Steve Sarkisian headed to Washington
USC FOOTBALL
Trojans' offensive coordinator tells his players after today's game; he will stay with USC through the Rose Bowl.
USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will be named Washington's head coach tonight, Sarkisian said after the Trojans' 28-7 victory over UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
Sarkisian, 34, said he spoke with Washington officials immediately after the Trojans' victory at the Rose Bowl. He interviewed for the job over Thanksgiving.
"I'm excited about the opportunity," Sarkisian said in the locker room. "It's been a great program for years not only in the Pac-10 but in the country."
Sarkisian replaces Tyrone Willingham, who was fired Oct. 27 effective at the end of the season. The Huskies finished 0-12 after losing to California today.
Sarkisian said the Washington program was "obviously down at this point, but hopefully we can go in there and restore some of the tradition and toughness that they've had over the years and get them back near the top of the conference and fighting for conference championships and national championships."
Sarkisian said he would remain with the Trojans through their preparations for the Rose Bowl against Penn State on Jan. 1.
Klein is a Times staff writer.
gary.klein@latimes.com
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