Steve Sarkisian reveals he considered replacing Nick Saban at Alabama

Steve Sarkisian admitted he considered replacing Nick Saban at Alabama after the 72-year-old coach retired in Tuscaloosa.

For the record, it wasn’t very long.

“Naturally, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it,” the Texas coach told ESPN. “But it took me all of about 60 seconds to say, ‘Yeah, I’m not doing that.’ I had an awesome two years at Alabama and loved my time under Coach Saban, but ultimately you want to reap what you sow.”

Sarkisian spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons in Tuscaloosa as Saban’s offensive coordinator.

“We’ve poured a ton into this program for three years, and we’re on the cusp, I think, of going on a run that will be epic,” Sarkisian said. “I believe that. Our staff does, and our players do, too, just the support we have and the culture we’ve created here. Why leave something like that?”

Sarkisian was not the first former assistant to beat Saban, but he became the first to do so at Bryant-Denny Stadium when the Longhorns beat the Tide 34-24 in Tuscaloosa last September.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.