Alabama Football: Steve Sarkisian nailed it Tuesday night

Alabama football fans got the rare treat of listening to Steve Sarkisian Tuesday night.

Alabama football Coordinators get few opportunities to speak to media and fans. Not until the end of the season can Alabama football fans listen to Steve Sarkisian again. For Crimson Tide fans who missed it, we’ll offer a short summary of Sarkisian’s preseason comments – Sark nailed it!

The full 18-minute video is available at the bottom of this post. Watch it. You will be impressed.

Steve Sarkisian has been through a large dose of adversity in his 46 years. He lost a head coaching job at USC because of substance abuse. But he fought his way back, a day at a time. His friend, Lane Kiffin, persuaded Nick Saban to hire Sark as an analyst. He added much to the 2016 Alabama football, offensive brain trust. He even had to fill-in as offensive Coordinator in a losing, title game effort. The NFL beckoned and Sarkisian went to the Atlanta Falcons for two seasons. Quite a few Atlanta fans were not sorry to see him go.

So the guy with seven seasons of college head coaching experience came back to Tuscaloosa. His 2019 Alabama football offense was sensational whenever Tua Tagovailoa was healthy. It was pretty darn good without Tua, as well. The University of Alabama and Nick Saban rewarded him with a big raise. Sark went from $1.65M to $2.5M a year. Make no mistake, the man earned every penny of it.

Sarkisian was approached by a couple of FBS programs in the offseason. He had a strong shot to return as a head coach for Colorado. He passed on that opportunity and others. He said Tuesday night it had not been time to leave Tuscaloosa again. He paid tribute to his “mentor’ Nick Saban, the entire Alabama football staff and administration, and his players. Such coach statements are standard fare and sometimes insincere. But there was doubt Steve Sarkisian meant what he said. His sincere appreciation for what Nick Saban and Alabama football have meant to his career was obvious.

Beyond that, Sarkisian offered some interesting morsels of information. Questions about how a veteran offensive line and deep roster of running backs would change the Tide offense revealed only appreciation for the tools he can employ. Those wondering about a more run-oriented offense moving away from RPO schemes learned little. Sark was not giving early opponents a scouting report. He was willing to say if the Tide runs more frequently, it will not turn away from RPO.

When asked about his three scholarship quarterbacks, he praised all three.

On Mac Jones: Sark easily offered there is no substitute for experience. He commended Mac for his toughness and how he bounced back after the two pick-sixes at Auburn. Sark gave no indication there is a starting QB competition in fall camp.

On Paul Tyson: Sarkisian said Tyson understands the offense far better than last season. The year of learning gives Tyson a big head start over Bryce Young.

On Bryce Young: Sarkisian reminded fall camp has been only two days, but he said Young had been impressive. Describing the freshman, he said Bryce “has great attention to detail and a good feel for the game.”

It is much too early to make predictions but Sarkisian must know all three QBs need development. The 2020 season is different. Unlike past seasons, there are no ‘breather’ games. Against Missouri and Ole Miss, Young and Tyson need game reps. A capable backup needs to be ready to lead against TAMU and UGA.

Sarkisian also spent time discussing this summer’s health scare. As part of an intensive, annual physical, a heart defect was discovered. Open-heart surgery followed. Sarkisian said he is fine but admitted to maybe being the most careful Tide coach in terms of COVID precautions.

Due to the heart surgery, Sark is a slimmed-down version of himself. He said he enjoyed moving around easier on the practice field.