Ryan Day and Steve Sarkisian followed similar paths to the podium at AT&T Stadium on Thursday. While coming of age on opposite ends of the country, both were college quarterbacks, then GAs, then rising assistants. Both coached in the NFL before returning to college football, and both were offensive coordinators before landing their current jobs as head coaches of bluest-of-the-blue blood programs, who will face of Friday for a spot in the national championship.
Both continued calling plays once they became head coaches, and one no longer does.
On Thursday, Sarkisian explained why he continues calling Texas's plays, and Day explained why he no longer calls Ohio State's.
"When I got hired to do this job, I was the offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama and we were a pretty good offensive team," Sarkisian said. "We brought of those same pieces from that staff over. We all came together, and the rhythm that which we operated, we just kind of continued. We've kept that continuity. We've got a pretty good rhythm and routine throughout the week -- I've got a ton of trust in those guys from a preparation standpoint. And then the line of communication on game day for us is, we've been doing it for so many years now. We're six years in of doing it together. Coach (Kyle) Flood and I were together with the Falcons for two years before that, so we've been together for eight years now. Our line of communication is really pretty healthy and clean."
Those pieces Sarkisian referred to are offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Kyle Flood, co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach AJ Milwee, and tight ends coach/special teams coordinator Jeff Banks, all of whom followed Sarkisian to Texas from Alabama.
It remains to be seen what would happen if Flood and/or Milwee landed jobs elsewhere, but for now Sarkisian plans to continue calling plays as long as the workload remains manageable.
"I do know we keep getting more and more put on our plate as head coaches that we have to deal with," he said. "But at the end of the day, there's something about that aspect of the game that I love. As long as I'm decent at it, I'll probably continue to do it."
"You're definitely decent at it, Coach," Day added. "I can say that."
Day then explained why he surrendered the play sheet to Chip Kelly.
"I loved that part of it as well, but I felt like it was time for me to spend a little bit more time of my thoughts and resources with the team, defense, special teams. Late in the week, coming up with the call on 4th-and-3 at the left hash on the 21-yard line in the fourth quarter, it consumes your mind," Day said. "That's what makes great play-callers, great play-callers. It allowed me to step away a little bit."
Left unspoken, Sarkisian's children are older than Day's. Have what little family time you get as Ohio State's head coach consumed by your 4th-and-3-from-the-left-hash-plus-21 call, or pass that off to Chip Kelly?
In the end, Sarkisian and Day grappled with the same question and came to opposite conclusions. That lesson for all head coach/play-callers and aspiring head coach/play-callers? There is no right or wrong approach, it's simply about finding the arrangement that works for you.