When you are the new head coach of a formerly-top program like Steve Sarkisian is at Texas, you’re going to try and make your current program look better than the last one you were with.
And Sarkisian did just that by calling the home of the Alabama Crimson Tide a boring town.
Well, it actually may just have been a friendly dig and/or joke with Tuscaloosa — the town that gave him a home in 2016 after he was relieved of his duties from USC and the town that gave him a second shot three years later after a stint in the NFL didn’t work out.
I mean, can you blame him? Tuscaloosa really didn’t do much for Sarkisian.
The 2020 national championship ring he will own while being an offensive coordinator for Alabama will certainly be shown to recruits at Texas, if it hasn’t already.
Surely, Nick Saban had strong faith in Sarkisian behind closed doors leading up to the 2020 Iron Bowl when the legendary, seven-time national champion head coach was forced to sit home with COVID-19. The city of Tuscaloosa and Crimson Tide fans across the country joined Saban in his trust in Sarkisian to lead the team. He was successful in defeating the Auburn Tigers.
He has not yet coached a game for the Longhorns, so it doesn’t come as a surprise when he is asked questions about his former employer, the 18-time national championship-winning Crimson Tide football program.
Sarkisian was asked about Alabama players attending class, which seems to be a popular narrative: If a school is good at football, its players don’t attend class.
He was quick to dismiss the claim and defend the University of Alabama, but simultaneously took a jab at the school’s home.
Someone in the crowd at Steve Sarkisian’s @HoustonTDClub luncheon asked: “Do they ever go to class at Alabama?”
Sark: Well, yeah. All they have in Tuscaloosa is football and class and there ain’t shit else to do.
— Sam Khan Jr. (@skhanjr) May 26, 2021
Well, Mr. Sarkisian, there are plenty of things to do in Tuscaloosa. It truly depends how long you plan on staying in town (or if you could book a hotel for that matter).
If you plan on visiting on a weekend, you could spend basically all of Friday looking at the athletic achievements the school has collected and even tour all the facilities. I’m not sure if Texas has one of these, but the Paul W. Bryant museum has a ton of cool memorabilia and history regarding Alabama football.
If you’re there during the school year, maybe you can go to a game! Most spring sports will end up participating in the postseason, so don’t be afraid to go after graduation.
On Saturday, you can tour the school. There’s plenty of beautiful buildings, potentially too much history to pack into one day and even a cool natural science museum.
If you finish before sundown, go head on back to your hotel and wash up because the nightlife in town will make you wish the bars in Austin sold Yellowhammers.
Sunday could a day spent playing golf at Ol’ Colony with a nice cigar from the folks at R&R, then walk through the riverwalk or even have a nice picnic on Lake Nicol.
There’s a whole lot left that you didn’t get to do or see, so don’t be afraid to leave some for your next visit in September of 2023 with your new team.
Let me know next time you’re in town, Steve, I’d love to host you.
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