After spending less than two months with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Steve Sarkisian is leaving Nick Saban’s program to join the Atlanta Falcons.
Not long after the news broke that the Falcons were hiring Sarkisian, Saban issued a statement in response.
“We appreciate all Coach Sarkisian did for our program during his time here,” Saban said in a statement, per AL.com. “He is an outstanding coach, and we wish him the best in his new role as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator. As always, when we have an opening on our staff, we will use it as an opportunity to go out and hire the best coach available.”
Sarkisian was slated to fill the vacant spot that opened up when Lane Kiffin left to become the head coach of Florida Atlantic. He coordinated Alabama’s offense in the College Football Playoff Championship Game, which ended with Clemson winning the title in thrilling fashion on a last-second touchdown pass.
Interestingly, a report indicates Sarkisian and Saban were already having problems seeing eye-to-eye before the Falcons hired him away. So much so that Sarkisian and Saban had already agreed to part ways (more on that here).
Now Saban has the task of finding another candidate to come in and coordinate his offense for the 2017 season and hopefully beyond. This is a task that is more difficult, given the fact we’re already in February and schools have already hired the most qualified candidates around the nation. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens next for Saban’s Crimson Tide.