College Football: 10 assistants who will become head coaches in 2021
By Dante Pryor
5. Steve Sarkisian, Alabama (OC)
Steve Sarkisian — or “Sark” — is the only coach on this list with head coaching experience. He was first at Washington then he went to coach USC. He had a modest record in his two Pac-12 stops going 46-35 in seven seasons as a head coach. Sarkisian’s tenure with the Trojans came to an abrupt halt when he began showing up to meetings under the influence of alcohol.
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Sarkisian has been linked to several head coaching vacancies during his time at Alabama. In the last couple of seasons, he’s been mentioned during Colorado and Mississippi State’s head coaching vacancies.
Sarkisian is an attractive head coach to programs for the same reason Graham Harrell is so attractive: offense. With Sarkisian, it is his reputation with quarterbacks. While at USC, Cody Kessler threw 68 of his 88 touchdowns during Sarkisian’s tenure.
It’s hard not to think that the only reason Jake Locker became a first-round pick was because of the coaching of Sarkisian. Then there is Tua Tagovailoa. The career he’s had and his improvement as a quarterback is due in large part to Sark.
His battle with substance abuse is definitely a red flag. However, the man knows offense. Most people, including head coach Nick Saban, believe in Sarkisian. His issues with drinking are behind him and he is too good a coach and recruiter to be an assistant for the rest of his career.
If this past season has taught us anything, we learned that when people are able to learn from their mistakes, anything is possible. Look at Ed Orgeron.