We gotta recall the disaster that was Steve Patterson.
Obviously, Mack "left" and took DeLoss with him. Things weren't exactly rosy then. Steve Patterson did the one thing that the University of Texas athletic director has NO BUSINESS ever doing - he cut costs. Money is something that happens to other people.
I believe Charlie Strong was learning the job. He was, though, continuously undercut by his AD who wanted to look for cheap assistants and support staff. His hand was forced when, after losing to Kansas, it became obvious that Texas alumnus Tom Herman was going to be hired by some big program. We had an interim AD, doing the best he could, who made the play for Herman. Herman had the right pedigree but no experience. He might learn the job one day, but this is not that day. Men with money decided to pay 8 figures for him to leave.
I see Sark as a man who made Herman's mistakes already. He thought he knew it all and couldn't fail. He publicly self-destructed, lost it all, and had to be honest about whether or not he wanted to get it back. He decided he did, worked on himself first, then took humbling jobs in the game until Saban accepted him.
I believe in Sark not because he's been successful, but rather because of how spectacularly he failed. He absolutely has the skills. His work with Alabama and abilities to hire assistants prove that. He knows the pressure that's coming, and he's looking forward to it.