Looking back on each Year 2 for Steve Sarkisian as a coach
Atlanta Falcons OC (2017-2018)
After spending one year as an offensive analyst with the Alabama Crimson Tide under head coach Nick Saban in 2016, Sark was hired to join head coach Dan Quinn’s staff as the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons prior to the 2017 season. Sark would spend two years as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator before returning to the collegiate level in 2019.
The 2017 season didn’t go as planned for Sark, as the Falcons’ regressed from having the top scoring offense (averaging more than 33 points per game) in 2016 to averaging just over 22 points per game, good for 15th in the league. The offense started to sputter, especially with their production on the ground, in 2017 under Sark.
But the offense did improve a bit in his second year at the helm in 2018. The Falcons were able to dramatically improve the passing game, ranking third in the league in touchdowns and fourth in yards. Atlanta also averaged more than 25 points per game in 2018, ranking in the top 10 in the NFL.
The improvements Sark was able to make as the offensive coordinator of the Falcons in 2018 weren’t enough to help him get a third year on that staff. He was fired in December 2018.
Alabama OC (2019-2020)
The last stop for Sark before becoming the head coach of the Longhorns early in the 2021 offseason was also his second stop on the offensive coaching staff with Saban and the Crimson Tide. Alabama hired Sark to be their offensive coordinator ahead of the 2019 season.
That meant Sark’s second year at the helm with the Crimson Tide came in the midst of the shortened COVID-19 season in 2020. It was also one of the most impressive seasons for Sark in terms of offensive production.
Next. Predicting Texas' next portal commit after Tarique Milton. dark
He helped to develop quarterback Mac Jones into a real Heisman contender in 2020 and star wideout DeVonta Smith would go onto win the Heisman Trophy that season. Alabama averaged 48.5 points per game in 2020 (good for second in the FBS) and 542 yards per game. This was definitely one of the most impressive jobs that Sark did in his collegiate coaching career to date and it saw him win the Broyles Award to cap the 2020 season.