Coaches Texas A&M Football Fans Want To See Take Over in Tuscaloosa: Steve Sarkisian
I'm now realizing that this is a list of the last three Alabama OCs in order, which is kind of funny.
Of the three I've listed, there's no doubt that Sark was the most effective in his time down in Tuscaloosa (though Mike Locksley still holds the title for best OC in the Saban era, pound-for-pound). He coordinated an extremely deadly offense in 2020 that helped Saban along the way to his last title.
He has been unable to replicate that kind of offensive effectiveness since, however. His second-half issues in Austin have been well-documented, and it appears unlikely he will ever get to the mountaintop at his current stop.
The biggest reason that Texas A&M football fans would like this hire, however, is how it would cripple the Longhorns as they enter the conference. Sarkisian leaving means the future of Texas football is immediately thrown into turmoil, as it's highly unlikely that Arch Manning would stick around. Now, it's not as if Arch is a world-beater himself, but the optics are what would matter here.
It would also serve Texas fans a nice slice of humble pie, as it didn't take very long for them to begin crowing that their job was better than Alabama's. Shocking that they would make it about themselves, I know.
This is the most likely of the hires on this list left available for the Tide, in my opinion. Sark is, by all accounts, well thought of over in Tuscaloosa, and it helps that he handed the Tide one of their two losses on the year this past year. Kind of like when Dennis Smith Jr. dropped a triple-double on the Knicks and then they traded Porzingis for him days later. That's a niche NBA reference, but I don't care. I can do what I want on here!