Meh why would Pete do that? He's been hired as a front office consultant for Seattle going forward, meaning he's going to be paid to just be around the team in retirement. Much cushier job than anything the Bama opportunity would be.
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Not to mention he is also 72, same age as Saban. I don't think he is looking to start over somewhere. I think he wanted to coach two or three more years in Seattle but they nudged him out.
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Literally the GOAT. Transformed the game and how people think about running teams and organizations. It is sad that he is retiring, because I love hearing him just talk the game.
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Also the inventor of the pattern matching defense... Schemetic genius, organizational genius, truly one of a kind. Heard today there are 24 FBS head coaches who are Saban assistants... Wouldn't be surprised if 25% of P5 coaches worked for him at some point. Wild.
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In a thread a while back I outlined possible criteria, who met that and possibility of being hired. There isn't really anyone that met everything, Dabo was the closest and I'm not sure I'd him. After than Oregon and Washington's coaches come next who havent won big time games(though Washington looking slightly better after bowl season) Then there are a handful that don't have regular season winning percentages, those are the Franklin's and Norvells. But the list of all possible HCs that did well was like 9 people and Kirby, and Day were on that list and i dont see them moving.
Honestly, they might pick some one truly random.
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If their fans didn't appreciate what they had when they had it then they dont deserve to have it again. Yes, they have a brand, but how closely that brand is tied to Saban is about to be seen. We (VT) had a brand, too, and when Beamer left (arguably a few years before his departure) that brand went with it. For their own sanity (which, honestly, I dont care about) they need to realize there is no "next Saban" and that they've been living in their glory years. If they dont, we're going to witness years of chaos at Alabama, and I'll have a cold one in hand as I watch that ship going down from afar.
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Saban is the best college coach ever and there is no argument. And I agree- Dabo doesn't seem right for them at this time. I bet Saban will have a big say in his sucessor.
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I dont honestly know who the right coach would be, and who would be willing to sacrifice their coaching career to take the job. Based on the last 10+ years of their body of work, the new coach has literally no room for improvement. Saban set the bar at perfection, and anything less than that is going to be a failure in the eyes of the fans unless they can lower their expectations and enjoy 9,10,11+ win seasons for what they are, instead of setting the goal of every season with winning a national championship.
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if nobody wants it, I'd happily take the job for a couple million/year with a 10+million dollar buy out and have absolutely no worries about my "coaching career"
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After an extensive and exhausting conference with my wife, we have determined that, should it be offered, I would have to decline the position as Head Football Coach for Alabama Crimson Tide.
Sorry to disappoint you guys.
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After an additional extensive and exhausting conference with my wife, we have decided, that should it be offered, I would have to decline the position of Washington Head Football coach.
We are both eagerly searching for other coaching spots to go into conference to discuss.
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Agreed- you literally can not have higher expectations. Anything other than a Natty is dissapointing. But keep in mind, you don't get to the top of any profession by luck, IMO. These guys are apex workers, etc. Lanning, Dabo - they didn't get where they are shying away from challenges. I think 1. Saban will have heavy influence on who they hire, and 2. They will try to get a Bama guy to take over- former player, assistant, etc.
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See, that's exactly my point. The expectation is Saban 2. Not, for example, Dan Lanning. Their heads might explode if they hired Kiffin. I dont disagree that these coaches welcome the challenge, but the challenge in the face of the fans is winning multiple consecutive titles, and being the new version of Nick Saban.
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That was DC's point as well, I think. No matter who they hire, if they aren't in the SEC championship game next year, he's on the hot seat. And he has 2 or 3 years to win a national championship or he's out on his ass.
Money is nice, but that's a hell of a lot of pressure. Alabama was terrible at football for a while before Saban resurrected them and their fans were NOT realistic about it at all. They will never be realistic.
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It's about the players. Yes Saban is the best to ever do it and has a very famous "process" he runs the program with, etc. But it's about the horses. Part of Saban's process was i dunno singing a top 3 recruiting class every year. If Kiffin or whomever comes in and has better players than literally everyone else, that dude is going to win- win big and win early. What they can't afford is for their recruiting to slip to even "top notch" levels vs. otherwordly - if that happens, they won't be in the playoffs 10 straight years.
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Never follow a legend... But, with the Bama privileges, how does anyone say no to that job. I would guess Sark over anyone else... Dabo makes the most sense if this was 2022, but he's made it clear he is not willing to fully adjust to the portal and NIL era. And Clemson is not the same as it was just a few years ago because of it.
Edit: Bar is faster than me... lol, virtually same comment.
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Never follow a legend... But, with the Bama privileges, how does anyone say no to that job. I would guess Sark over anyone else... Dabo makes the most sense if this was 2022, but he's made it clear he is not willing to fully adjust to the portal and NIL era. And Clemson is not the same as it was just a few years ago because of it.
Justin Fuente to Alabama.
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There are 2 active coaches with more than one Natty. Dabo and Kirby. The fact that we are basically dismissing one of those guys- an alabama alum no less - shows how ridiculous the expectations are at that program. Surreal. Imagine Shane having two national titles and VT fans thinking he wouldn't be choice 1-1000 for the VT job anytime he wanted it?
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You just proved how far behind we are in the race. And will never be in it.
-We don't have 6 titles. In anything. Yet alone with the most recent coach, ALONE.
-We don't have the leisure, benefit, reality, issue of being able to entertain a coach with a Natty under his belt. Heck, we probably don't even have the same, for the most part, for hiring a coordinator that won one under Saban, Dabo, or Kirby.
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Washington just played for a championship coming out of a lame duck dead conference. 1. Hire a great coach- they nailed it with a guy that did not have a big time resume- but he won big at the lower level. They found a guy that could really coach and motivate. 2. Find a great QB. In the portal era, this is easier than ever- you have college film of the guy. Those were the keys with Washington. We could theoretically do both as well.
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I was about to say the same thing, and Cincinnati made it to the playoffs a couple years ago. Maybe harder to do in the ACC (undefeated like Cinci was), but not as hard as Big10 or SEC. Pry has drastically improved recruiting in just a couple years from the dumpster fire he was left with, so it will be interesting to see what he can do in that regard in a year or two as our on-field performance improves and we're sending guys to the league. I don't think getting to the playoffs is an insurmountable goal for us, the question is how many games we could win in it.
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There is a short list of coaches that have resumes that theoretically make them the best candidates for the job but many of them (Smart, Sark, DeBoer) are in good spots and it's questionable that they would leave. For guys like Deboer and Lanning I can see them not wanting to be the guy that has to replace arguably the best CFB coach ever.
3 years ago, Dabo would have been an obvious Slam-dunk, but I think Bama fans and Boosters would be very cool on him now.
I'm honestly fascinated to see how this plays out.
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Saban is the goat. No arguing otherwise. Some coaches put teams on the map. He singlehandedly made the sec. He's also a genius. He's retiring right before the cfp expands to 12. Absolute 4D chess move.
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Honestly probably 75%+ of FBS HC or former HC could get Bama in a 12 team playoff. A bad future Bama coach will have a record better than 95% of coaches over the same timeframe.
Saban built Bama into an empire and with the twelve team playoff you'd have to get someone pretty awful to tear that down.
Though Fuente may be up to the challenge!
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I wonder what this does to the SEC though. I doubt the next couple years are actually successful in Alabama. That leaves Georgia as the top heavy. I don't think LSU is going to be much of anything next year or the year after. I don't think any of the other SEC teams are close to being a top team there. Does this change the perception of the SEC?
The other thing I wonder is what this does to coaches salaries. Clemson, Texas, Michigan, Washington, I don't know who else but they're all going to re-up those contracts ASAP and BIG TIME to keep Bama away.
An interesting option would be going after Norvell. Norvell has to be pissed that he got big timed after FSU finishes undefeated. He could walk into Bama and be king of the football world and obviously has the coaching and recruiting chops to be successful. I also doubt FSU could afford coming close to the salary bama would offer.
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After how shitty FSU fans and admins have been the past two years (and I'm one who believes they probably do need to leave the ACC) I would just delight in Norvell leaving them right now. It would be pure delicious misery for them.
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Takes a year off. Realizes he hates retirement. Goes to WVU after Brown fizzles out and hires Rich Rod and Jimbo as his assistants. Only thing I hate about that scenario is it makes it more likely WVU gets a National Championship before the Hokies. That's not a world I want to live in.
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My prediction - Alabama loses SIX games next year (wishful thinking) - and still gets to invited to play in the post season because of their name and conference (it could happen).
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If I'm an Alabama fan, I'm apoplectic right now. Most people forget that Alabama wasn't very good for more than 10 years before Saban took over. And Saban only got the job because Rich Rodriguez turned it down first.
I don't think Alabama will fall off the college football map, but THIS ERA IS OVER for Alabama football.
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there's a 0.0% chance he will be as successful at Nick Saben.
With NIL and unlimited transfers now, and the possibility the sport and draft rules are going to be different in the future, there almost definitely will never be another coach as successful as Saban. 6 Natty's in 17 years?! it will be difficult to gain and keep traction long enough to win one every few years.
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I don't know, kids took less money to play foe Saban, can Kirby not ascend to that position? He plays the recruiting game as well as anyone. He had one of the best teams this year. Still winning titles is tough, though he'll have more chances in a 12 team playoff.
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Godfrey and the SZD guys have said for a while that Bama post-Saban may not be as much of a lock as many people think. Like people have mentioned that program was in disarray for a while before him and a lot of what fixed it was Saban being able to get the donors to stay in line and to not try to interfere with his program and they listened. Not sure if anyone that they may replace him with will command that much respect.
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I said to a group of buddies earlier today that the biggest short term money grab for sports would be Deion + switching Hard Knocks to college football
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For all their faults, I do feel like Bama wants a (air quotes) clean (air quotes) program. If Harbaugh was going SEC Auburn, aTm or Ole Miss seem like better fits.
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It's easy to want a clean program when you've been winning titles with a (relatively) clean program for a decade.
Nick Saban has been at Bama as long as I've been a college football fan. A lot of us (myself included) have no memory of bad Bama, disorganized Bama, or angry Bama boosters. Nature abhors a vacuum... What happens to the primitive Alabama fans when they become 'just another' SEC school? Can't wait to watch this movie
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Yup, whoever gets the job is going to have an incredibly short leash. There's really no managing expectations at bama. I don't see another person being able to keep admin and boosters in line like Saban. It will be interesting to watch.
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Bama has such a reputation for buying guys cars that the "Saban is retiring right after Dodge stopped making the Charger" jokes have already been flying hot and heavy.
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Based on the bag men reporting, particularly Godfrey, who was probably the leading journalist in covering that world, they were never the big bag droppers, and setting kids up with super cheap (or paid for) car leases was a thing many programs were doing, whether the coach themselves was involved or not. There was certainly shenanigans going on there.
So I would not call it a clean program in strict terms, but I would call it clean in relative terms to the ecosystem college football recruiting/roster management exists within. 17 years without drawing any material NCAA attention. They would self-report their minor violations like everyone else, but that was about it.
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That was why I added air quotes. It was clean in the sense that Saban, to my memory, never had a scandal covered by national media. Harbaugh can't go a season without something, even if most of his antics are silly. Meyer, Freshwater, Kelly, Freeze, etc all have their own varying degrees of shit. I'm not saying bama fans necessarily care about a clean program, but I think they would prefer the appearance of one and Harbaugh is always going to push the boundaries of what is allowed.
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My bar for a coach hire (at VT) is always 'don't embarrass me' - Don't hire someone who's fingerblasting girls half his age at a bar like Urban Meyer. Don't hire someone who quotes bible verses then cheats on his wife, like hugh freeze. Don't hire someone who has had an affair with a subordinate (regardless of if they later got in a "motorcycle crash"). Don't hire someone who sleeps with students (cough Kiffin cough Ogeron cough) Obviously, don't hire anyone who associates/associated with Briles, Sandusky/Paterno, and the like.
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I heard the president had to individually approve that hire too, since Petrino was fired for cause. Like, 99% of people are going to nope TF out of that situation. You're essentially now responsible for the next time that hire does something stupid. But whatever, I'm sure it will go fine for Arkansas.
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This is the wild possibility. Bama and Michigan both open late in the coaching cycle. Cascading effect across college football. Portal reopens for 30 days for players from both teams. This could get really saucey.
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That was my first thought, lol. This is going to blow up, potentially, a number of top-25 teams' coaching staffs, especially if/when Harbaugh jumps to one of the 7-8 open NFL jobs.
There has to be a way for us to parlay this into getting an MLB and/or OL. Doesn't have to be a 5-star, I'm not greedy, I'll settle for solid and experienced players who can step in immediately and shore up our two most glaring weaknesses for next season.
Oh, and while I'm writing this letter to Santa Claus, can we also not lose any assistants? Thanks.
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I agree with the sentiment above. 5 years ago this job is Dabo's. Now, I doubt he even gets a call. The game changed and he did not want to change with it.
Future of Alabama is going to be interesting. It took them a long time to get Saban. If they go into this expecting to hire the Next Saban, they might be in for a big disappointment.
I would think Kirby is fine where he is. Sark would be interesting but his buyout is high and he is starting to get things going at Texas. Would he really leave? Dan Lanning would be a good fit, but that would sure screw Oregon as they jump to the Big 10 next year.
The coaching carousel is going to be interesting to watch over the next couple of months. I am glad Tech is not looking for a new coach in January (after ESD & transfer window closes).
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Sark probably isn't leaving since Texas is now in the SEC. I think Alabama would love to screw Oregon (and the B1G) if Lanning was the right guy for them.
Unfortunately, this means there is instability in the coaching ranks and the ripples could upset VT down the line. The NFL openings don't help either as some coaches (Harbaugh?) could jump.
Also, surprised the SEC didn't encourage Saban to announce right before the championship game to take some of the spotlight away from it. (Sorta /s).
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Unfortunately, this means there is instability in the coaching ranks and the ripples could upset VT down the line.
Eh. I am happy with what Pry has done and I think he's doing a good job but IMO he hasn't done enough to garner a lot of interest from another school at this point. Could his agent BS his way into a raise/better contract? Maybe, but I think that's the worst case scenario.
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It's the dominoes. Our guys are unlikely to go to Alabama or Michigan assuming the smoke around Harbaugh to the NFL is true. But they could go to backfill someone who does go, or backfill a backfill.
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I would hope we could make a good case for coaches to stay this year. While we certainly have some momentum and hype, next season stands to be a great resume builder. If it's not Bama/Michigan knocking, then Pry can paint it as a lateral move. Similar to convincing a junior to forego the draft when his measurables are great, but next season looks to be much more convincing to scouts.
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lots of chatter that Lanning has a vesting clause in his contract that will pay him ~$30m in Nike stock, which is just incredible honestly, and also would explain why aTm dropped their reported interest so quickly
any offer would need to pay his buyout plus make his new contract worth his while to jump
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I haven't seen a credible source report this specific $30M in unvested stock thing to keep him in Oregon... yet.
I have seen multiple credible sources dance around there being an additional monetary hurdle beyond his $20M buyout.
If Oregon manages to hold onto Lanning, this is either true or something similar to it was true. It's a clever way to make hiring your coach immensely difficult beyond the buyout and incentivizing your coach to stick around.
Frankly, it might be worth it to Bama to do what they must to get their guy if they think it's Lanning, and I don't really think Lanning would turn down the opportunity to be the coach at Alabama having coached there and under Smart. He's got the SEC pedigree already.
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Buyouts are meaningless to Southeastern states such as Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana- among the poorest states in the country in terms of education funding, tax revenue, average wages. Huge multi-million football coach buyouts are no big deal at all though. There is plenty of money for that.
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I think Dabo's stock has been declining over the past few years. With the other strong candidates out there, I'm thinking he doesn't even get a phone call unless all others fall through
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But Vrabel (Bill B. disciple, NFL pedigree, seems like a miserable martinet) would seem to be one heck of a fit. Although I would guess he is going to be Kraft's guy in NE.
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BREAKING: Five-Star Plus+ WR Ryan Williams tells me he has Decommitted from AlabamaThe Top 10 Recruit in the '24 Class will Commit & Sign in FebruaryThe Departure of Coach Saban & Wiggins played a major factor in his decision, Williams saidhttps://t.co/xI19QG2kaYpic.twitter.com/KQdMZBfCEd— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 10, 2024
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The SEC has its name because of Saban and Bama's success. If bama falls off, Georgia is the only great team in that conference. LSU hasn't shown anything big in a while and Brian Kelly hasn't shown he can win a big game, going back to his ND days. I don't think any of the other teams in the SEC are close to being great.
The ACC middle tier is all improving. If FSU and Clemson can stay in the upper echelon of teams and any other team can join the regular Top 10/15 group (I think we can do it but the next few years will tell), then the ACC could be a pretty great conference to be a part of.
Does this significantly improve the ACC's chances of pushing ESPN into a big contract in 2027 (Is this even possible)? We'd be the college leader in every non-rev sport, be pretty damn good at basketball, and pretty damn good at football.
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This was probably true before adding Stanford. It is undeniably true now that they're in the ACC. They have 134 team natties and 540 individual.
We have 0 team and 21 individual championships, 100% of which have been since we joined the ACC. Prior to ACC membership we didn't even have a single individual national championship in anything.
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I think Dabo leaving Clemson is the best thing that could happen to them. His lack of willingness to embrace NIL and the transfer portal is going to be their undoing. The sooner they get that fixed the better. So unless Bama hires him (doubtful, IMO) I don't think he's going anywhere and Clemson can't be relied upon to prop up the league
obvious answer: Enter VT, and it's newfound dominance under Coach Brent Pry. Here's hoping!
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Well, as scummy as Saban was, I feel like he was the sort of compass of the sport. With him gone, Harbaugh cheating his way to a Natty, and NIL just taking off, buckle up kids because COLLEGE amateur sports will absolutely change in the next few years. Would have done so anyway, but without papa nick around, it will just go like wildfire.
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Talking heads on radio earlier were saying part of the timing of retirement is his refusal to work with NIL. It is also costing Bama some of their stockpiled 4 and 5 star depth.
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He's seeing what's happening, the $76mil buyout, the 60 Minutes piece with Prime, the decommits, the F$U "boycott". And he don't like it. He'll be playing golf 280 days a year and breath easy.
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I don't know about scummy, it's not freeze or even kiffin levels of scandal but I do recall his departure from Michigan State for LSU being a tad deceitful (in hind sight, for that time).
If I recall correctly I think it was rumors and he made a big promise at a press conference before the gator bowl or something that he wasn't going anywhere and then he went and got on a plane.
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Maybe not scummy. I mean he's not Urban Meyer. That's a whole nother level. He was sorta like Dale Earnhardt...right on the edge. He's not warm and fuzzy, but not someone I'd leave a party for because he was there.
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I know he's a very direct person - he's not going to waste the time or effort to add fluff words to make you feel better about a situation - but from everything I've heard, he's not a dick either; he's not going to call people names or go out of his way to make people feel bad.
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The crazy part is there's no confirmation they even contacted him lol. This may have been a Jimmy Sexton masterclass the whole way. I thought he was the top target for sure, but uh, now I'm not so sure.
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Whats the worst case? Bama hires Dabo, Clemson hires Elliott, UVA hires some one goid that hires Fontel mines away from us.
.Michigan then hires James Franklin. PSU fails to get Pry, but hires Tim Banks from Tenneessee. Tim calls Bowen to come be OC. Heupal calls Marve to come back to the state .
DeBoer is then hired by Seattle to replace Carroll. Washington's new coach decides they need an oline coach with Midwest and West coast expirence to handle the transition to the B1G. So they hire Crooks.
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No offense intended but I had to stop once I got to "Clemson hires Tony Elliott" because the chances of this happening have to be absurdly small. Clemson fans would burn the campus down if they hired a 6-16 head coach.
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Well state law says we have to interview three people for a position so how about you fill out this application Tommy ... you know so we don't get in trouble with the labor board.
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It's also a favor to Tommy Rees to give him a courtesy interview because that's a resume piece, even if not literally written anywhere, people will know he was interviewed for the Alabama HC position. Sort of a 'hidden' boost type situation to his stock as a coach.
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This might be the best possible outcome. Go undefeated, get snubbed by the playoff committee, have basically your entire football team quit, lose your bowl game by the most points ever in the history of bowl games, sue your conference because you're a big baby, get sanctioned by the NCAA, and then your coach leaves for one of the 1-loss teams that got into the playoffs over you.
I could not imagine a scenario for FSU that would bring me more pleasure than reality unless maybe their football stadium gets destroyed by a meteor or the NCAA outlaws that stupid chant.
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He's apparently had a $10M extension sitting on his desk for a while that he hasn't signed. Could be just using this for leverage, but UW fans are understandably nervous.
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DeBoer is looking like the trending pick at the moment. It would be interesting because it's a very different hire than going for a proven recruiter/SEC pedigree guy.
DeBoer has shown at multiple locations that he is a great football coach. He has not shown he can recruit at the highest level of the sport. The script A on the clothing and the SEC itself will give him a boost in that regard from the outset, but he will still have to learn how to, at the very least, fill his staff with the best recruiters possible without sacrificing on-field quality, and be able to close at the in-homes on key recruits.
That is the risky aspect of the hire + can he keep the boosters aligned? The latter was sort of the calling card of Saban's ability to be the main man and get everyone to fall in line behind him. DeBoer would be inheriting a more aligned booster group, and a group that now knows they operate at a better level when they aren't quarreling, so it's not the same as when Saban arrived, but there's always a chance the internal politics rear their head again in a negative way as Saban exits.
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Any hire is going to be perceived as a risky hire. You're going from one of the greatest of all time to someone who's not. Whenever a school hires a new coach, they want an upgrade, which is not really possible in this instance.
It is unlikely any coach is going to have the blessing of all the boosters.
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As many impressive things as Saban did at Bama, as you said getting the Booster and various fan groups aligned was huge.
With as successful as Bama has been recently, we have probably forgotten to some extent how apeshit insane their base can be. The Updike guy poisoning trees at AU wasn't all that long ago.
Saban used the term tip of the spear and he practiced it. If he had not been successful, it could have been a colossal failure that effectively ended his career.
DeBoer would have some leeway as the new coach, but whether he has the personality to be the tip of the spear when Boosters start getting uneasy if and when the sailing isn't completely smooth is a big question.
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Washington's Kalen DeBoer negotiating w/Alabama to replace Nick Saban, @ClowESPN reports. Oregon's Dan Lanning, Texas' Steve Sarkisian & Florida State's Mike Norvell all indicated they would remain at their respective jobs— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) January 12, 2024
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It is a bold hire right now for many reasons. No SEC/regional ties, not known as a big recruiter, etc. But I wonder if Bama is thinking long-term once inevitably revenue sharing and contracts for players come down - which makes NIL less and less a big deal. Then you want a really strong coaching staff and building a strong foundation through high school recruiting and development. Which starts to make more sense.
Or, the other possibility is pretty much no one wants to follow Saban at Bama. The pressure will be pretty tremendous.
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I applaud them for hiring a damn football coach. Not a salesman, not a "name", but a guy that can coach football. Good on em. He will recruit well at Bama- just tell the kids you are the bama head coach. done.
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If he were to do it in 2026, then he would be replacing Tuberville, not joining him. So having former football coaches from both Auburn and Alabama competing for a Senate seat would be potentially very entertaining.
EDIT:
Apparently Tuberville was 4-3 against Saban when they were at Auburn and Bama, respectively. Now Nick HAS to run for Senate. Can go out with a losing record against the man, right?
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Having several endorsements for membership goes a long way as I understand it. My boss who retired today was endorsed by his former boss that is a retired 2*
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Bama only requires 1 day of residency to be able to run for Senate
He could practically rent an apartment the weekend before Election Day and be eligible in the state that makes Mississippi say, "Thank God for Alabama"
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Here's hoping Alabama sinks back into a decade of mediocrity just like they did between Stallings and Saban.... And that the SEC follows suit. College football and America will be better for it.
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that's very interesting to me. Basically, you have a program that is promised access to the playoff no matter what and then you have a program that went undefeated and was denied access to the playoff anyway. Though I guess the whole point is that if these players were assured playing time at Bama under the new regime, they wouldn't be transferring so I guess it is a matter of FSU getting the first pick of the (admittedly very high quality) castoffs?
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Playoff expands next year...
And if you can be showcased to get drafted, why not. They'll have a solid team next year w a starting QB back. Pretty good shot to be in the playoffs.
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I don't think Jordan Travis will be back -- unless I'm wrong, he redshirted in 2018, ostensibly used his four years of eligibility in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
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Travis eligibility is done. DJ Uiagalelei is slated to be the starter next year after transferring from Oregon State bringing him full circle back to the ACC after starting at Clemson.
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Comments
I saw an article link pop up with same headline but article wasn't there. Chris Low was listed as the writer when it popped up.
That TD run by Trey really was great and this Bama fans reaction was perfect!
Article Here
Yeah. I heard he was moving to Charlottesville because he wanted to get as far away from big time college football as he could for a while.
Wow, I almost did it. Not a bad reception for an old recycled Bear Bryant joke. Some things don't change, though, and UVA is always good for a laugh.
is this the first plaid since we've moved to TKPC-only?
I believe so.
I humbled and so honored, but ANYTHIG?
My first plaid in my many years on TKP, worth a lot to me, but at the expense of UVA? Priceless!
Ahhhhh, I see.
Thaks!
Hey, no surprise really. Making fun of UVA is one of the few things we can all agree on.
https://www.thekeyplay.com/comment/1230492#comment-1230492No. There was a plaid in the loluva FAM thread.
Glorious.
Nothing like hating on lolUVA to bring TKP together.
If I want plaid, make fun of UVA, got it
Is there any other way?
If there is, there shouldn't be.
Wow, this is gonna be insane if true. Who do they get?
Dabo
He's a choice, but he's been stubborn on the NIL front. If his approach doesn't adapt he won't last long.
Maybe try to lure Pete Carroll back to college ball now that he is out in Seattle
Isn't he the anti-Nick Saban? That seems like a crazy jump.
Meh why would Pete do that? He's been hired as a front office consultant for Seattle going forward, meaning he's going to be paid to just be around the team in retirement. Much cushier job than anything the Bama opportunity would be.
Not to mention he is also 72, same age as Saban. I don't think he is looking to start over somewhere. I think he wanted to coach two or three more years in Seattle but they nudged him out.
Aimless money, no responsibility is a great job at 72.
Dabo?
Kirby?
Nah, Kirby and Harbaugh are probably the only two safe ones.
I dont think they would leave, but i dont think anyone would be surprised if they did
Edit: any neutrals, that is
Literally the GOAT. Transformed the game and how people think about running teams and organizations. It is sad that he is retiring, because I love hearing him just talk the game.
Decent chance he takes a TV job somewhere, right? You may get your wish.
Also the inventor of the pattern matching defense... Schemetic genius, organizational genius, truly one of a kind. Heard today there are 24 FBS head coaches who are Saban assistants... Wouldn't be surprised if 25% of P5 coaches worked for him at some point. Wild.
Lots of big time connections -- kiffin, sark, lanning, dabo etc
I think that's the top-4 candidate list right there.
Forgot one
Somehow, Urban Meyer has returned
*Rural Meyer
This is wild!!!!!
In a thread a while back I outlined possible criteria, who met that and possibility of being hired. There isn't really anyone that met everything, Dabo was the closest and I'm not sure I'd him. After than Oregon and Washington's coaches come next who havent won big time games(though Washington looking slightly better after bowl season) Then there are a handful that don't have regular season winning percentages, those are the Franklin's and Norvells. But the list of all possible HCs that did well was like 9 people and Kirby, and Day were on that list and i dont see them moving.
Honestly, they might pick some one truly random.
Bring back Ed O!
Mario Cristobal is a good recruiter I hear
Flip Season baby! Give me all the recruits.
Waiting by the phones, just give me the word Pry!
If it's Dabo, Clemson will have the ultimate instance of Clemsoning
FTFY
Oh wow. I'll be very interested to see how these dominoes fall.
2024 is gonna be crazy if this is how it starts!!! As far as bama is concerned the world is ending this year.
If their fans didn't appreciate what they had when they had it then they dont deserve to have it again. Yes, they have a brand, but how closely that brand is tied to Saban is about to be seen. We (VT) had a brand, too, and when Beamer left (arguably a few years before his departure) that brand went with it. For their own sanity (which, honestly, I dont care about) they need to realize there is no "next Saban" and that they've been living in their glory years. If they dont, we're going to witness years of chaos at Alabama, and I'll have a cold one in hand as I watch that ship going down from afar.
may they suffer through another 10 Mike DuBoses
"It's rollin', baby, it's rollin'!"
First of all, what a career. Dude is a stand up guy, and the true goat.
As far as replacement goes...
Saban is the best college coach ever and there is no argument. And I agree- Dabo doesn't seem right for them at this time. I bet Saban will have a big say in his sucessor.
I dont honestly know who the right coach would be, and who would be willing to sacrifice their coaching career to take the job. Based on the last 10+ years of their body of work, the new coach has literally no room for improvement. Saban set the bar at perfection, and anything less than that is going to be a failure in the eyes of the fans unless they can lower their expectations and enjoy 9,10,11+ win seasons for what they are, instead of setting the goal of every season with winning a national championship.
if nobody wants it, I'd happily take the job for a couple million/year with a 10+million dollar buy out and have absolutely no worries about my "coaching career"
waiting for Egbert to chime in with his decision....
he's in discussions with his family as we speak
My inquiries have been made. I am in conference with my wife this morning.
Is that what the kids are calling it these days?
After an extensive and exhausting conference with my wife, we have determined that, should it be offered, I would have to decline the position as Head Football Coach for Alabama Crimson Tide.
Sorry to disappoint you guys.
After an additional extensive and exhausting conference with my wife, we have decided, that should it be offered, I would have to decline the position of Washington Head Football coach.
We are both eagerly searching for other coaching spots to go into conference to discuss.
Congrats on the conferencing
Agreed- you literally can not have higher expectations. Anything other than a Natty is dissapointing. But keep in mind, you don't get to the top of any profession by luck, IMO. These guys are apex workers, etc. Lanning, Dabo - they didn't get where they are shying away from challenges. I think 1. Saban will have heavy influence on who they hire, and 2. They will try to get a Bama guy to take over- former player, assistant, etc.
Absolutely, and not just a Bama guy but a Saban guy. They're going to hope one of Saban's disciples can be Saban 2.
See, that's exactly my point. The expectation is Saban 2. Not, for example, Dan Lanning. Their heads might explode if they hired Kiffin. I dont disagree that these coaches welcome the challenge, but the challenge in the face of the fans is winning multiple consecutive titles, and being the new version of Nick Saban.
That was DC's point as well, I think. No matter who they hire, if they aren't in the SEC championship game next year, he's on the hot seat. And he has 2 or 3 years to win a national championship or he's out on his ass.
Money is nice, but that's a hell of a lot of pressure. Alabama was terrible at football for a while before Saban resurrected them and their fans were NOT realistic about it at all. They will never be realistic.
It's about the players. Yes Saban is the best to ever do it and has a very famous "process" he runs the program with, etc. But it's about the horses. Part of Saban's process was i dunno singing a top 3 recruiting class every year. If Kiffin or whomever comes in and has better players than literally everyone else, that dude is going to win- win big and win early. What they can't afford is for their recruiting to slip to even "top notch" levels vs. otherwordly - if that happens, they won't be in the playoffs 10 straight years.
Except Saban has a lot more championships with roughly equivalent player classes that anOSU has - hasn't helped them much.
Never follow a legend... But, with the Bama privileges, how does anyone say no to that job. I would guess Sark over anyone else... Dabo makes the most sense if this was 2022, but he's made it clear he is not willing to fully adjust to the portal and NIL era. And Clemson is not the same as it was just a few years ago because of it.
Edit: Bar is faster than me... lol, virtually same comment.
Justin Fuente to Alabama.
Literally lol'd
Same
There are 2 active coaches with more than one Natty. Dabo and Kirby. The fact that we are basically dismissing one of those guys- an alabama alum no less - shows how ridiculous the expectations are at that program. Surreal. Imagine Shane having two national titles and VT fans thinking he wouldn't be choice 1-1000 for the VT job anytime he wanted it?
You just proved how far behind we are in the race. And will never be in it.
-We don't have 6 titles. In anything. Yet alone with the most recent coach, ALONE.
-We don't have the leisure, benefit, reality, issue of being able to entertain a coach with a Natty under his belt. Heck, we probably don't even have the same, for the most part, for hiring a coordinator that won one under Saban, Dabo, or Kirby.
Washington just played for a championship coming out of a lame duck dead conference. 1. Hire a great coach- they nailed it with a guy that did not have a big time resume- but he won big at the lower level. They found a guy that could really coach and motivate. 2. Find a great QB. In the portal era, this is easier than ever- you have college film of the guy. Those were the keys with Washington. We could theoretically do both as well.
I was about to say the same thing, and Cincinnati made it to the playoffs a couple years ago. Maybe harder to do in the ACC (undefeated like Cinci was), but not as hard as Big10 or SEC. Pry has drastically improved recruiting in just a couple years from the dumpster fire he was left with, so it will be interesting to see what he can do in that regard in a year or two as our on-field performance improves and we're sending guys to the league. I don't think getting to the playoffs is an insurmountable goal for us, the question is how many games we could win in it.
This could really shake things up a lot.
There is a short list of coaches that have resumes that theoretically make them the best candidates for the job but many of them (Smart, Sark, DeBoer) are in good spots and it's questionable that they would leave. For guys like Deboer and Lanning I can see them not wanting to be the guy that has to replace arguably the best CFB coach ever.
3 years ago, Dabo would have been an obvious Slam-dunk, but I think Bama fans and Boosters would be very cool on him now.
I'm honestly fascinated to see how this plays out.
There's only one slam dunk, you know!
And that would be Joe Shlabotnik.
Wow. This will send shockwaves throughout CFB. I wonder if people kind of thought this was Saban's last ride and that helped get them in the playoff.
You have to think Dabo and the who's who of CFB will be their target. Wonder if they could lure Urban back into coaching?
I fucking dare them to hire Urban Meyer. C'mon Bama, I triple dog dare you!
Saban is the goat. No arguing otherwise. Some coaches put teams on the map. He singlehandedly made the sec. He's also a genius. He's retiring right before the cfp expands to 12. Absolute 4D chess move.
I hear Fuente is available
Honestly probably 75%+ of FBS HC or former HC could get Bama in a 12 team playoff. A bad future Bama coach will have a record better than 95% of coaches over the same timeframe.
Saban built Bama into an empire and with the twelve team playoff you'd have to get someone pretty awful to tear that down.
Though Fuente may be up to the challenge!
A man's gotta stick to his strengths. In that regard...I believe in CJF.
Bama 'bout to get GRITTY!
Maybe this is Corny's chance to move up to the head whistle? /s
Saban is the absolute GOAT.
I wonder what this does to the SEC though. I doubt the next couple years are actually successful in Alabama. That leaves Georgia as the top heavy. I don't think LSU is going to be much of anything next year or the year after. I don't think any of the other SEC teams are close to being a top team there. Does this change the perception of the SEC?
The other thing I wonder is what this does to coaches salaries. Clemson, Texas, Michigan, Washington, I don't know who else but they're all going to re-up those contracts ASAP and BIG TIME to keep Bama away.
An interesting option would be going after Norvell. Norvell has to be pissed that he got big timed after FSU finishes undefeated. He could walk into Bama and be king of the football world and obviously has the coaching and recruiting chops to be successful. I also doubt FSU could afford coming close to the salary bama would offer.
After how shitty FSU fans and admins have been the past two years (and I'm one who believes they probably do need to leave the ACC) I would just delight in Norvell leaving them right now. It would be pure delicious misery for them.
Probably an impossible person to follow. I wouldn't take the job unless I was ready to retire as well.
Jerry Kill, you watching this? I'm kidding. That fan base doesn't deserve Kill.
Who cares? Survive it for a few years and retire.
They'll pay whatever coach the aimless money, because they have it.
No, it wouldn't be a low-stress job, so preferably someone with a strong heart.
comin home to morganhole hyuk hyuk
Takes a year off. Realizes he hates retirement. Goes to WVU after Brown fizzles out and hires Rich Rod and Jimbo as his assistants. Only thing I hate about that scenario is it makes it more likely WVU gets a National Championship before the Hokies. That's not a world I want to live in.
Got no beef with Saban. No denying he's the GOAT.
But may that program implode like the Titan. That fanbase deserves it.
My prediction - Alabama loses SIX games next year (wishful thinking) - and still gets to invited to play in the post season because of their name and conference (it could happen).
He taught Narduzzi this.
Narduzzi got to use it more than he did.
Who?
He didn't make the final, so he was sort of underperforming anyway.
Honestly thought he'd just die as the head coach of bama.
Also there's no chance Dabo even gets a call. The job might have been his 5 years ago but not today.
If I'm an Alabama fan, I'm apoplectic right now. Most people forget that Alabama wasn't very good for more than 10 years before Saban took over. And Saban only got the job because Rich Rodriguez turned it down first.
I don't think Alabama will fall off the college football map, but THIS ERA IS OVER for Alabama football.
God, I fucking hope so
Well, then this will make you happy:
Alabama's top 2024 recruit in the portal
I think Kalen DeBoer will win at Alabama, but there's a 0.0% chance he will be as successful at Nick Saben.
I look at the portal and see 3 OL and want Tech desperately to be looking at them.
Washington Redshirt Freshman QB transfers to Alabama
This is likely what triggered his leaving. DeBoer bringing in his own guy.
That's interesting, I'm sure you're right.
Probably still not going to make Alabama fans happy of course.
With NIL and unlimited transfers now, and the possibility the sport and draft rules are going to be different in the future, there almost definitely will never be another coach as successful as Saban. 6 Natty's in 17 years?! it will be difficult to gain and keep traction long enough to win one every few years.
I don't know, kids took less money to play foe Saban, can Kirby not ascend to that position? He plays the recruiting game as well as anyone. He had one of the best teams this year. Still winning titles is tough, though he'll have more chances in a 12 team playoff.
What a career for the GOAT.
I would have told you months ago the next Alabama coach will be Dan Lanning... but I would have thought it would be 2 or 3 years from now.
Godfrey and the SZD guys have said for a while that Bama post-Saban may not be as much of a lock as many people think. Like people have mentioned that program was in disarray for a while before him and a lot of what fixed it was Saban being able to get the donors to stay in line and to not try to interfere with his program and they listened. Not sure if anyone that they may replace him with will command that much respect.
Welp
Hear me out -- Mike London
YOU!
My first call would be Dan Lanning.
Saban has been prepping Coach Prime for the gig during the Aflac Commercial shoots.
Talk about a match made in hell.
But if the fans could deal with all the over the top Primeness, that's a duo that could win a lot of games for a while.
I said to a group of buddies earlier today that the biggest short term money grab for sports would be Deion + switching Hard Knocks to college football
Primetime already has a show on Amazon.
Coach Prime is in Season 2.
I mean... Pete Carroll is now available, and can now get his players openly paid above the table, so...
Kirby is doing backflips right now.
So is Harbaugh's agent
Harbaugh is headed to the NFL
or might he be headed to Bama? kindly pay up, Mr Spanos
For all their faults, I do feel like Bama wants a (air quotes) clean (air quotes) program. If Harbaugh was going SEC Auburn, aTm or Ole Miss seem like better fits.
It's easy to want a clean program when you've been winning titles with a (relatively) clean program for a decade.
Nick Saban has been at Bama as long as I've been a college football fan. A lot of us (myself included) have no memory of bad Bama, disorganized Bama, or angry Bama boosters. Nature abhors a vacuum... What happens to the primitive Alabama fans when they become 'just another' SEC school? Can't wait to watch this movie
Yup, whoever gets the job is going to have an incredibly short leash. There's really no managing expectations at bama. I don't see another person being able to keep admin and boosters in line like Saban. It will be interesting to watch.
I don't know that I agree.
Bama has such a reputation for buying guys cars that the "Saban is retiring right after Dodge stopped making the Charger" jokes have already been flying hot and heavy.
Based on the bag men reporting, particularly Godfrey, who was probably the leading journalist in covering that world, they were never the big bag droppers, and setting kids up with super cheap (or paid for) car leases was a thing many programs were doing, whether the coach themselves was involved or not. There was certainly shenanigans going on there.
So I would not call it a clean program in strict terms, but I would call it clean in relative terms to the ecosystem college football recruiting/roster management exists within. 17 years without drawing any material NCAA attention. They would self-report their minor violations like everyone else, but that was about it.
That was why I added air quotes. It was clean in the sense that Saban, to my memory, never had a scandal covered by national media. Harbaugh can't go a season without something, even if most of his antics are silly. Meyer, Freshwater, Kelly, Freeze, etc all have their own varying degrees of shit. I'm not saying bama fans necessarily care about a clean program, but I think they would prefer the appearance of one and Harbaugh is always going to push the boundaries of what is allowed.
My bar for a coach hire (at VT) is always 'don't embarrass me' - Don't hire someone who's fingerblasting girls half his age at a bar like Urban Meyer. Don't hire someone who quotes bible verses then cheats on his wife, like hugh freeze. Don't hire someone who has had an affair with a subordinate (regardless of if they later got in a "motorcycle crash"). Don't hire someone who sleeps with students (cough Kiffin cough Ogeron cough) Obviously, don't hire anyone who associates/associated with Briles, Sandusky/Paterno, and the like.
It's unfortunate that you even have to ask for this, but that's the state of affairs it seems.
Arkansas rehiring someone they fired for cause a decade ago is absolutely wild to me.
I heard the president had to individually approve that hire too, since Petrino was fired for cause. Like, 99% of people are going to nope TF out of that situation. You're essentially now responsible for the next time that hire does something stupid. But whatever, I'm sure it will go fine for Arkansas.
Arkansas is well known for its high IQ populace.
i get it! state of AFFAIRS!
if coworkers and students are off limits, pickings are pretty slim in Blacksburg. How is a coach supposed to have an affair? On the recruiting trail??
This is the wild possibility. Bama and Michigan both open late in the coaching cycle. Cascading effect across college football. Portal reopens for 30 days for players from both teams. This could get really saucey.
Bring Shawn Murphy back home then. One of the best MLB prospects from VA, would be a perfect fit for us.
That was my first thought, lol. This is going to blow up, potentially, a number of top-25 teams' coaching staffs, especially if/when Harbaugh jumps to one of the 7-8 open NFL jobs.
There has to be a way for us to parlay this into getting an MLB and/or OL. Doesn't have to be a 5-star, I'm not greedy, I'll settle for solid and experienced players who can step in immediately and shore up our two most glaring weaknesses for next season.
Oh, and while I'm writing this letter to Santa Claus, can we also not lose any assistants? Thanks.
Was Alabama's CFP spot Saban's retirement gift from the CFP committee?
I think so, apparently it is known that last year he bought a $17,000,000 home on an island in south Florida.
I agree with the sentiment above. 5 years ago this job is Dabo's. Now, I doubt he even gets a call. The game changed and he did not want to change with it.
Future of Alabama is going to be interesting. It took them a long time to get Saban. If they go into this expecting to hire the Next Saban, they might be in for a big disappointment.
I would think Kirby is fine where he is. Sark would be interesting but his buyout is high and he is starting to get things going at Texas. Would he really leave? Dan Lanning would be a good fit, but that would sure screw Oregon as they jump to the Big 10 next year.
The coaching carousel is going to be interesting to watch over the next couple of months. I am glad Tech is not looking for a new coach in January (after ESD & transfer window closes).
Sark probably isn't leaving since Texas is now in the SEC. I think Alabama would love to screw Oregon (and the B1G) if Lanning was the right guy for them.
Unfortunately, this means there is instability in the coaching ranks and the ripples could upset VT down the line. The NFL openings don't help either as some coaches (Harbaugh?) could jump.
Also, surprised the SEC didn't encourage Saban to announce right before the championship game to take some of the spotlight away from it. (Sorta /s).
My guess is dude is about to get a HUGE raise from UT.
You would almost hope they learned a lesson from that other Texas school's Jimbo Fisher/LSU vacancy mistake....but it's only money
Eh. I am happy with what Pry has done and I think he's doing a good job but IMO he hasn't done enough to garner a lot of interest from another school at this point. Could his agent BS his way into a raise/better contract? Maybe, but I think that's the worst case scenario.
Not worried about Pry, but I am worried about assistants getting plucked away.
Interesting.
With all due respect to them, I'd kind of put them into the same category?
I'm just not sure anyone is a hot enough name yet to warrant being plucked, but I certainly could be wrong.
It's the dominoes. Our guys are unlikely to go to Alabama or Michigan assuming the smoke around Harbaugh to the NFL is true. But they could go to backfill someone who does go, or backfill a backfill.
I would hope we could make a good case for coaches to stay this year. While we certainly have some momentum and hype, next season stands to be a great resume builder. If it's not Bama/Michigan knocking, then Pry can paint it as a lateral move. Similar to convincing a junior to forego the draft when his measurables are great, but next season looks to be much more convincing to scouts.
Silly enough but Texas can drastically outspend Bama to keep Sark if they want to.
Plot twist:
Tomorrow the Patriots will announce Saban as their new head coach while Alabama announces Belichick as their new head coach
That won't go well for either team.
lots of chatter that Lanning has a vesting clause in his contract that will pay him ~$30m in Nike stock, which is just incredible honestly, and also would explain why aTm dropped their reported interest so quickly
any offer would need to pay his buyout plus make his new contract worth his while to jump
that's pretty smart on Oregon's part
I've seen this chatter as well.
I haven't seen a credible source report this specific $30M in unvested stock thing to keep him in Oregon... yet.
I have seen multiple credible sources dance around there being an additional monetary hurdle beyond his $20M buyout.
If Oregon manages to hold onto Lanning, this is either true or something similar to it was true. It's a clever way to make hiring your coach immensely difficult beyond the buyout and incentivizing your coach to stick around.
Frankly, it might be worth it to Bama to do what they must to get their guy if they think it's Lanning, and I don't really think Lanning would turn down the opportunity to be the coach at Alabama having coached there and under Smart. He's got the SEC pedigree already.
Buyouts are meaningless to Southeastern states such as Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana- among the poorest states in the country in terms of education funding, tax revenue, average wages. Huge multi-million football coach buyouts are no big deal at all though. There is plenty of money for that.
...aTm boosters on line #1
Outstanding winner. Absolute martinet and disgusting human being.
Never forget.
I think Dabo's stock has been declining over the past few years. With the other strong candidates out there, I'm thinking he doesn't even get a phone call unless all others fall through
Lanning has the smoke.
But Vrabel (Bill B. disciple, NFL pedigree, seems like a miserable martinet) would seem to be one heck of a fit. Although I would guess he is going to be Kraft's guy in NE.
aTm bound then?
Crazy that Wiggins is a co-OC for aTm now.
How wrong am I?
The SEC has its name because of Saban and Bama's success. If bama falls off, Georgia is the only great team in that conference. LSU hasn't shown anything big in a while and Brian Kelly hasn't shown he can win a big game, going back to his ND days. I don't think any of the other teams in the SEC are close to being great.
The ACC middle tier is all improving. If FSU and Clemson can stay in the upper echelon of teams and any other team can join the regular Top 10/15 group (I think we can do it but the next few years will tell), then the ACC could be a pretty great conference to be a part of.
Does this significantly improve the ACC's chances of pushing ESPN into a big contract in 2027 (Is this even possible)? We'd be the college leader in every non-rev sport, be pretty damn good at basketball, and pretty damn good at football.
idk man, but my gut reaction is "pretty wrong"
I'll have what this guy is having. I, too, choose to take the rosy view of our otherwise shitty conference situation.
But he has shown that he can kill kids, don't forget that.
This was probably true before adding Stanford. It is undeniably true now that they're in the ACC. They have 134 team natties and 540 individual.
We have 0 team and 21 individual championships, 100% of which have been since we joined the ACC. Prior to ACC membership we didn't even have a single individual national championship in anything.
I think Dabo leaving Clemson is the best thing that could happen to them. His lack of willingness to embrace NIL and the transfer portal is going to be their undoing. The sooner they get that fixed the better. So unless Bama hires him (doubtful, IMO) I don't think he's going anywhere and Clemson can't be relied upon to prop up the league
obvious answer: Enter VT, and it's newfound dominance under Coach Brent Pry. Here's hoping!
He's coming around. They're portaling and NILing now.
Dabo being "anti portal and NIL" was overblown anyway. Dude only won 9 games in 2022 and people assumed he was anti portal. lol
Well, as scummy as Saban was, I feel like he was the sort of compass of the sport. With him gone, Harbaugh cheating his way to a Natty, and NIL just taking off, buckle up kids because COLLEGE amateur sports will absolutely change in the next few years. Would have done so anyway, but without papa nick around, it will just go like wildfire.
Talking heads on radio earlier were saying part of the timing of retirement is his refusal to work with NIL. It is also costing Bama some of their stockpiled 4 and 5 star depth.
He's seeing what's happening, the $76mil buyout, the 60 Minutes piece with Prime, the decommits, the F$U "boycott". And he don't like it. He'll be playing golf 280 days a year and breath easy.
I don't think Saban was that scummy at all?
Surly for sure, but not scummy IMO.
I don't know about scummy, it's not freeze or even kiffin levels of scandal but I do recall his departure from Michigan State for LSU being a tad deceitful (in hind sight, for that time).
If I recall correctly I think it was rumors and he made a big promise at a press conference before the gator bowl or something that he wasn't going anywhere and then he went and got on a plane.
Funny, that seemed like a big deal back then but just sounds like business as usual now. Maybe funny isn't the right word.
I think he did that every time he left for a new job.
But what are you supposed to do in that situation?
It's a tough situation to navigate.
I agree with you and it is probably the best thing to do given the situation, but you can definitely tell he ran the same play every single time.
Maybe not scummy. I mean he's not Urban Meyer. That's a whole nother level. He was sorta like Dale Earnhardt...right on the edge. He's not warm and fuzzy, but not someone I'd leave a party for because he was there.
I know he's a very direct person - he's not going to waste the time or effort to add fluff words to make you feel better about a situation - but from everything I've heard, he's not a dick either; he's not going to call people names or go out of his way to make people feel bad.
Lanning has turned it down. On the the next for 'Bama.
The crazy part is there's no confirmation they even contacted him lol. This may have been a Jimmy Sexton masterclass the whole way. I thought he was the top target for sure, but uh, now I'm not so sure.
Whats the worst case? Bama hires Dabo, Clemson hires Elliott, UVA hires some one goid that hires Fontel mines away from us.
.Michigan then hires James Franklin. PSU fails to get Pry, but hires Tim Banks from Tenneessee. Tim calls Bowen to come be OC. Heupal calls Marve to come back to the state .
DeBoer is then hired by Seattle to replace Carroll. Washington's new coach decides they need an oline coach with Midwest and West coast expirence to handle the transition to the B1G. So they hire Crooks.
The amount of thought that must have gone into this post worries me
No offense intended but I had to stop once I got to "Clemson hires Tony Elliott" because the chances of this happening have to be absurdly small. Clemson fans would burn the campus down if they hired a 6-16 head coach.
Alabama plans to interview Kalen DeBoer, Mike Norvell, and Tommy Rees
Well state law says we have to interview three people for a position so how about you fill out this application Tommy ... you know so we don't get in trouble with the labor board.
It's also a favor to Tommy Rees to give him a courtesy interview because that's a resume piece, even if not literally written anywhere, people will know he was interviewed for the Alabama HC position. Sort of a 'hidden' boost type situation to his stock as a coach.
If it ends up being Norvell FSU fans/admin are going to go ballistic.
And I'm going to love every moment of it
This might be the best possible outcome. Go undefeated, get snubbed by the playoff committee, have basically your entire football team quit, lose your bowl game by the most points ever in the history of bowl games, sue your conference because you're a big baby, get sanctioned by the NCAA, and then your coach leaves for one of the 1-loss teams that got into the playoffs over you.
I could not imagine a scenario for FSU that would bring me more pleasure than reality unless maybe their football stadium gets destroyed by a meteor or the NCAA outlaws that stupid chant.
That's funny, I don't really understand the FSU hate.
They're one of the few teams that have actually brought credibility to ACC football.
They absolutely got robbed on the playoffs.
And if there were one team I don't mind seeing going down a peg it's Alabama.
The 2000 Sugar Bowl. Fuck FSU.
"A felony ain't an NCAA violation"
-Bobby Bowden (probably)
"A felony ain't an NCAA violation"
-The NCAA, in secret meetings, and by their actions
I'm about to create 15 or maybe an hundred aliases to give this additional legs.
I don't think Joe would mind at all
He would love another 100 membership fees.
if I'm being honest this is the source of my animus, too
DeBoer cancelled his morning radio show in Washington. Assuming he's either gone or negotiating with both sides.
He's apparently had a $10M extension sitting on his desk for a while that he hasn't signed. Could be just using this for leverage, but UW fans are understandably nervous.
DeBoer is looking like the trending pick at the moment. It would be interesting because it's a very different hire than going for a proven recruiter/SEC pedigree guy.
DeBoer has shown at multiple locations that he is a great football coach. He has not shown he can recruit at the highest level of the sport. The script A on the clothing and the SEC itself will give him a boost in that regard from the outset, but he will still have to learn how to, at the very least, fill his staff with the best recruiters possible without sacrificing on-field quality, and be able to close at the in-homes on key recruits.
That is the risky aspect of the hire + can he keep the boosters aligned? The latter was sort of the calling card of Saban's ability to be the main man and get everyone to fall in line behind him. DeBoer would be inheriting a more aligned booster group, and a group that now knows they operate at a better level when they aren't quarreling, so it's not the same as when Saban arrived, but there's always a chance the internal politics rear their head again in a negative way as Saban exits.
Any hire is going to be perceived as a risky hire. You're going from one of the greatest of all time to someone who's not. Whenever a school hires a new coach, they want an upgrade, which is not really possible in this instance.
It is unlikely any coach is going to have the blessing of all the boosters.
As many impressive things as Saban did at Bama, as you said getting the Booster and various fan groups aligned was huge.
With as successful as Bama has been recently, we have probably forgotten to some extent how apeshit insane their base can be. The Updike guy poisoning trees at AU wasn't all that long ago.
Saban used the term tip of the spear and he practiced it. If he had not been successful, it could have been a colossal failure that effectively ended his career.
DeBoer would have some leeway as the new coach, but whether he has the personality to be the tip of the spear when Boosters start getting uneasy if and when the sailing isn't completely smooth is a big question.
If he cannot keep the boosters in line then the tip of the spear will quickly turn into the tip of the turd.
Bama is hiring Kalen DeBoer per ESPN
If he is not in the CFP year one I wonder if he gets canned.
This is a pretty bold hire for them IMO. If I am not mistaken he has no ties to Bama at all.
I believe you're correct, they went for the straight football coach over a recruiter it seems.
I am guessing they're hoping the apparatus Saban built will do enough to keep them recruiting at a high level?
Lucky for him, he's taking over in the 12 team era.
Unlucky for him, his first SEC game will be against Georgia.
You are fucking shitting me? Damn BeBoer catches the once in 16 years cross game between Bama and GA. Damn tough luck. lol
I mean that's probably half the reason Saban left
It is a bold hire right now for many reasons. No SEC/regional ties, not known as a big recruiter, etc. But I wonder if Bama is thinking long-term once inevitably revenue sharing and contracts for players come down - which makes NIL less and less a big deal. Then you want a really strong coaching staff and building a strong foundation through high school recruiting and development. Which starts to make more sense.
Or, the other possibility is pretty much no one wants to follow Saban at Bama. The pressure will be pretty tremendous.
I applaud them for hiring a damn football coach. Not a salesman, not a "name", but a guy that can coach football. Good on em. He will recruit well at Bama- just tell the kids you are the bama head coach. done.
I think Nick Saban should run for senate for the state of Alabama in 2026.
Nick Saban, "I am the Senate."
Having former football coaches from both Auburn and Alabama as the two Senators from Alabama would be very on brand for that state.
If he were to do it in 2026, then he would be replacing Tuberville, not joining him. So having former football coaches from both Auburn and Alabama competing for a Senate seat would be potentially very entertaining.
EDIT:
Apparently Tuberville was 4-3 against Saban when they were at Auburn and Bama, respectively. Now Nick HAS to run for Senate. Can go out with a losing record against the man, right?
Would love this for so many people I know that would probably benefit for reasons I can't talk about.
LOL yep.
Given the context, one can only assume you're boys with some GOFOs. Any of them able to thumb the scales on an Army/Navy Club membership?
Was in a room this afternoon with about 25 members for an 06 retirement. At least three in attendance were GOFO or PromoFO.
As in the club downtown, or the very-similarly-named country club?
Downtown.
I meant to ask HightyTighty, because I didn't understand his post. It's an application form and fees to join, why the "thumb the scales" question?
Having several endorsements for membership goes a long way as I understand it. My boss who retired today was endorsed by his former boss that is a retired 2*
The endorsement/vouching was what I was referencing.
I was mostly joking. Not even in DC at the moment, but it looks like my most likely next tour.
And Saban's also a Democrat, so there is the other natural rivalry there.
Except he bought a house in Florida.
Like he can't afford more than one.
His house was 17 million. I would like to think that will be a primary residence for that chunk.
Nobody in Alabama is going to deny Nick Saban residency. We've seen Senators with much less claim of residency run for Senate.
That's IDGAF money, though it would be interesting to see what he pays in property tax.
Bama only requires 1 day of residency to be able to run for Senate
He could practically rent an apartment the weekend before Election Day and be eligible in the state that makes Mississippi say, "Thank God for Alabama"
I think I read property taxes were $133K per year, although that seems low.
Here's hoping Alabama sinks back into a decade of mediocrity just like they did between Stallings and Saban.... And that the SEC follows suit. College football and America will be better for it.
Yeah, I don't see that happening.
They worked too hard with TV networks to diminish the other conferences (other than the B1G) to let those advantages slip away.
Well Sark got his extension, until 2030.
And a bump from $6M to around $10M
So that makes Sark the 9th highest football coach, beating out 27 NFL coaches.
Norvell, Sark, and Lanning - all Jimmy Sexton clients - all got raises. Deboer and Saban are also CAA clients.
The Dark Art of bathing in sports money.
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe entered the portal today
Florida State so far the biggest beneficiary here. Five former Alabama players have now committed to FSU out of the portal.
that's very interesting to me. Basically, you have a program that is promised access to the playoff no matter what and then you have a program that went undefeated and was denied access to the playoff anyway. Though I guess the whole point is that if these players were assured playing time at Bama under the new regime, they wouldn't be transferring so I guess it is a matter of FSU getting the first pick of the (admittedly very high quality) castoffs?
Playoff expands next year...
And if you can be showcased to get drafted, why not. They'll have a solid team next year w a starting QB back. Pretty good shot to be in the playoffs.
I don't think Jordan Travis will be back -- unless I'm wrong, he redshirted in 2018, ostensibly used his four years of eligibility in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
they got DJU for a reason. He'll be the starter.
Travis eligibility is done. DJ Uiagalelei is slated to be the starter next year after transferring from Oregon State bringing him full circle back to the ACC after starting at Clemson.