban. He’s more appropriately associated with the Pete Carroll coaching tree than the Saban tree.
4. A coach leaves for a school that offers a better opportunity to win a national championship. This one ranks as the biggie. There’s some truth in the cliché that you don’t want to be the guy to replace the guy. You want to be the guy to replace the guy who replaces the guy. However, you ignore the cliché, invite the pressure and race toward Alabama if the job is markedly better than the one you’re departing. See DeBoer. Alabama enjoys a better recruiting base than Washington, plus more resources, a more powerful brand, offers a better salary and boasts plenty of other advantages. Naturally, DeBoer left the Huskies.
Sarkisian’s situation differed.
Alabama’s national championships outnumber Texas’ 18-4, but, history aside, Sarkisian enjoys everything he needs at Texas to chase national championships. The Longhorns were long considered a sleeping giant while wandering through a decade-plus of mediocrity following the peak of Mack Brown’s tenure.
One incompletion separated Texas from reaching the national championship game last season, and Sarkisian returned plenty of talent and ample production from that 2023 squad. He plugged some holes with transfers. While the full financial details of an NIL collective are shielded from the public, Texas is widely believed to enjoy strong NIL backing.
Alabama is a great job. Coaching Texas Longhorns is, too
In the short term, Texas enjoys better odds of winning the national championship than Alabama, although both have the capability of making the inaugural 12-team playoff. Not only does Quinn Ewers have a case for being the SEC’s best starting quarterback, Texas might also possess the conference’s best backup quarterback, Arch Manning.
“I think we have a great-looking team,” Sarkisian told reporters earlier this spring.
Sarkisian recruits well at Texas. He’s positioned for success in 2024 and beyond.
Saban helped Sarkisian reignite his career. They did good business together, but Sarkisian didn’t owe it to Alabama to return, nor did the Tide need him to. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne believes in DeBoer, and it’s worth noting that DeBoer is 2-0 in head-to-head meetings with Sarkisian.
Sarkisian, though, enjoys a one-step lead on DeBoer in the race to win his first national championship. Sark can achieve that feat at Texas, perhaps as soon as this season.
It’s a testament to Alabama that Sarkisian considered leaving for even 60 seconds.
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