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Since I went to both UW and UT and am a fan of both programs, a bunch of people have tagged me on the news that Texas is considering hiring Steve Sarkisian.
All jokes aside, my thoughts on this are...complicated. (Thread)
All jokes aside, my thoughts on this are...complicated. (Thread)
Steve Sarkisian was not a particularly good coach at Washington. There were ups and there were downs, but there were also at least a couple true WTF moments every season. And usually one or two in the off-season also.
First, let’s set the record straight on what he came into. He took over an undeniably talented football team that had utterly lost all faith in its coaching staff, for good reason. His predecessor was awful, lazy, and should have been fired the year before or, better yet...
never been hired in the first place. Yet, for whatever reason, Willingham had managed to recruit some really good players and some players with potential. The talent on those teams was average for the conference...
and the conference as a whole was in much better shape than it is now.
So he walked into a situation where he could improve from 0-12 to about .500, merely by not being total garbage. He did that.
So he walked into a situation where he could improve from 0-12 to about .500, merely by not being total garbage. He did that.
He didn’t build a great staff out of the gate. Or even a very good staff. In fact, his defensive hires were quite bad.
But he did improve the offense immediately. Which again, had a lot to do with the bar being resting on the floor. Of the sub-basement.
But he did improve the offense immediately. Which again, had a lot to do with the bar being resting on the floor. Of the sub-basement.
Sark showed over his years at Washington a lack of attention to detail in all things that looked nothing like what you would expect given his mentor: Pete Carroll.
Now is the time when it makes sense to mention that Sark was living as a functioning addict at the time. Managing an addiction to alcohol semi-successfully does not generally go hand in hand with a high attention to detail.
As is often the case for functional addicts his addiction caught up with him and he went from managing it to being undone by it. It was sad to watch for me, since my dad had the same struggles, which he eventually overcame.
Now that Sark has been sober for several years and has worked side by side with Nick Saban for a few years, is it unreasonable to think he could have a major career renewal? No. Is it assured? Definitely not.
For Texas to hire him would be a gamble. The question is whether it would be a good bet or a sucker bet? I don’t pretend to know the answer.
I don’t have any great affection for the man, but I also know enough not to assume he will never be more than he was. He will likely be no worse than a wash with what Herman is now.
Paying Herman’s buyout to make that bet is bold, and perhaps foolhardy, but it isn’t my cash.
