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Looking back at Steve Sarkisian's performance at the 1997 NFL Combine

Joe Cookby:Joe Cook•about 20 hours•

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Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian (Peter Brouillet-Imagn Images)

On Thursday’s edition of the Up and Adams Show with Kay Adams, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian had the chance to praise his 14 players heading to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis at the end of the month. Before he could, however, Sark fielded a question about his own combine experience in 1997.

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“How many of these guys are going to beat your 4.97 40-yard dash time at the 1997 scouting combine?” Adams asked.

“Look at that list,” Sarkisian said, jokingly trying to change the subject back to the 14 players on the screen. “Let’s get off me, look at the list. Look at the list! (laughs)”

Sarkisian participated in the 1997 NFL Combine after his two-year career at BYU that included a second-team All-America selection and WAC offensive player of the year honors in 1996.

Here were his numbers and measurements at the ’97 combine, per NFLCombineresults.com.

  • Height: 72.4 inches
  • Weight: 208 pounds
  • Arm length: 31.63 inches
  • Hand size: 9.38 inches
  • 40-yard dash: 4.96 seconds
  • 20-yard split: 2.87 seconds
  • 10-yard split: 1.71 seconds
  • Vertical jump: 30 inches
  • 20-yard shuttle: 4.51 seconds

Sarkisian never made it to the NFL, but played a few years for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League. He was 52-for-92 for 604 yards and four touchdowns with four interceptions in 1998, then was 175-for-290 for 2290 yards and 16 scores versus 21 picks in 1999. He also rushed for a score in ’99. The Roughriders were 5-13 in 1998 and 3-15 in 1999, and Sarkisian began his coaching career in 2000 at El Camino College as quarterbacks coach after he hung up his cleats.

How does Sarkisian, known now more for developing quarterbacks than for playing the position, compare to some recent signal-callers taken at the top of the draft?

For comparison, former USC quarterback, 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, and 2024 first overall pick Caleb Williams was 6-foot-1.125, 214 pounds and had an arm length of 32 inches. Williams’ hand size was 9.75 inches.

2024’s seventh overall pick in JJ McCarthy was 6-foot-2.5, 219 pounds and had an arm length of 31.675 inches. McCarthy’s 20-yard shuttle was 4.23 seconds.

How does Sarkisian compare to a few Longhorns he has sent to the NFL combine?

Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, who was selected by Carolina with the first pick of the fourth round in 2024, measured in at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds with a 10-yard split of 1.59.

What about Xavier Worthy? Worthy was 5-foot-11, 165-pounds with an arm length of 31.125 inches and a hand size of 8.75 inches. Of course, Worthy set the record in the 40-yard dash with a 4.21 in 2024, almost 0.8 seconds faster than his head coach. Worthy also posted a 41-inch vertical jump, 11 inches more than Sarkisian. Worthy was picked 28th overall last year by Kansas City.

And T’Vondre Sweat? the 6-foot-4.5, 366 pounder would have been beaten in the 40-yard dash by his former head coach. Sweat ran a 5.27 with a 1.8 second 10-yard split. Sarkisian would have also outjumped Sweat — barely — in the vertical as the 38th overall selection by Tennessee had just a 26-inch vertical.

Sarkisian has not yet had a quarterback leave Texas and head to the combine during his time as head coach of the Longhorns. He’ll have an opportunity this year to compare his nearly two decades old combine stats to those of Quinn Ewers. Listed at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds by Texas, Ewers will be tested in Indianapolis next week along with 13 other Longhorns at the NFL Combine.

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For Ewers’ sake, he’s hoping he posts athletic testing numbers better than the ones his head coach threw down almost 20 years ago.

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