“It was ugly”: CFB insider weighs in on Texas HC Steve Sarkisian’s abrupt exit from USC

Back in October 2015, Steve Sarkisian’s coaching career hit a snag. He was fired by USC after showing up to work under the influence of alcohol, the reason for which was attributed to his divorce. It was a rough, very public fall. It led many to wonder about his coaching future.

However, nearly a decade later, Sarkisian is experiencing a resurgence as the coach of the Texas Longhorns.

College football insider Josh Pate reflected on Sarkisian’s journey on his show, saying that while his past was turbulent, it didn’t define his future.

“His story is one of someone who has so much brilliance about the way he sees this game, coaches this game and he’s also got so many public flaws as a person,” Pate said on Thursday. “You wrap that all into one and you’ve got a very very bumpy career at times."

Pate recalled how bad the situation at USC truly was:

“I mean the way it ended at USC was bad. It was ugly to the point you’re looking at it, you’re saying, ‘Well, forget football. Like is he gonna be okay, period?’”

However, Steve Sarkisian then got another chance at Alabama, as Pate put it. He had a short time with the Atlanta Falcons that didn’t go well, but returned to Alabama and ended up calling offensive plays in the national championship game after Lane Kiffin parted ways with the program. Later, he led Alabama’s offense during its 2020 title run. The performance saw him become the head coach of the Texas Longhorns.

Pate called it “wild” and added:

“Anyone whose career took that nose dive, even if they were going to get another shot at being a head coach, they would have had to work their way up. You go like an FCS or a G5, then a lower level P4, and then maybe you get a shot at Texas, but because of how brilliant he is when he’s at his best, he gets a shot at Texas.”

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Steve Sarkisian hopeful for his players for the NFL draft

Now, as Steve Sarkisian leads the Longhorns, he will see several players enter the 2025 NFL draft. His hopes are high for his aspiring players, as he said, via Yahoo!:

“I’ll touch base with those guys as we get closer to Thursday. I think a lot of our guys are in a great spot. I’m hopeful a ton of our guys get drafted, because I think a lot of our players will really be assets for the organization.”

Three Texas players are projected to be first-round picks on Day 1: wide receiver Matthew Golden, defensive back Jahdae Barron and offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.