Steve Sarkisian details 'Culture Wednesdays' at Texas, inspired by Nick Saban, Pete Carroll

When talking about the turnaround of Texas under Steve Sarkisian, the word culture gets discussed a ton. Sarkisian has done a great job turning around the standard in Austin while also having an incredibly tight-knit group. Culture Wednesdays are at the forefront of it all, an event Texas has on a weekly basis.

Sarkisian may not have gotten the idea directly from two of his mentors, Pete Carroll and Nick Saban, but the two certainly were the inspiration. Wanting to learn what made them so successful, a light bulb finally went off. Wanting to help his team build better relationships, the tradition began.

“I’ve studied these guys at length, trying to figure out why they’re successful,” Sarkisian said in a conversation with ESPN’s Rece Davis. “They’re totally different. It took them a minute to get really successful but they figured it out, kind of into their 50s. Here I am right now at 51. The thing that resonated with me was they figured out who they were. And then they stayed consistent with who they were in all of their messaging and what they wanted and how they wanted their programs run.

“Well, who am I? I’m a people person… I love building relationships. Well, the best relationships are formed off being authentic, being vulnerable, being real. Actually exuding love for somebody. That’s why we’ve tried to create and that’s what we create in Culture Wednesdays.”

The main goal is to find a conversation piece not related to football. Sarkisian says he will dive into personal issues, societal issues, and examples of leadership. A message comes from him before breaking into position groups.

“We pick a topic every Wednesday,” Sarkisian said. “Has nothing to do with football whatsoever. Now, there’s components that tie back into football and I’ll always share on that topic from my perspective first. Then, I break these guys up, in and around the building, in 10 different subgroups with an assistant coach, and they touch on the topic.”

Sarkisian has taken plenty of lessons from Carroll and Saban throughout his career. Not many have been able to work for both, especially at the peak of their winning. Lane Kiffin is right there with Sarkisian, as the two remain good friends to this day.

None might be more important than what Sarkisian has implemented with Culture Wednesdays. Any coach out there will tell you off-field bonding will help you perform on the field. Strong cultures usually translate to sustained success.