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As Shanahan leaves Atlanta, Sarkisian takes over

It’s getting a bit difficult to keep track of Steve Sarkisian’s career. Only weeks after his emergency stint as an assistant to Alabama head coach Nick Saban, Sarkisian was hired Tuesday to replace Kyle Shanahan as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator.

With Shanahan scheduled to host his first news conference as the 49ers’ new head coach on Thursday, Sarkisian’s whirlwind path continues. He was fired as USC coach in October 2015, amid reports of his excessive drinking, and took a leave of absence. He spent most of this season a consultant to Saban, but when offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin accepted the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic University, Saban wanted no part of Kiffin for the national title game against Alabama.