Sunny SoCal to soggy Seattle? Rose Bowls to rotten Apple Cups? The Pac-10 perch to the conference basement?
Steve Sarkisian: What are you thinking?
Sarkisian, the former assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at USC, the cream of the West Coast football crop, was today named the 23rd head football coach at the University of Washington, replacing the beleaguered Tyrone Willingham, who last won a football game Nov. 17, 2007.
Sarkisian is UW’s newest man.
Not surprisingly, Huskies athletic director Scott Woodward neither confirmed nor denied reports initially released last Thursday, choosing once again to be stealthy rather than transparent in his hiring process; a tactic he’s used since the coaching hunt began more than a month ago.
But Woodward has officially found a good match for UW after throwing his line in the water to big-name catches, only to have it snapped numerous times. Texas’ Will Muschamp, Oregon’s Chip Kelly and Texas Tech’s Mike Leach, among others, all said thanks, but no thanks.
Sarkisian, however, who has coached alongside Pete Carroll, the winningest coach in college football since 2001, said he was “humbled” to be considered for the UW job.
The 34-year-old has been Carroll’s right-hand man for six seasons — he left in 2004 to coach in the NFL, returning to USC a year later — and the Trojans compiled a 77-14 record, won two national championships and made four consecutive Rose Bowl appearances during that time.
He comes from a winning pedigree.
And that’s exactly who the Huskies need — somebody who understands how it feels, what it takes and what to do to win.
Tyrone Willingham racked up 37 losses in just four seasons. That’s more than nine losses per year on a 12-game schedule. He managed only 11 wins over that same span and closed out his UW tenure Saturday with an 0-12 season and 14-game losing streak.
Eye-popping.
The Huskies have become accustomed to losing, the double-overtime loss to Wazzu in this year’s Apple Cup being the low of all-time lows.
But Sarkisian will bring a new attitude. Fire. Pizazz. Excitement.
Unlike Willingham, whose rigid style is better suited for the Ivy League, Sarkisian is a motivator, understanding how to relate to 18-, 19- and 20-year-old athletes.
He’ll also legitimize the Huskies’ recruiting efforts in Los Angeles, a high school football hotbed and place UW has traditionally recruited well, but has fizzled out in recent years.
Woodward splashed around with the Muschamp’s, Kelly’s, Leach’s and Jim Mora’s of the world, trying to land a marlin, but there’s a reason those coaches aren’t available.
Sarkisian is a good alternative.
Whether or not he wins immediately, down the road or god forbid, never, at least Sarkisian offers hope.
So here’s to hope — for sun and roses in Seattle.
Hoping the S.S. Sarkisian isn’t the next to sink in Montlake.
