Longhorns Steve Sarkisian 'Forever Indebted' to Alabama's Nick Saban

In a recent podcast, Steve Sarkisian opened up on his relationship with Nick Saban.

Steve Sarkisian shouldn't be entering his third year as the head coach of the Texas Longhorns. He shouldn't be coaching at all after his firing at USC.

Then again, everyone deserves a second chance.

After spending a year away from football following his dismissal from the Trojans, Sarkisian wanted to get back into coaching. No one, however, was willing to make an offer on a coach that could be damaged goods.

Eventually, Sarkisian began looking at different avenues to keep his career alive. That was until Alabama's Nick Saban made a phone call to invite Sarkisian down to Tuscaloosa for a visit.

Eventually, that visit led to a redemption arc for Sark's career now entering the next chapter on the Forty Acres.

"Somewhere in there, someone has got to extend an olive branch to you," Sarkisian said on the Pivot Podcast with former NFL players Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. "In 2016, I was ready to go do TV. I couldn’t get an interview for a job. And Nick Saban saved my career and he offered me an analyst job… I’m forever indebted to him.”

Saban, a six-time national champion with the Crimson Tide, offered Sarkisian an analyst job for roughly $30,000 annually. Sarkisian said he would do it for free to get back in the saddle.

Everyone in life deserves a 2nd chance & when you find the person who gives us one, we make the most of it.@CoachSark shares w/ @Realrclark25 @FredTaylorMade @OfficialCrowder he is grateful to Nick Saban for giving him a shot to do what he loves again. https://t.co/PgBln4sAYd pic.twitter.com/lQsdn1AocE

— Pivot Podcast (@thepivot) April 11, 2023

The analyst position eventually led to Sarkisian being offered the offensive coordinator job with the Atlanta Falcons. Two seasons later, Saban needed a new play-caller with Mike Locksley leaving for Maryland and Sarksiain was back on the market.

Once again, Saban extended the olive branch and Sarkisian accepted. The result? A pair of top-three scoring offenses capped off with a Heisman winner and national championship.

Texas took notice and swiftly swooped in to make Sark its next head coach following the firing of Tom Herman. Three years after taking the leap, the Longhorns seem to be in their best position to win a conference title since 2018.

Sarkisian hopes to bring a similar mantra to Texas in the coming years, giving those who could use a break another chance to get back in the game. He's a firm believer in the second-chance policy such as Saban.

Saban was there in a time of need for Sarkisian. It's time for the latter to return the favor elsewhere.

“It totally changed my perspective,” Sarkisian said. “It changed my perspective how I coach, how I deal with our players. Because everyone is going through stuff, everybody’s got stuff. Whatever your stuff is, you just try to get through it. If I can be that guy who can extend that olive branch to our players are we go through this journey… I always lean back to that time.”

Sarkisian and Saban will meet for the second time on Sept. 9 when the Longhorns travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

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