Texas has officially hired Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian as its next head football coach, the University announced less than six hours after it fired Tom Herman. 

“Hiring Steve Sarkisian represents a critical investment in our football program’s future, not just for our student-athletes, but for all of Longhorn Nation,” UT President Jay Hartzell said in a statement. “Our entire community benefits from a healthy and successful athletics program, and naming Steve as our coach infuses our football program with the necessary guidance and expertise to drive further success.”

Sarkisian went 46-35 in six seasons as a head coach at Washington and USC before spending 2017 and 2018 as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator. Sarkisian spent the last two seasons under Nick Saban at Alabama and won the 2020 Broyles Award for the nation’s top assistant coach. 

“Steve Sarkisian is one of the top offensive minds in the game of football, which he has proved over and over during his time with USC, Atlanta and most recently, Alabama,” athletics director Chris Del Conte said in a statement. “We are confident our players and coaches will thrive under his leadership and in response to his energy and passion for the game.”

Sarkisian will remain Alabama’s offensive coordinator in the national championship game against Ohio State Jan. 11. Texas’ hiring of Sarkisian is the first time the University has hired a non-head coach to lead its football program since Ed Price in 1951.

Sarkisian previously coached against Texas as USC’s quarterbacks coach in the 2006 national championship game. 

“There has always been something special about Longhorn football, its history and traditions — not just on that day — and I could never have imagined that 15 years later, I would join the Longhorns as their head coach,” Sarkisian said in a statement. “This is a unique and compelling opportunity to lead this storied program to the next level, competing once again amongst the best in college football.”