What one word describes Texas football's Steve Sarkisian as a BYU quarterback?

During Big 12 media days in July, BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis exchanged a quick handshake with Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Most of the time, that run-in wouldn't have been noteworthy. Slovis likely crossed paths with many media members, opposing coaches and rival players on that Wednesday. But this time, that handshake was literally an example of the past meeting the present. Sarkisian was himself once BYU's quarterback, and during the 1995 and 1996 seasons he played his way onto the list of great BYU quarterbacks.

"It's a pretty storied list," Slovis said. "Obviously you have Steve Young, Ty Detmer, a bunch of guys. Coach Sark is another guy in that mix. Even though he's at a different school that we play this year, I got to meet him today and he's still a part of the community that BYU has to offer."

Sarkisian spent just two seasons at BYU after his transfer from El Camino College. Yet his name still appears more than 30 times in BYU's 2023 football media guide. One of six BYU quarterbacks to pass for 4,000 yards in a season, Sarkisian won one of the program's seven Sammy Baugh trophies. He still ranks No. 2 in the BYU record books for career completion percentage. In 1996, he led BYU to a win in the Cotton Bowl and the first 14-win season in NCAA history.

On Saturday, when No. 7 Texas (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) hosts BYU (5-2, 2-2), most of the fans at Royal-Memorial Stadium will just know Sarkisian as the coach who's gone 19-13 in his three seasons with the Longhorns. The fans wearing navy blue, though, will remember him more as the quarterback who threw for nearly 7,800 yards and 55 touchdowns in those back-to-back seasons in the ’90s.

What word could best be used to describe Sarkisian as a quarterback? He spread those 55 career touchdowns to 13 different receivers, so the American-Statesman reached out to every one of them and asked just that.

Bohls: Texas held on to beat Houston, but faces some major issues to fix

Eleven responded. Attempts to reach former BYU tight end Itula Mili, who caught six Sarkisian touchdowns, were unsuccessful. Washington State associate head coach Mark Atuaia, who as a BYU running back caught two Sarkisian scores, declined comment through a team spokesperson.

But from "leader" to "intense" to "tenacious," here's how the other 11 former teammates described their old quarterback:

K.O. Kealaluhi, wide receiver (11 TDs)

So, K.O. Kealaluhi, what one word would you use to describe Sarkisian as a quarterback?

"Leader," Kealaluhi said.

Continued Kealaluhi: "He just had a way. When there's chaos everywhere and things going crazy and one player's here mentally and not everyone's in the huddle, he just knows how to center everyone, get everybody focused, get everybody back on track.

"You don't really notice those things until you're kind of away from it. He just had that knack of getting everybody's head in the game and finishing the play. I just remember him being so vocal and the way he would talk to you in the huddle. Off the field and the sidelines, his eyes. He would just stare at you."

Golden: Longhorns turning back Houston for the win was a testament to Texas culture

Those eyes had a way of often finding Kealaluhi. In 1996, the senior led BYU in all major receiving categories. None of his receptions would be bigger than a 46-yard touchdown catch against Texas A&M and a 28-yard score against Kansas State.

The touchdown against A&M was a tone-setting highlight for BYU that season. In the waning moments of the season opener, Kealaluhi got a step on his defender and Sarkisian dropped a dime to him — Sarkisian's sixth touchdown of the day — and it closed out a 41-37 upset of the 13th-ranked Aggies.

"The moment I saw the ball in mid-air, everything was (in slow motion)," Kealaluhi recalled.

Four months later, in the Cotton Bowl, Kealaluhi again beat his defender and hauled in a pinpoint pass from Sarkisian. That touchdown with 3:39 left was the difference in BYU's 19-15 win over Kansas State.

Of those two touchdowns, Kealaluhi said the Kansas State score was more satisfying. He recalled that in the leadup to the Cotton Bowl, the Cougars felt disrespected by the Wildcats. Sarkisian said something along those lines in the postgame press conference, when he chastised Kansas State defensive back Chris Canty. A headline the following day in the Manhattan Mercury read "BYU's Sarkisian talks 'smack' back."

"Sark spoke for all of us after that game," Kealaluhi said.

Kaipo McGuire, wide receiver (8 TDs)

So, Kaipo McGuire, what one word would you use to describe Steve Sarkisian as a quarterback?

"Leader," McGuire said.

As this story goes, "leader" was a descriptive word used often by Sarkisian's teammates. Why did McGuire go there? The former BYU receiver said Sarkisian found many ways to lead the team.

After BYU went 7-4 in 1995 and missed out on a bowl game for the first time since 1977, McGuire said Sarkisian put it "all on his shoulders" as he led the Cougars through that offseason. Sarkisian also took control of BYU's offense on the field.

Like Kealaluhi, McGuire felt that Sarkisian showed his leadership at the Cotton Bowl. As BYU drove for the game-winning score, McGuire received a crushing hit as he tried to complete a catch. He was knocked out of the game and the Cougars took exception to the way that Kansas State celebrated the play. BYU scored on the very next snap and Sarkisian picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for a celebration that featured an imaginary lasso and real words that were directed toward Canty on the sideline.

"He did some things he probably shouldn't have, but it was because of what happened to me," McGuire said. "He definitely got my back."

Between the 1995 and 1996 seasons, Sarkisian threw touchdowns to McGuire in six straight games. Two of those — a 10-yard toss that floated over a defender and into the hands of a diving McGuire and a 51-yard catch-and-run — were recorded in Sarkisian's 536-yard, six-touchdown game against the Aggies.

What went into establishing that on-field connection between Sarkisian and McGuire?

"NCAA College Football, Sega Genesis," joked McGuire, who often roomed with Sarkisian on road trips.

Oh? So, how was Sarkisian on the sticks?

"He was better, but I just tell him he just played more," McGuire said. "I joke, I'm like so you're better, the reason you're better is because you play video games more. When are you studying?"

Chad Lewis, tight end (7 TDs)

So, Chad Lewis, what one word would you use to describe Steve Sarkisian as a quarterback?

"Comfortable," Lewis said.

Lewis conceded that "you're probably not going to hear that word 'comfortable' used to describe Steve." So why did the former BYU tight end and NFL Pro Bowler use it?

"He was comfortable in his own skin, which is remarkable considering a couple things," Lewis said. "BYU is a very unique place. It's a faith-based institution. The Church of Jesus Christ is the foundation. Steve was a Southern California boy from Torrance, Calif. His dad is Armenian, his mom is Irish Catholic. He came to BYU in a long line of excellence at that position; the quarterback position at BYU is remarkable, and he fit in and was comfortable from the second he got here."

Lewis added that level of comfort allowed Sarkisian to be "a great leader, a great teammate." He described Sarkisian as a captain in practice who was vocal in the locker room. Lewis also remembered that when his daughter, Emily, was born during the 1996 season, Sarkisian was one of the first players to visit the hospital.

On the field, Sarkisian and Lewis formed a connection. One of the seven touchdowns that Sarkisian threw to Lewis was a 5-yarder against A&M that accounted for the first points of BYU's 1996 season. Lewis also had a key 13-yard score in the Western Athletic Conference championship game that December.

Lewis, though, didn't even catch the ball on the play that stood out to him the most from 1996. With BYU trailing A&M 37-34 in the final minutes, Lewis ran an out route in Aggies territory. He expected to turn around and have a precise pass from Sarkisian heading his way. He instead saw the ball sail over his head and into the hands of Kealaluhi, whose 46-yard touchdown was the decisive score.

Lewis said that Sarkisian later told him that he saw Kealaluhi facing man-to-man coverage, so "he went immediately for the kill shot and he got it. That was so sweet."

Thirty years later, Lewis also recalled a moment from spring practice in 1995. Lewis explained that he was running a seam route, and the easy throw for the new transfer quarterback would have been to just zip the ball into an open window in the middle of the field. The only issue, though, was a BYU safety was lurking. Lewis said Sarkisian instead threw him a pass that allowed him to take "a glancing hit from the safety, but not a hospital shot" after the catch.

"That one pass let me know exactly how good he was as a quarterback," Lewis said. "I remember coming back to the huddle saying, 'I will go get the ball wherever you throw it. It doesn't matter. You trust me, I trust you.' I just knew that he understood how football works, the quarterback position, from that one throw."

Mike Johnston, wide receiver (6 TDs)

So, Mike Johnston, what one word would you use to describe Steve Sarkisian as a quarterback?

"Leader," Johnston said.

In Johnston's eyes, Sarkisian didn't have much of a choice when it came to being a leader. When Sarkisian arrived at BYU, he did so as John Walsh's replacement. Walsh, who had attended the same high school as Sarkisian, was a two-year starter at BYU and the only Cougars quarterback to throw for more than 600 yards in a single game.

"(Replacing Walsh) was going to be a tough situation for him, but he handled it with grace and stepped in that role of being a BYU quarterback that's a true leader," Johnston said. "I always tell people, it's tough to lose a guy like John Walsh, but when you look over your shoulder and you see a guy like Steve Sarkisian coming in, it makes things a whole lot easier."

Johnston redshirted in 1991, so he was around for Detmer's senior season in Provo. Then he got to play with Walsh. Johnston said the thing that Detmer, Walsh and Sarkisian all had in common was an ability to execute offensive coordinator Norm Chow's game plan and work with offensive weapons that Johnston described as reliable and scrappy. "We didn't have the five-star recruits like (Sarkisian is) going after now," Johnston said.

During that 1995 season, Johnston emerged as a favorite target of Sarkisian's. He hauled in a team-high six touchdown passes.

But for Johnston, the play that still stands out wasn't a touchdown. As BYU was closing out a win over Fresno State in the regular-season finale, Sarkisian connected with him for a 24-yard gain on a fourth-and-2 play late in the fourth quarter. That was the last football caught by Johnston.

"He just kind of glanced at me, kind of gave me like that little head nod, and we end up converting the fourth down," Johnston recalled. "I think that's the play that I remember most, maybe because it's my last catch, but honestly, it was just that little nod that he gave me, kind of like this is it, this is our last thing together."

James Dye, wide receiver (3 TDs)

So, James Dye, what one word would you use to describe Steve Sarkisian as a quarterback?

"Tenacious," Dye said.

Dye and Sarkisian are both from Southern California. The quarterback was from Torrance while the receiver grew up in Los Angeles. They also both joined the Cougars ahead of the 1995 season as transfers. And since Sarkisian was trying to become the next great BYU quarterback after starting his career at a junior college, Dye felt that "he had to be tenacious in order to accomplish things that he did in his career as a football player."

The 19.8 yards that Dye averaged over his punt returns at BYU and his four return touchdowns are both school records, but he found a role in the offense in 1996. Dye beat man coverage for 12-, 38- and 32-yard touchdowns that season. Two of those came in the fourth quarters of the A&M and Kansas State games.

"I would say each time that I caught a touchdown from Steve in those scenarios, it was always just one-on-one personal communication," Dye said. "He had seen something beforehand from a defensive scheme or from a player, and right before the play or in the huddle, he would say, 'Hey, I see this. If he gives you this, then go.' ... There was a personal specified communication between he and I that basically was just a coach on the field."

Hema Heimuli, running back (3 TDs)

So, Hema Heimuli, what one word would you use to describe Steve Sarkisian as a quarterback?

"Competitive," Heimuli said.

Heimuli was a senior when Sarkisian arrived, and the former running back recalled that Sarkisian just wanted to win. "Just from the very beginning, from the get-go, it just seems like he meant business," Heimuli said.

But BYU didn't win as much as it should have during the 1995 season. The Cougars went 7-4 but weren't invited to one of the then-18 bowl games. The Cougars were sidelined as WAC rivals Colorado State and Air Force, who tied with BYU and Utah for the conference crown, received bowl invitations. BYU had last missed out on a bowl in 1977.

BYU did close out the season and Heimuli's collegiate career with a 45-28 win over Fresno State. During that victory, Sarkisian completed 31 of 34 passes. That .912 completion percentage stood as an NCAA record until 2013.

"In the huddle, he was just commanding respect, commanding excellence from everybody. It just flowed," Heimuli said. "That was the moment where I thought, man, this kid is pretty amazing."

Sarkisian's 20 touchdowns in 1995 ranked third in the WAC behind San Diego State's Billy Blanton's 23 and Wyoming's Josh Wallwork's 21. Heimuli scored three touchdowns in games against Colorado State, Hawaii and Utah.

Ronney Jenkins, running back (3 TDs)

So, Ronney Jenkins, what one word would you use to describe Steve Sarkisian as a quarterback?

"General," Jenkins said.

Why would Jenkins liken Sarkisian to a general? Since he was a freshman running back, Jenkins said the 1996 season was "the first time I've experienced a real quarterback." He took notice of Sarkisian's leadership, on-field decisions and the way he took over the offense. That Sarkisian eventually became a coach wasn't a surprise to Jenkins because of the connection the quarterback had with Chow.

During the 1996 season, BYU was beaten by Washington in its third game. Jenkins, though, didn't think the Cougars would lose again that season. "I just really felt we were that good," he said. Sure enough, BYU won its next 12 games by an average of 22.7 points.

Jenkins also said he'd put that 1996 squad up against the 1984 team that won a national championship in the discussion of BYU's best-ever team. The 1984 and 1996 Cougars are the only two BYU teams to end a season with a top-five ranking in the AP poll. BYU ended 1996 with the No. 5 ranking.

Jenkins rushed for 733 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he also hauled in 12-, 21- and 33-yard touchdown passes from Sarkisian. His 14 touchdowns led the Cougars, who scored 40.8 points per game. That ranked fifth nationally and remains the sixth-best average in school history. The 1984 title team averaged 36 points per game.

Dustin Johnson, tight end (3 TDs)

So, Dustin Johnson, what one word would you use to describe Steve Sarkisian as a quarterback?

"Intense," Johnson said.

Now this description probably doesn't surprise any Texas fans who saw Sarkisian before the 2022 Alamo Bowl. But even when Sarkisian was a player, Johnson recalled that "he just was always ready to play. He seemed like he was always fired up."

Not that Sarkisian wasn't mellower off the field. Johnson recalled that Sarkisian gave nicknames to many of his teammates. Johnson was dubbed "Chet" because he had a flat-top haircut and reminded the quarterback of Bill Paxton's character from the 1985 movie "Weird Science."

"He was always just one of those guys that just got along with everybody," Johnson said. "I can't imagine there's too many guys you'd ever talk to that played with him that'd have anything bad to say about him because he was just one of those guys that you would love to be on the team with and in the huddle with. You knew if the game was tight, he wasn't going to choke, he was going to bring it."

A tight end for those 1996 Cougars, Johnson said that Sarkisian "spread it around" to his receivers. Sure enough, six BYU players caught between 28 and 49 passes that season. Johnson's 87-yard touchdown against Rice that season is still the fourth-longest reception in BYU history.

Tom Baldwin, tight end (1 TD)

So, Tom Baldwin, what one word would you use to describe Steve Sarkisian as a quarterback?

"Smart."

A tight end who was a senior when Sarkisian arrived, Baldwin pointed out that the offense was "fairly complex for even back then, and he was able to pick it up in a heartbeat." Chow, who was once described by Sports Illustrated as "the founding father of pass-happy offenses while at BYU," had coordinated a top-20 scoring offense in five of the six seasons ahead of Sarkisian's arrival. BYU ranked 36th nationally in 1995 and fifth in 1996.

Baldwin remembered Sarkisian as a competitive and team-first player. Given Sarkisian's ability to communicate with his teammates and understand different concepts as a quarterback, Baldwin said he wasn't surprised by a career in coaching.

Ben Cahoon, wide receiver (1 TD)

So, Ben Cahoon, what one word would you use to describe Steve Sarkisian as a quarterback?

"Confident."

Confident?

"If I could (say) a second one, confident and competent. Both," Cahoon said. "He had a mastery of the offense and I don't think he lacked confidence at all. He at least gave the feeling that he was going to get the job done. We ran a pretty sophisticated kind of West Coast offense, and he had complete mastery of it and distributed the ball really well."

Cahoon has spent seven years of his life with BYU's football program. From 1995-97, he was a Cougars receiver. After a 13-year career in the CFL, Cahoon coached BYU receivers from 2011-12. He returned to campus in 2016 to coach the same position group for two additional seasons.

During his second year in Provo, Cahoon caught touchdowns from both Sarkisian and backup quarterback Kevin Feterik. That hookup with Sarkisian was a 12-yard touchdown in a 45-21 win at TCU. On a play that gave BYU a 17-0 lead in the second quarter, Sarkisian dropped back and scrambled long enough for Cahoon to get wide open in the end zone for the easy score.

"Sarkisian threw a very receiver-friendly ball," Cahoon said. "That's probably why he didn't get a legit shake in the NFL, was because it was kind of a floater. His decision-making was so fast and he knew where he wanted to go with the ball that the timing was always great even though he wasn't throwing absolute fastballs."

Aaron Cupp, running back (1 TD)

So, Aaron Cupp, what one word would you use to describe Steve Sarkisian as a quarterback?

"Leader," Cupp said.

Cupp was a running back and redshirt freshman when Sarkisian arrived. Cupp remembered that Sarkisian "did a really good job of commanding the team like it was his team."

Cupp caught one touchdown pass from Sarkisian. During the 1996 season, Sarkisian rolled to his right during a game against UNLV and found an open Cupp, who cut to his left and sprinted untouched for a few yards into the end zone. That 14-yard touchdown tied a game that BYU eventually won by 35 points.

Cupp, though, was listed behind some talented running backs on the BYU depth chart that season. He played sparingly but remembered mostly watching Sarkisian work from the sidelines.

"To be honest, I thought he was like one of the best quarterbacks in college football," Cupp said. "He was very efficient with the ball. It's been a while, but I don't feel like he made a lot of mistakes. I think just that success alone is a testament to his execution and what he was able to get done as the trigger man."

Where are they now?

Sarkisian ended his BYU career with a kneel down in the Cotton Bowl. After three years in the CFL, he enjoyed a rapid rise in the coaching ranks before a notable 2015 fall from grace at USC. After rehabbing his reputation as an offensive coordinator at Alabama, he was hired at Texas in 2021. In 10 seasons as a head coach at Washington, USC and Texas, Sarkisian has compiled a 65-48 record.

Many of Sarkisian's old teammates also got into coaching. "I would say 90% of the people from that ’96 team have been coaching someway, somehow," Kealaluhi estimated.

Kealaluhi himself won a 2023 section championship in California with the girls soccer team at Monte Vista High. After winning eight state championships as an assistant coach for two high schools in Arizona and getting to coach his son, Austin, on that last title team, Johnston recently hung up his whistle. Cupp is the offensive coordinator at nearby Bastrop High School. McGuire is the athletic director for the Air Force Academy's preparatory school. Cahoon (BYU) and Dye (Snow College) have coached at the college level and Atuaia is in the midst of his second season at Washington State.

Cahoon and Dye now work in the private sector. As do Heimuli and Johnson. Baldwin is in commercial roofing and Jenkins has gotten into the cannabis and wellness business.

On Saturday, however, most members of those 1995 and 1996 BYU teams will have the same job: root for the Cougars. That means pass catchers must temporarily turn on their quarterback. "I hope Steve does really well, but obviously you've got to root for your alma mater," Johnson said with a laugh.

"I'm 100% BYU," said Lewis, who is now the associate athletic cirector for development at the school. Lewis added that he will be in Austin for the game and is looking forward to seeing Sarkisian at some point this weekend.

Baldwin, who lives in Utah, also won't have any split allegiances Saturday. In fact, he's already rooted against Sarkisian once this month. Baldwin went to graduate school at Oklahoma.

"There's no question," Baldwin said. "Sorry, Sark."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Before he coached at Texas, Steve Sarkisian was a star BYU quarterback