Steve Sarkisian is an American football coach and former quarterback, now the head coach for the Texas Longhorns. Sarkisian’s coaching career has included stints in college football and the NFL. He’s been a head coach at Washington, USC, and Texas.
He also spent time as an offensive coordinator with Alabama and the Atlanta Falcons. Texas is 3-0 as of September 26, 2026, opening the season with wins over Texas State, Ohio State, and UTSA.
| Net Worth: | $16 Million |
|---|---|
| Real Name: | Stephen Ambrose Sarkisian |
| Birth Date: | March 8, 1974 |
| Age (as of 2026): | 52 Years |
| Birth Place: | Torrance, California, USA |
| Height: | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Parents: | Seb & Sally Sarkisian |
| Wife: | Loreal Smith |
Early Life
Steve Sarkisian was born on 8th March, 1974, making him 52 years old in 2026. Sarkisian was the seventh and youngest child of a family growing up in West Torrance, Calif. He attended West Torrance High School, starring in both baseball and football.
He began his football career as a quarterback, and baseball was another competitive outlet. He is a 1992 graduate of West Torrance and attended USC. Sarkisian played baseball at USC before transferring to El Camino College. There, he emerged as a strong quarterback throughout the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
El Camino gave him an associate of arts degree in general studies in 1994. He transferred to BYU, where he was the quarterback in 1995 and 1996. Sarkisian finished his BYU career with 7,755 throwing yards and 55 touchdowns. He graduated from BYU in 1997 with a degree in sociology.
Family
Steve Sarkisian is the son of Seb and Sally Sarkisian. His father was born in Tehran and moved to the United States when he was 18. His mother is of Irish-American descent and was brought up in Massachusetts. Sarkisian has Armenian and Irish roots. His older brother Dave was a star soccer player at Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Career
Steve Sarkisian spent three seasons (1997-99) with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League after BYU. He began his coaching career in 2000 as a quarterbacks coach at El Camino College. He joined USC in 2001, launching a long affiliation with the Trojans program.
Sarkisian had been quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders before returning to USC. He was hired as USC’s offensive coordinator and associate head coach in 2007. Washington signed him as head coach in 2009, and he spent five seasons there. He was hired by USC as head coach in 2014.
Sarkisian left USC in 2015 to join Nick Saban at Alabama. He went on to serve as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2019 and 2020. Alabama won the national championship in 2020, and Sarkisian got the Broyles Award as the nation’s finest assistant coach.
Atlanta hired Sarkisian as offensive coordinator in 2017. He returned to Alabama in 2019 before being hired as head coach at Texas in January 2021. He was 5-7 in 2021 in his first year at Texas and 8-5 in 2022. Texas won the 2023 Big 12 Championship and made the College Football Playoff.
Texas went 13-3 and returned to the CFP semifinals in 2024. The Longhorns then went 10-3 in 2025 and beat Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. Sarkisian’s career head coaching record is 94-55 entering 2026. Texas started the 2026 season with three straight wins, including a 24-23 comeback win over No. 1 Ohio State.
Personal Life
Sarkisian and Stephanie Sarkisian were previously married and have three children, Ashley, Taylor, and Brady. His son Brady is a linebacker on the Texas football team in 2026. Sarkisian wed former track athlete and coach Loreal Smith in June 2020.
Sarkisian and Loreal filed for divorce in July 2024 but eventually reunited. In April 2025, they had their son, Amayas. Loreal has been a personal stylist and still makes public appearances at fashion and Texas football events.
Social Media
Sarkisian has a public profile on X and Instagram. His official or known X handle is @CoachSark, with around 167,000 followers as of September 2026. His Instagram account is included as @steve.sarkisian in Texas football media guides. There is no reliable way to get current Instagram follower statistics from public sources.
Steve Sarkisian Salary & Net Worth
Sarkisian’s precise net worth has not been officially announced. According to online sources, his wealth is estimated at $16 million in 2026. Steve Sarkisian signed a contract extension with Texas that runs through the 2031 season. He is scheduled to earn $11.05 million in 2026, with annual compensation rising to $12.3 million by 2031.
His agreement also includes performance bonuses for SEC and College Football Playoff achievements, along with Coach of the Year awards. It’s a seven-year deal through the 2031 season. Most of his salary comes from Texas coaching compensation, with some additional performance incentives connected to team accomplishments.
