Before Steve Sarkisian was charting fire plays on the sidelines for the Texas Longhorns, he was the one who made them happen out there. Yes, the current head coach of one of college football’s greatest programs once lived in the pocket himself. He was throwing darts, screaming audibles, and fighting for every inch like the underdog he was.
Sarkisian’s path wasn’t paved with five-star noise or overnight fame. Instead, it was a gritty, tough ride through junior college and into a record-setting run at BYU. Let’s roll back to the times when Sarkisian was making headlines not with a headset, but with a helmet and a cannon for an arm.
Did Steve Sarkisian Play College Football, And Where?
Sarkisian’s football story began in Torrance, California. He played at West High School but went mostly unrewarded by Division I programs. Having limited scholarship opportunities, Sarkisian tried baseball and walked on briefly for a year at USC in 1992. But the gridiron called him back, and he returned to football a year later.
He enrolled at El Camino College, a junior college near his home. That is where Sarkisian’s football career began to take off. Guided by legendary JUCO coach John Featherstone, Sarkisian made his mark. From 1993 to 1994, he threw for over 3,000 yards, received All-Mission Conference honors, and won a JUCO All-American award. His football intelligence and accuracy made him one of the top junior college quarterbacks in the country.
Those two years at El Camino were enough to catch Brigham Young University (BYU)’s eye, that quarterback factory with a legacy that features Steve Young, Jim McMahon, and Ty Detmer. Sarkisian transferred to BYU in 1995, stepping into big shoes—but he didn’t flinch. As a junior, he passed for 3,437 yards and 20 touchdowns and led the team to a 7–4 record.
But his 1996 senior season is when he truly carved his name into BYU annals. Sarkisian threw for 4,027 yards, completed 66.8% of his passes, and tossed 33 touchdowns, all while collecting a record-breaking 173.6 passer efficiency rating. It was surely one of the highest in the nation. He led the Cougars to a then-program-record 14–1 season that included a Cotton Bowl triumph over Kansas State—BYU’s inaugural New Year’s Day bowl win.
That performance led the Cougars to rank No. 5 in the final AP Poll, and Sarkisian was honored as WAC Offensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-WAC, and received top-10 Heisman consideration (sixth place on six votes). He ignited Utah with four fourth-quarter touchdown passes in the season-closing game, converting a 17–14 halftime deficit into a 37–17 second-half victory that sealed the WAC championship.
Describing that year in retrospect, Sarkisian once explained, “That group had toughness. We played like we had something to prove. Truthfully, we did. And that experience influenced the way I coach today.”
From the CFL to the Sidelines: Sark’s Road to Coaching Stardom
Despite his collegiate heroics, Sarkisian went unchosen in the 1997 NFL Draft. Instead, he signed a contract with the Canadian Football League (CFL)’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and saw limited playing time for two years (1997–1998). Though never a CFL star, the experience afforded him invaluable exposure to complex passing strategies and professional-grade defenses.
Recognizing coaching as his vocation, Sarkisian returned to El Camino College in 2000 as quarterbacks coach and began his rapid climb through the ranks. He was back at USC in 2001, serving as an offensive assistant under Pete Carroll, tasked with developing eventual Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. In 2007, Sarkisian was USC’s offensive coordinator, his play calling making national news.
His first head coaching opportunity came in 2009 at the University of Washington, when he inherited a winless program and brought it to respectability within two seasons.
After an up-and-down stint at USC (2014–2015) that ended prematurely due to off-field issues, Sarkisian rebooted under Nick Saban at Alabama, first as an analyst and then as the offensive coordinator.
There, he helped build one of college football’s most explosive offenses and worked with quarterbacks like Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones. In 2021, Sarkisian was named the head coach at Texas, a team that was desperate to become great again.
Though his first two years were rocky, the 2023 season was a breakout. Sarkisian led Texas to a Big 12 title, a 13–2 overall record, and its first College Football Playoff bid, falling close to Washington in the semifinals.
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His offense was among the top 10 in the nation in points and yards, and Sarkisian’s quarterback-coaching skill set was in full force as Quinn Ewers became a future pro.
So yes, Sarkisian most certainly did play college football. And the tough, underrated player he was—unquestionably so—remains fuel for the fire he brings to Texas each Saturday.
As he once described himself, “I’ve been the guy battling for a roster spot. I’ve been the guy who gets overlooked. That’s who I coach for.”
And it’s that chip on his shoulder that could very well take the Longhorns to the promised land.
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