Speaking with the media Wednesday after announcing a positive result from his recent COVID-19 test, Alabama coach Nick Saban said he has not yet decided how much autonomy offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will have on the sideline Saturday as he steps into an increased role with Saban expected to be absent from the game. With No. 2 Alabama facing No. 3 Georgia at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday in the SEC on CBS Game of the Week, not having Saban on the sideline will put the Crimson Tide at a clear disadvantage.
Saban’s status only remains in question because he will undergo another test to confirm that he is positive for COVID-19, but assuming it comes back another positive result, Saban will not be in attendance at Bryant-Denny Stadium for Alabama’s biggest game of the regular season. It will be the first time since the end of the 2006 season that Saban will not coach a game; this one has serious implications for his pursuit of a sixth national title at Alabama and seventh overall as a coach.
“I’m not sure exactly how this is going to play out in terms of when the game comes whether I can have communication with people or not,” Saban said. “So we’ll have to research and sort of figure that one out. But we did have a plan for each coach on the staff as to what might happen. We’ve just got to go from there. Just like if we lose a player, we’ve got to do the same thing.”
Saban did shed light on why he tabbed Sarkisian to take on an increased role, pointing to the 46-year-old’s experience as a head coach at USC and Washington. Sarkisian is the only member of Alabama’s staff with Division I head coaching experience aside from offensive line coach Kyle Flood, who went 27-24 leading Rutgers from 2012-15.
Sarkisian will also continue to call the offensive plays, Saban said.
“He can call the offense. He’s done a really good job of that. We’re not going to make those kind of changes. We’ve got a very capable staff. Those guys make good game day decisions. I just kind of monitor what they do and make sure we’re staying on the rails. I think we can get that done even if I’m not available.”
Sarkisian is in his second stint working for Saban. He spent the 2016 season as an offensive analyst for the program before working two seasons as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. He returned to Saban’s staff last season and is orchestrating an offensive attack that is second in the SEC in total yards through three weeks.
Though Sarkisian will take on more responsibilities during Saban’s quarantine period, Saban made it clear Wednesday that he is still the team’s coach. He said he plans to “have the same exact routine” for Thursday’s practice even though he’d be watching the practice live from home.
“I didn’t leave the country or anything,” Saban said. “I’m just right down the street and we have this technology, so it’s really unique.”
