Nearly five hours after reports first surfaced about Texas making a change at head coach, the Longhorns officially named Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian as head coach to replace Tom Herman.

In a release, Texas noted that Sarkisian was just this week named the Broyles Award winner, awarded to the top college football assistant coach, as he has helped lead the Crimson Tide to compete for the 2020 national championship. Alabama coach Nick Saban has reportedly told his team that Sarkisian would remain with the team through the national championship with Ohio State.

“On Jan. 4, 2006, I was the USC quarterback coach when we played Texas in that famed 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.”

Before he joined Alabama in 2019, Sarkisian spent two years as offensive coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons, four years as an assistant and two as head coach at Southern Cal, and five years as head coach at Washington. His head coaching record is 46-35 overall and 2-2 in bowl games.

“We are excited to have Steve Sarkisian join us and lead the next chapter of our football program,” said Kevin Eltife, chairman of the UT System Board of Regents. “University of Texas football has a long and proud history of competing at the highest levels within our conference and nationally, and he brings with him the coaching caliber and championship experience needed to restore this kind of excellence to our program.”

Athletics Director Chris Del Conte also made a statement about the hire.

“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,” he said. “We are confident our players and coaches will thrive under his leadership and in response to his energy and passion for the game.”