After 17 seasons and six national championships, the Alabama football program will not have legendary head coach Nick Saban at the helm next fall. With the mythical Saban stepping away from the game following another College Football Playoff birth, the Crimson Tide will turn to former Washington Huskies bench boss Kalen DeBoer. Alabama landed on DeBoer after a somewhat lengthy hiring process, which featured rumors and reports of interviewing Oregon Ducks bench boss Dan Lanning, Florida State’s Mike Norvell, and Clemson play-caller Tommy Rees.
Furthermore, in a surprising turn of events, one current big-time coach and former offensive coordinator at Alabama, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, revealed to the media on Thursday that he, too, was a contender for the highly coveted job. However, Sarkisian admits he never desired to return to Alabama as the newest head coach.
Texas Longhorns HC Steve Sarkisian: Turned Down Alabama Football Opening
Steve Sarkisian led the Texas Longhorns to the College Football Playoff in 2023, narrowly losing to the Washington Huskies in the semi-finals. Sarkisian, who joined Texas in 2021 after two seasons as the offensive play-caller for the Alabama football program, told ESPN this week that he had an opportunity to try and become the next head coach at Alabama after his former boss, frontman Nick Saban, retired after 17 seasons with the program. However, it took Sarkisian only a short time to pass on the opportunity.
Sarkisian said, “Naturally, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it. But it took me all of about 60 seconds to say, ‘Yeah, I’m not doing that.’ I had an awesome two years at Alabama and loved my time under Coach Saban, but ultimately, you want to reap what you sow.”
Sarkisian helped Alabama post one of the best regular seasons in college football history. The 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide went 12-0, with the Sarkisian-led offense scoring a near NCAA-best 48.5 points per game. Wideout DeVonta Smith won the Heisman Trophy, snagging 117 receptions for 1,856 and 23 touchdowns.
Sark continued, saying he believes in Texas. “We’ve poured a ton into this program for three years, and we’re on the cusp, I think, of going on a run that will be epic. I believe that. Our staff does, and our players do, too. We just need the support and the culture we’ve created here. Why leave something like that?”
Alabama Football: Kalen DeBoer Era Starting Next Fall
Alabama eventually hired standout Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer to fill the vacant head coaching position. DeBoer led Washington to the College Football Playoff, beating Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns in the semi-finals, 37-31. However, they fell to the Michigan Wolverines in the title game, 34-13.
DeBoer started his head coaching career with the Fresno State Bulldogs, going 3-3 in his first season before posting a 9-3 record in 2021. He took the Washington job the following season, registering a solid 11-2 record during his inaugural year with the then-Pac-12 program. DeBoer is 37-9 in his head coaching career, with quarterbacks Jake Haener and Michael Penix Jr. combining to throw 114 touchdowns to 33 interceptions.
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2 Comments
The title to this article makes me dizzy. Are you trying to hurt me?
I didn’t know you couldn’t read lol