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Steve Sarkisian says the prospects of him going to Alabama were "not really a reality"

Joe Cookby:Joe Cook•03/01/24•

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Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

How close was Steve Sarkisian to taking the Alabama job? According to the man himself, not close at all.

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Appearing on the aptly named “All Facts No Brakes” podcast hosted by Keyshawn Johnson and Keyshawn Johnson Jr., Sarkisian was asked if he was ever close to replacing his mentor, Nick Saban, at Alabama.

“Like I told people before, when I left Alabama to come to Texas at the end of that 2020 season when we won the national championship, I came here with the hopes and the goals of building my own legacy,” Sarkisian said. “I think that’s something that obviously Coach Saban did at Alabama, (Pete) Carroll did at USC and with the Seahawks. I think the speculation in the outside world was probably just that. We were in the process of developing and getting my new contract here done. I think we’re just on the cusp of doing some special things here at the University of Texas. Fortunate, but no, that was not really a reality.”

Saban stepped down after the greatest college head coaching career ever on January 10, which happened to be the same day Sarkisian’s other mentor in Carroll announced his retirement.

Sarkisian’s name was mentioned by some outlets as a potential candidate to replace Saban considering Sark was the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide’s 2019 and 2020 seasons, including the 2020 national championship campaign.

But any buzz around Sarkisian leaving Austin fizzled out when the program announced a contract extension to keep the 2023 Big 12 Champion coach in Austin through 2030 on January 13.

Details of the contract were released two weeks ago, and it made Sarkisian one of the highest-paid coaches in college football with a $10 million salary and long term security for the Longhorns.

“It’s been a bit of a journey three years into this thing,” Sarkisian said. “From where we started to finishing up last year the way that we did being conference champs and getting into the College Football Playoff. Now it just feels right, the growth of the program and where we’re headed.”

Sarkisian spoke with Johnson and Johnson Jr. about the allures of coaching in Austin compared to programs like Alabama and even USC.

“For me, growing up in LA, I like a little city in my life. I like a little bit of concrete. I don’t mind that IH-35 runs just east of campus right here. I love that there’s plenty of places downtown to go eat. I love that we have a city of over a million people now in Austin. I love that in Austin, there’s no pro sports. Texas, the University of Texas, Texas football, we’re really the pro football team in this town, so we kind of have the best of both worlds.”

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Steve Sarkisian is 71-49 as a head coach and 25-14 in his three seasons at Texas.

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