Monday Alabama football made it official, hiring former USC head coach Steve Sarkisian as an offensive assistant.
"We talked about it, really, quite a while ago. I told him that we'd love to have him as a part of the organization," Saban said. "...We thought it would be a good thing for our organization to have somebody - look, I've known him for a long time and he's a very, very good coach - to make a contribution to being an analyst here and having some input into some things that we could do better, I think, would be a real positive for our organization."
The former USC head coach was fired from his position at USC for alcohol issues, something that has lead many to wonder about the hire. Most of those fears are easily put to rest with just two words, Nick Saban.
Saban addressed how the school plans on keeping Sarkisian on the path to recovery.
"We're going to continue to help him in his program as an organization and we'll support him and he has an opportunity," Saban said. "But I think he understands the consequences that he deals with professionally if he has an issues or problems. We're glad to have him as part of the organization. Hopefully he'll be able to get back on his feet professionally and this will be beneficial to him."
Saban hasn't been shy about hiring coaches who need time to rehab their images and it has paid off well for the Tide. Some are even speculating as to if this could be a move with the future on the mind from Saban, considering all the attention Lane Kiffin has been getting as a potential head coach somewhere next season. Time will tell and Sarkisian will have a lot to prove but under Nick Saban anything is possible.
