Steve Sarkisian Named Falcons OC: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

Former Southern California head coach Steve Sarkisian has left his role as Alabama's offensive coordinator to accept the same position with the reigning NFC champion Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons officially announced the agreement after Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post first reported the news.

Sarkisian expressed his thoughts on the move on Twitter:

Josina Anderson of ESPN provided additional background information about the hire:

Sarkisian is in line to replace Kyle Shanahan, who the San Francisco 49ers announced as their new head coach Monday, one day after the Falcons lost Super Bowl LI to the New England Patriots.

Zach Klein of WSB noted the departing Falcons offensive coordinator took the blame for the loss, as the offense sputtered while the Patriots roared back from a 28-3 deficit:

The shoes Sarkisian will be asked to fill are sizable, though. The Falcons offense was virtually unstoppable for most of the 2016 season. They led the league in scoring offense at 33.8 points per game and ranked second in total offense at 415.8 yards per contest.

A lot of that success is thanks to quarterback Matt Ryan, the league's Most Valuable Player. After years of flashing high-end upside, the four-time Pro Bowl selection finally put everything together en route to a league-best 117.1 passer rating and a Super Bowl appearance.

Atlanta has done a nice job of accumulating weapons around him too. Superstar wide receiver Julio Jones rightfully generates most of the attention, but Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel also enjoyed solid years. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman formed a productive backfield tandem as well.

That's a lot of talent for Sarkisian, a former college and CFL quarterback, to utilize. The question is whether he'll try to build off Shanahan's foundation or move the offense in his own direction.

The 42-year-old California native took over as Alabama's offensive coordinator, a role he also held at USC before serving as the team's head coach, before the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Crimson Tide scored 31 points against Clemson, but the vaunted defense gave up 35 in a last-second loss.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban wished Sarkisian well in a statement, via Yahoo Sports' Dr. Saturday:

"

We appreciate all Coach Sarkisian did for our program during his time here. He is an outstanding coach, and we wish him the best in his new role as Atlanta's offensive coordinator. As always, when we have an opening on our staff, we will use it as an opportunity to go out and hire the best coach available.

"

Sarkisian also served as the head coach of the Washington Huskies for five seasons. His only previous NFL stop was as the Oakland Raiders' quarterbacks coach in 2004.

One thing is for sure: Expectations will be high in Atlanta, given the offense's monster numbers in 2016.