When Texas hired Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, it was quickly known he would coach in the national championship game against Ohio State.
However, Sarkisian cannot afford to take time off as the Longhorns head coach for a week; therefore, he has been trying to balance both roles.
Dealing with coordinator turnover around the national championship is nothing new for Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Kirby Smart, Jeremy Pruitt, Mike Locksley and Lane Kiffin each accepted different jobs before competing in the title game.
For Kiffin, he accepted the FAU job before the 2017 championship game against Clemson. Due to how poorly Kiffin handled doubling up, he was fired before traveling to Tampa, Florida.
The opposite has been true for Sarkisian. Saban spoke with the media before Monday’s matchup and mentioned how well he has been at balancing his workload. The head coach also said how excited everyone at Alabama is for Sarkisian.
“Well, I think our coaching staff has done a really good job working with our players,” Saban said. “Sark is the one guy that has shown great maturity, I think, in how he’s handled his situation, moving on to be a head coach, which is what he’s worked for, and we’re happy for him relative to the opportunity that he’s created for himself by the great job that he’s done for us here.”
There have been reports Sarkisian wants to take coaches from Tuscaloosa with him to Austin. Kyle Flood and Jeff Banks are the top names mentioned in those reports. Saban continued to comment on how the week of preparation has been with every coach.
“But I have no complaints at all with the way our coaches have sort of handled the situation, and I think everybody has sort of — wants to do the best job that they can for the players so that the players have the best opportunity to have success in the game against a very good team,” said Saban.
No matter the outcome of Alabama-Ohio State, Sarkisian is expected to join Texas on Tuesday. Wrapping up his coaching staff will be the top priority, but getting on the recruiting trail before the signing day is a close second.
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