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Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian went 98–57 as a head coach, 2009–2026, at Washington, USC and Texas. Wikipedia’s season articles record one season differently (2026, 4–1); by them his record is 98–56. Share
- Record
- 98–57 career
- Seasons
- 13
- Schools
- 3
- Final AP top 10
- 2 seasons
- Born
- Mar 8, 1974
- Alma mater
- BYU 1997
- Best season
- 2023 12–2, No. 3
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Washington | 5–7 | 7th | |||
| 2010 | Washington | 7–6 | 4th | Holiday Bowl W | ||
| 2011 | Washington | 7–6 | 3rd | Alamo Bowl L | ||
| 2012 | Washington | 7–6 | 4th | Maaco Bowl Las Vegas L | ||
| 2013 | Washington | 8–4 | 3rd | Fight Hunger (not coached) | ||
| 2014 | USC | 9–4 | T–2nd | Holiday Bowl W | 20 | |
| 2015 | USC coached five of 14 games | 3–2 | ||||
| 2016–20: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2021 | Texas | 5–7 | T–7th | |||
| 2022 | Texas | 8–5 | 3rd | Alamo Bowl L | 25 | |
| 2023 | Texas | 12–2 | 1st | Sugar Bowl, CFP Semifinal L | 3 | |
| 2024 | Texas | 13–3 | 1st | CFP First Round W; Peach Bowl, CFP Quarterfinal W; Cotton Bowl, CFP Semifinal L | 4 | |
| 2025 | Texas | 10–3 | T–5th | Citrus Bowl W | 12 | |
| 2026 | Texas | 4–2 (Wikipedia: 4–1) | ||||
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Kelvin Banks Jr.
Bijan Robinson
Jahdae Barron
T’Vondre Sweat
Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Leonard Williams
Jake Locker
Xavier Worthy
Matthew Golden
Desmond Trufant
Nelson Agholor
Michael Taaffe
- Byron Murphy IINo. 16 pick, 2024
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 63 | 29–34 | 46% |
| Against top-10 teams | 28 | 11–17 | 39% |
| Against rivals | 36 | 21–15 | 58% |
| Conference games | 103 | 62–41 | 60% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 10 | 5–5 | 50% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 59 | 30–29 | 51% |
| At home | 80 | 63–17 | 79% |
| On the road | 58 | 27–31 | 47% |
| At neutral sites | 17 | 8–9 | 47% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 95 | 77–18 | 81% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 60 | 21–39 | 35% |
His own 155 games on file, 2009–2026, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Riley 2009–2014 | 4–2 | Oregon State | 6 | |
| Brent Venables 2022–2026 | 3–2 | Oklahoma | 5 | |
| David Shaw 2011–2015 | 2–3 | Stanford | 5 | |
| Jeff Tedford 2009–2012 | 4–0 | California | 4 | |
| Sonny Dykes 2013–2023 | 3–1 | California, TCU | 4 | |
| Chip Kelly 2009–2012 | 0–4 | Oregon | 4 | |
| Paul Wulff 2009–2011 | 3–0 | Washington State | 3 | |
| Chris Klieman 2021–2023 | 3–0 | Kansas State | 3 | |
| Jeff Traylor 2022–2026 | 3–0 | UTSA | 3 | |
| Kyle Whittingham 2011–2014 | 2–1 | Utah | 3 |
Steve Sarkisian’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Stanfordseries | 7 | 2–5 |
| Californiaseries | 6 | 6–0 |
| Washington Stateseries | 6 | 5–1 |
| Arizonaseries | 6 | 4–2 |
| Oregon Stateseries | 6 | 4–2 |
| Oklahomaseries | 6 | 3–3 |
| Arizona Stateseries | 6 | 2–4 |
| Oregonseries | 5 | 0–5 |
National coaching awards
The awards- 2020 Alabama: Broyles Award
National title staffs
Every title staff- Won a national title on USC’s 2003 staff (quarterbacks) · the staff · source
- Won a national title on Alabama’s 2020 staff (offensive coordinator, quarterbacks, part of the season) · the staff · source
The champions’ staffs from 1990 on, as the schools listed them that season: Staff lists: Drew Hoover’s how-many-rings (MIT), from the schools’ media guides and staff pages. Roles as the source words them.
How he was hired
Power-conference head-coaching hires since 2010, with each coach’s previous job and ties to the school as collected by hand from Wikipedia: Hiring facts: M. Schuckers, cfb_coach_analytics.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | El Camino | Quarterbacks coach | |
| 2001–03 | USC | Quarterbacks coach | |
| 2004 | Oakland Raiders NFL | Quarterbacks coach | |
| 2009–13 | Washington | Head coach | |
| 2014–15 | USC | Head coach | |
| 2016 | Alabama | Offensive assistant and interim offensive coordinator | |
| 2017–18 | Atlanta Falcons NFL | Offensive coordinator | |
| 2019–20 | Alabama | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| 2021–present | Texas | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Pete CarrollUSC
- Norv TurnerOakland Raiders
- Nick SabanAlabama
- Dan QuinnAtlanta Falcons
Assistants who became head coaches
- Jeff MillsNew Mexico Highlands
- Marques TuiasosopoWashington
- Nick HoltIdaho
- Donte WilliamsUSC
- Eric KiesauFresno State
- Justin WilcoxCalifornia
- Tosh LupoiCalifornia
- Jeff ChoateNevada, Montana State
- Clay HeltonUSC, Georgia Southern
- Jeff BanksTexas A&M
- Kyle FloodRutgers
- Stan DraytonTemple
- and 9 more
Worked under (4)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pete Carroll | USC | 2001–08 | 2001–03: quarterbacks coach; 2007–08: offensive coordinator | |
| Norv Turner | Oakland Raiders NFL | 2004 | Quarterbacks coach | |
| Nick Saban | Alabama | 2016–20 | 2016: offensive assistant and interim offensive coordinator; 2019–20: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Dan Quinn | Atlanta Falcons NFL | 2017–18 | Offensive coordinator |
Coached under him, later head coaches (21)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Mills | Washington, 2009–11: defensive backs coach | New Mexico Highlands | |
| Marques Tuiasosopo | Washington, 2009–10: assistant strength and conditioning coach; 2013: quarterbacks coach; USC, 2014–15: assistant head coach and tight ends coach | Washington | |
| Nick Holt | Washington, 2009–11: assistant head coach and defensive coordinator | Idaho | |
| Donte Williams | Washington, 2011–12: graduate assistant | USC | |
| Eric Kiesau | Washington, 2012–13: offensive coordinator | Fresno State | |
| Justin Wilcox | Washington, 2012–13: defensive coordinator; USC, 2014–15: defensive coordinator | California | |
| Tosh Lupoi | Washington, 2012–13: defensive line coach | California | |
| Jeff Choate | Washington, 2013: defensive line and special teams coach; Texas, 2021–23: co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach | Nevada, Montana State | |
| Clay Helton | USC, 2014: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; 2015: co-offensive coordinator | USC, Georgia Southern | |
| Jeff Banks | Texas, 2021–26: assistant head coach and tight ends and special teams coach | Texas A&M | |
| Kyle Flood | Texas, 2021–26: offensive coordinator and offensive line coach | Rutgers | |
| Stan Drayton | Texas, 2021: assistant head coach, running backs coach and running game coordinator | Temple | |
| Brennan Marion | Texas, 2022: passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach | Sacramento State | |
| Dave Brock | Texas, 2022: analyst | Delaware | |
| Gary Patterson | Texas, 2022: special assistant to head coach | TCU | |
| Paul Chryst | Texas, 2023: offensive assistant and special assistant to head coach | Pittsburgh, Wisconsin | |
| Chad Scott | Texas, 2025: running backs coach | West Virginia | |
| Neal Brown | Texas, 2025: assistant to head coach | Troy, West Virginia, North Texas | |
| Billy Gonzales | Texas, 2026: offensive assistant | Florida | |
| Mark Stoops | Texas, 2026: special assistant | Kentucky | |
| Will Muschamp | Texas, 2026: defensive coordinator | Florida, South Carolina |
Other assistants under him (18)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Nussmeier | Washington, 2009–11: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Jimmie Dougherty | Washington, 2009–12: wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator | |
| Joel Thomas | Washington, 2009–11: running backs coach; 2012: associate head coach for offense and running backs coach | |
| Johnny Nansen | Washington, 2009–11: special teams and defensive line coach; 2012–13: assistant head coach and special teams and running backs coach; USC, 2014–15: assistant head coach and special teams and running backs coach; Texas, 2024–26: co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach | |
| Mike Cox | Washington, 2009–11: linebackers coach | |
| Keith Heyward | Washington, 2012–13: defensive backs coach; USC, 2014–15: defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator | |
| Peter Sirmon | Washington, 2012: linebackers coach; 2013: linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator; USC, 2014–15: assistant head coach, linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| Chris Wilson | USC, 2014–15: defensive line coach | |
| Jaron Fairman | USC, 2014–15: graduate assistant | |
| Ricky Brown | USC, 2014–15: quality control coach | |
| Tee Martin | USC, 2014–15: passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach | |
| Tim Drevno | USC, 2014: running game coordinator and offensive line coach; Texas, 2025: consultant | |
| A. J. Milwee | Texas, 2021–22: quarterbacks coach; 2023–26: co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Blake Gideon | Texas, 2021–24: safeties coach; 2026: defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| Pete Kwiatkowski | Texas, 2021–25: defensive coordinator | |
| Scottie Hazelton | Texas, 2024: specialist assistant to the head coach | |
| Duane Akina | Texas, 2025: defensive passing game coordinator | |
| Steve Casula | Texas, 2026: analyst and assistant tight ends |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Washington | head coachbonuses up to $1,525,000 | $2,575,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2012 | Washington | head coachbonuses up to $1,525,000 | $2,425,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2011 | Washington | head coachbonuses up to $1,075,000 | $2,250,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2010 | Washington | head coachbonuses up to $1,500,000 | $1,850,004 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2009 | Washington | head coachbonuses up to $1,500,000 | $1,833,333 USA Today via Leeds |
The same USA Today database for 2006–16, from Michael Leeds’ replication data on Harvard Dataverse (CC0): the season’s contract pay.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Sarkisian’s teams went for it on 23% of fourth downs and on 42% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 50% of plays and took 24.8 seconds a play, 2009–2026.
| Season | School | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 12 g | Washington | 16 of 86 19% | 28% | 54% | 28.3 | +0.05 | |
| 2010 13 g | Washington | 24 of 116 21% | 35% | 47% | 23.4 | −0.06 | |
| 2011 13 g | Washington | 16 of 79 20% | 34% | 51% | 25.3 | +0.09 | |
| 2012 13 g | Washington | 24 of 107 22% | 43% | 53% | 26.2 | −0.08 | |
| 2013 13 g | Washington | 19 of 97 20% | 38% | 42% | 21.3 | +0.16 | |
| 2014 13 g | USC | 24 of 102 24% | 34% | 51% | 23.9 | +0.09 | |
| 2021 11 g | Texas | 16 of 79 20% | 41% | 47% | 24.4 | +0.12 | |
| 2022 12 g | Texas | 21 of 86 24% | 53% | 50% | 23.6 | +0.10 | |
| 2023 14 g | Texas | 30 of 103 29% | 54% | 51% | 25.2 | +0.13 | |
| 2024 16 g | Texas | 33 of 108 31% | 62% | 52% | 25.1 | +0.08 | |
| 2025 13 g | Texas | 17 of 102 17% | 38% | 53% | 25.6 | +0.11 | |
| 2026 6 g | Texas | 12 of 47 26% | 48% | 49% | 26.0 | −0.01 | |
| All 149 g | 252 of 1112 23% | 42% | 50% | 24.8 | +0.07 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.