"I liked him": When Nick Saban shared intriguing story of Steve Sarkisian hiring after brief USC stint

Former Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban has become a fan favorite as an analyst on ESPN's beloved "College GameDay" show after retiring last year. Saban had become the face of college basketball after seven national titles and for helping to mentor several elite coaches who sprouted from his coaching tree.

One of the coaches counted among Saban's success stories is Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian. Sarkisian was an offensive analyst and the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator between 2017 and 2020 before taking the Texas job.

In a clip posted on the "AL.com" YouTube page in 2017, Saban discussed with reporters how he ended up hiring Sarkisian (0:05).

"Sark came in during fall camp just to visit and stayed with us for a week, and we spent some time together," Nick Saban said. "During that time, he watched practice. I asked for his observations. Before he left, he said he was supposed to do some TV work or something, and but he would really like to get involved in a program some place, and if there was any opportunity for him to do it here. And I liked I liked him."

Nick Saban further revealed that he held off on hiring Steve Sarkisian because Alabama's season-opener was against his former team, the USC Trojans, who had fired him in 2015.

"I told him, I said, 'There may be an opportunity for you do to do that here, but since we play USC first, I'd rather wait until after that game until we sort of do it, because I wouldn't want people to think that we're trying to bring you in to create some advantage or whatever,'" Saban said. "That's basically what we did. And I think he was helpful all year long, helping in the planning and assisting."

Steve Sarkisian credits Nick Saban for saving his career

Steve Sarkisian was fired from the USC Trojans in 2015 and he found his feet once again in Tuscaloosa under Nick Saban. During a 2024 segment of "The Paul Finebaum Show," Sarkisian credited Saban for saving his job.

"I think the general fan sees Nick Saban as the straw hat flying at practice, the headset or the hands going on the sideline, or the press conference where he wants to just jump the one reporter for the question when in reality, he and Miss Terry are probably two of the most compassionate, forgiving people I've ever been associated with," Sarkisian said.

"I learned a lot of that from him. I had to learn a lot about myself from him in that way."

In three seasons in Tuscaloosa under Nick Saban, Steve Sarkisian was part of an incredible 38-3 record with the Crimson Tide during which Alabama won three national titles. This paved the way for him to get the Texas Longhorns job in 2021. Sarkisian and Saban have maintained a cordial relationship with the former paying homage to the latter at last year's SEC media days.