Alabama's coaching search has been one of the most intense two-day stretches ever in the state, and across college football, since Nick Saban's retirement.

Various names have been mentioned, including Dan Lanning, Dabo Swinney and Lane Kiffin, with conflicting reports circulating.

But in the end, there were only three people truly qualified for the job: Karen DeBoer, Florida State's Mike Norvell and Texas' Steve Sarkisian.

It's unclear who received the offer before DeBoer, but Sarkisian, who was Saban's offensive coordinator at Alabama before taking the Texas job, said he considered whether he wanted to replace his former boss, at least temporarily.

Steve Sarkisian thought a little bit about Alabama, but he's got his eye on what's going on in Texas 🤘

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— ESPN College Football (@ESPNNCFB) April 18, 2024

“Obviously, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it,” Sarkisian said. He told ESPN's Chris Law“But it took me less than 60 seconds to say, 'Yeah, I'm not going to do that.' I had two great years at Alabama and enjoyed my time under Coach Saban, but at the end of the day, I want to reap what I sow.”

“We've put so much work into this program over the last three years, and I think we're on the cusp of setting an epic record. I believe that. I believe in our staff, I believe in our players, I believe in the support we've had and the culture we've built here. Why would we let something like that go?”

Sarkisian didn't say he was offered the job, but he acknowledged that he had at least thought about the prospect of what he would do in that scenario.

In his own words, Sarkisian says he is building something special in Austin and hopes to have a team that rivals Cullen DeBoer and other teams in the SEC for years to come.

Michael Browner is a senior sports analyst and contributor to Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on Twitter. translation: