Texas names Steve Sarkisian new head coach

The University of Texas named Steve Sarkisian its new head coach on Saturday, the school announced.

The Longhorns fired former boss Tom Herman earlier in the day.

Sarkisian will leave his position as offensive coordinator at Alabama with his decision.

"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, per Sam Cooper of Yahoo Sports. "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."

Sarkisian previously served as the head coach at Washington from 2009-13. The 46-year-old helped the Huskies make four bowl appearances during his tenure. He also spent time in the same role with USC in 2014 and 2015, finishing with a 12-6 record.

Sarkisian won the Broyles Award this season, given to the nation's top assistant coach. The offensive coordinator has helped the Crimson Tide to a national championship appearance after the school's CFP semifinal win over Notre Dame.

"On Jan. 4, 2006, I was the USC quarterback coach when we played Texas in the 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."