Don’t be surprised if Alabama’s Steve Sarkisian gets NFL head coaching looks

Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is a hot commodity in college football but the NFL could come calling too.

Steve Sarkisian is ready to lead a team of his own again, college or even the NFL.

The Alabama football offensive coordinator just saw his team put up 63 points on the lowly Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. The Alabama Crimson Tide are undefeated and are the presumptive favorite to make the College Football Playoff out of the SEC. While it is Nick Saban’s program, 2021 will be the time for Sarkisian to have this shot at getting his own team again.

Steve Sarkisian is not that far removed from the NFL anyway

Overcoming a lot of personal issues that led to his termination as the USC Trojans head coach in 2015, Sarkisian has absolutely rehabilitated himself and his coaching career. After a brief stop with the 2016 Crimson Tide, Sarkisian had the tall task of replacing Kyle Shanahan as the Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator. That was a top-10 NFL offense all time and a Super Bowl team.

Despite being up against it, the Falcons made the postseason in Sarkisian’s first year in Flowery Branch. If not for his worst red-zone, play-calling moment of his life, Atlanta would have defeated the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on the road to face the Minnesota Vikings in the 2017 NFC Championship game. After a 7-9 season in 2018, Sarkisian was fired in Atlanta.

As it turns out, he was not the problem in Atlanta; it was the head coach and general manager. Terminating all three coordinators but keeping the head coach and general manager was the epitome of calling the kettle black. Fate would have it Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff would be fired five games into this horrendous 2020 season for the Dirty Birds. How is Dirk Koetter doing?

So what this really comes down to is this. Sarkisian could have any number of college jobs if they open up. He was in consideration for at least three last cycle: Arkansas, Colorado and Missouri. In truth, Sarkisian could probably go to South Carolina or Tennessee or maybe even Michigan. If you do not believe me, keep in mind he used to lead Washington and USC before it all hit the fan.

Overall, Sarkisian will be a college head coach either this year or next, depending on the opening and the right fit. Obviously, he cannot go back to USC, but Sarkisian would have no problem leading a top-25 program at this stage of his life. He has paid his dues, he has gotten better as a man and he is ready for that next big coaching opportunity far beyond the Tuscaloosa campus.

But what about NFL Sundays? Thus far, only two teams have vacancies: Atlanta and the Houston Texans. Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is the top internal candidate in the league. Teams besides Atlanta and Houston will want him. The question remains what other jobs could be open and if Sarkisian could be a fit there. Let’s hope he does not go to the New York Jets.

Atlanta does not feel like it is happening because that organization needs a complete and utter reset for the life of them. Houston may not bring in Bieniemy. If that is the route the Texans want to go, I mean, anything is possible there. But if struggling teams like the Detroit Lions, the Jacksonville Jaguars or even the Dallas Cowboys need a new head coach, maybe it will be him?

It would have to be the right fit, but Sarkisian should be a coaching candidate worth considering.

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