Texas Football: Steve Sarkisian reportedly ‘researched’ as HC candidate
A recent name mentioned as a potential candidate if Texas football looks for a new head coach was Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.
The next step in the conversation surrounding the coaching situation with the Texas football program and fourth-year head coach Tom Herman would be finding other capable replacements. Texas doesn’t really have another home run candidate in line since the pursuit of the former Ohio State Buckeyes and Florida Gators three-time National Championship winning head coach Urban Meyer didn’t work out as they envisioned. Granted it didn’t seem like there was a good chance of the Meyer hire happening at any point of that pursuit.
Continuing the conversation of finding a solid replacement for Herman, if the Longhorns do part ways with him in the near future, could begin with another blue blood program. According to a Horns247 report from Dec. 8, there are four candidates that Texas could consider next in line after ending the Meyer pursuit.
Three of the candidates had their names mentioned at some point already for the Texas job. They include Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal, and Penn State head coach James Franklin. Outside of Campbell, that trio doesn’t bring much intrigue to the table for the Longhorns.
However, while the other name that was mentioned in that Horns247 report might not pique the interest of most Longhorns fans, he would certainly be a different candidate. The other candidate mentioned in that piece was the Alabama offensive coordinator and former USC Trojans and Washington Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Sarkisian certainly leads one of the most potent offenses in the country in Tuscaloosa, but his track record as a head coach doesn’t inspire too much confidence. Maybe the grooming under Nick Saban and the solid offensive results with Alabama would be enough to land Sarkisian a head coaching job somewhere in the near future, but it likely shouldn’t be Texas.
During his seven years coaching Washington and USC, Sarkisian posted a record as a head coach of 46-35 (2-2 in the postseason). He only finished in the AP Top 25 twice out of six seasons where he rounded out a campaign with either of those two programs.
Moreover, keeping Herman would likely be the better move than hiring a potential candidate like Sarkisian. Herman has registered a record of 31-18 in his four years as the Texas head coach. His winning percentage (.633) is actually better than that of Sarkisian when he was a head coach in the PAC-10/PAC-12 (just under .570).
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Next up for Herman and the Longhorns on the schedule is the winless Kansas Jayhawks and head coach Les Miles, with kick off set for 2:30 p.m. CT in Lawrence at David Booth-Kansas Memorial Stadium on Dec. 12. Texas carries a record of 6-3 (5-3 Big 12) into that Kansas game.