Alabama Football: 5 takeaways from the National Championship

5 takeaways for Alabama football vs. Ohio State

3. Steve Sarkisian is the best assistant Saban has had

Nick Saban has had plenty of elite assistant coaches. Scott Cochran carried the fourth quarter program. Kirby Smart and Jeremy Pruitt were excellent defensive coordinators. Lane Kiffin brought a new level of creativity to the offense. Butch Jones brought Nick Saban coffee.

Even with all of these legends, Steve Sarkisian is the best to work for Saban. His first game as an offensive coordinator ended in a loss in the national championship. After a brief stint with the Atlanta Falcons, he came back to Tuscaloosa and dominated in every facet of the game. He has been a great recruiter and play-caller.

You see great plays from Sarkisian, but the best aspect of his offense is when he adds wrinkles. He fakes screens and throws to the blocker. He fakes swing passes and throws the reverse. He adds more creativity than Kiffin did, and that is saying something.

While all of this works, Sarkisian doesn’t get too cute. When needed, he keeps it simply and dominates in-between the tackles. At the end of the day, he does a great job of putting his best players in position to succeed.

Sarkisian might be off to Texas, but he ended his collegiate career with a win against Ohio State and a masterpiece of a game plan.