Steve Sarkisian was introduced to the media and a large gathering of Husky fans this morning at the Don James Center, and made quite a first impression. He got loud applause on a few occasions from the fans that were there, a group that included four students who had the letters S A R K painted on their chests. Sarkisian’s 3-year-old son Brady, wearing a Jake Locker jersey and 6-year-old daughter Ashley, dressed in a UW cheerleading outfit, spent a good portion of the press conference on stage, nearly stealing the spotlight from their father. Sarkisian and his wife, Stephanie, also have an eight-month-old daughter Taylor.
Sarkisian talked about his memories of a loud, hostile Husky Stadium—he was sacked eight times as the quarterback at BYU in a 1996 loss to the Huskies—and the tradition of Rose Bowls and competing for national championships.
“It’s about time we get back to that level,” he said.
Asked about his plans for running the team, Sarkisian said he’ll call the plays and work closely with the quarterbacks (he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at USC). The offense will be similar to what he ran at USC, but he plans to make adjustments to what he feels are his team’s strengths. He also talked about making Jake Locker a better quarterback and not just a runner.
He said he plans to hit the ground running with recruiting, but will be going back and forth to LA until after USC plays in the Rose Bowl.
Asked about his philosophy on recruiting, especially in state, Sarkisian said, “The top players in this state should never leave.”
Sarkisian said he has ideas of who he might want on his coaching staff, but is going to take his time putting together a good staff. He said he’ll evaluate the current assistants sometime soon and doesn’t know yet if he will retain any of the current staff. And he will bring in a new strength and conditioning coach.
Sarkisian signed a five year deal, worth a guaranteed $1.75 million next year and increasing each season to $2.3 million in 2013.
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