Sark couldn’t dream of CFP after 2015 USC firing

Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior WriterDec 31, 2023, 11:38 AM ET
Close
- ACC reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2010.
- Graduate of the University of Florida.

NEW ORLEANS — Steve Sarkisian said Sunday there was a moment in time when he thought he would never make it to the College Football Playoff, reflecting on his journey with Texas during the final coaches news conference before the CFP semifinal against Washington at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Sarkisian pointed specifically to the months following his dismissal from USC in 2015 when asked whether there was a point where he felt making it this far in a season would ever be possible.

“Hell, yeah, I did,” Sarkisian said. “I was out of work. Couldn’t get an interview, never mind a job, never mind thinking about the College Football Playoff. Sure, it did. I think that’s what makes part of this journey with this team this year probably so gratifying.

“So I think part of that puts things into perspective in that you appreciate the opportunities that you get. You appreciate the people that you’re around every day. And you try to pour into those people. And when you pour into them, sometimes you get results like this, and you get on teams like this, and you get to be part of special seasons like this.”

Sarkisian entered rehab for alcohol abuse after his dismissal from USC, and he credits Alabama coach Nick Saban for giving him a lifeline back into coaching in 2016. Saban offered Sarkisian a job as an offensive analyst on his staff, and from there, Sarkisian went to the Atlanta Falcons before returning to the Crimson Tide as offensive coordinator in 2019.

After two years in that role, Sarkisian was hired to become Texas head coach. Though he had experience in the CFP as an Alabama assistant, this is the first time Sarkisian has led a team to the playoff.

This also is the Longhorns’ first trip to the CFP. It just so happens that this is somewhat of a full-circle moment for Sarkisian, who started his head-coaching career at Washington in 2009. Though these two teams played against each other in the Alamo Bowl last season, facing his former team with a national championship spot on the line has come with its own set of emotions.

“It’s fascinating to think of the journey that I’ve been on, to get to this point,” Sarkisian said. “But I’m hopeful that my story can serve as some sort of motivation to others. We don’t have to stay where we are in life. If we have our goals set on something and we live a life of doing things the right way and do the next right thing and treat people well and work hard, be disciplined, be focused, hold yourself accountable, be committed to something, have some mental toughness to overcome the adversity that we have, we can change, right? Life can change. Life can change for the better. And that’s no different for our players either.

“So, hopefully, I can serve a little bit of a model of that, that we can change the narrative for ourselves and we can build towards something even greater than we have right now. And like I said, there was a moment there where, yeah, for sure I thought that [I might not make it to the CFP]. But not anymore; here we are.”