Steve Sarkisian has a job (for now) at one of many prime college football applications within the nation on the University of Texas. It’s a vacation spot job. The kind of job coaches will go away a job for when it opens up.
Regardless of that lofty place, Sarkisian’s representatives have reportedly let it be known to NFL teams that he can be keen to make the leap to the NFL, together with with the Tennessee Titans.
That report comes through The Athletic’s Dianna Russini on Saturday, although his representatives have denied it.
Possibly he needs a brand new problem.
Possibly he is aware of a disappointing yr at Texas is placing him on the new seat and is making an attempt to get out in entrance of it.
Regardless of the case could also be, NFL groups — together with the Tennessee Titans — ought to politely inform his representatives, thanks, however no thanks.
NFL groups ought to keep away from occurring the faculty coach path
It’s not a lot about Sarkisian himself that ought to make NFL groups keep away. It’s extra about how the current historical past of school coaches making an attempt to make the leap to the NFL has gone.
And it is gone poorly.
Aside from Jim Harbaugh, when he made the leap from Stanford to the San Francisco 49ers within the early 2010s, a lot of the faculty coaches which have tried to take over NFL groups have badly flopped. Even the profitable faculty coaches.
Again in 2023, Ben Solak noted at The Ringer that solely two coaches since 2000 that made the leap from the NCAA to the NFL posted profitable information within the professionals. The one two who had succeeded had been Harbaugh and Invoice O’Brien, who had a .509 profitable share with the Houston Texans.
Each different coach on the record had a shedding document within the professionals and in some instances, a brutal shedding document.
That record included the likes of Kliff Kingsbury, Chip Kelly, Nick Saban, Doug Marrone, Butch Davis, Steve Spurrier, Greg Schiano, Matt Rhule and the 2 most regrettable hires of all of them, Bobby Petrino and City Meyer.
All of these coaches had been extremely profitable within the NCAA. Within the instances of Saban and Spurrier, they’re all-time greats.
All of them failed within the NFL.
It is not that they are unhealthy coaches. It is that they’re used to teaching a unique sort of sport. Managing faculty athletes and a school program is a really, very completely different expertise than managing skilled athletes. It’s also a state of affairs the place X’s and O’s, playcalling and technique means extra. In faculty, you could be a grasp recruiter, assemble a powerhouse roster, schedule gentle nonconference video games and simply out-talent everyone.
That does not work within the professionals. Everyone is nice, and the hole between the great groups and the unhealthy groups is razor skinny.
The opposite problem that relates particularly to Sarkisian, is that he actually has not had persistently dominant success within the NCAA ranks. He is been good at occasions — however by no means actually nice. His finest run has come at Texas the place he put collectively back-to-back 12-win seasons in 2023 and 2024. However they’ve been adopted up with a wildly disappointing 2025 season that noticed Texas open because the No. 1 workforce within the nation after which fully underwhelm by means of the primary eight video games. All whereas prized quarterback Arch Manning has proven no progress in his improvement.
Is that what you need if you’re the Titans with a younger quarterback in Cam Ward?
Is that what you need if you’re any NFL workforce in want of a brand new path?
Study from current historical past. Keep away from the faculty coaches within the NFL.
