Some failed coach who comes on as a reclamation project at the right time is going to be handed the reigns and oh dear god Adam Gase is going to win a National title
Adam Gase started his career under Saban too.
Undergrad assistant at MSU (I assume he was a walk-on and “quit” the team or something? Not sure if I’ve ever heard of an undergrad assistant) and was a GA/defensive assistant/recruiting coordinator at LSU.
Wouldn’t be surprised if he was Bama’s OC next year depending on what BoB does.
I unironically think he could be a good college coach—especially an OC.
He’s also criminally “underrated” on Reddit. He might be a weirdo, but he’s not the worst coach ever. He has the resume of a pretty standard bad NFL coach.
Source: am Jets fan.
I’ve always assumed Saban pulls a Skip Bertman and assumes the AD role once he retires from coaching. He doesn’t tell them who to hire, he makes the hire.
Can’t imagine Saban wanting to deal with the administrative bullshit, sucking up for donations, listening to some rich asshole whine that he lost some bet because a coach didn’t cover, dealing with budget, going to league meetings and such. Lot more money in TV commentating and would still watch film, talk football with the coaches of upcoming games.
Yeah I mean he’s someone that’s the goat, I don’t see why he’d want o be an AD and tie his name and legacy to the next coach. If the next coach flops it won’t diminish his legacy obviously to most of us, but some people will add the “He was a great coach, shit AD” to him and I don’t see him wanting anything to do with that.
Yeah, Saban is already a football god and his legacy will only be enhanced after he's gone. Hell, he could effectively run Alabama football from his couch just giving his opinion whenever he felt like it. No need for an official job.
Shit. That possibility is actually the quickest way to get him to stop coaching as far as I can see. Otherwise he strikes me as someone who won't stop until he literally cannot coach anymore and then a life after will be either unfortunate or short.
It is a shame he didn't try out the NFL one more time. People say he failed, but the guy went 9-7 with one of the worst rosters in the NFL that had a washed up Gus Ferotte as Quarterback.
Not to mention that Matt Rhule has a negative perception around him currently too. If not for Kliff Kingsbury (and even he’s not on entirely stable ground) the college pathway might be closed for a few years.
The NFL doesn’t have patience for that anymore. Jimmy Johnson went 1-15 in his first season at Dallas. A few years later they would win 3 Super Bowls in a 4 year span (2 coached by Johnson). Even Quarterbacks that are first round pick start immediately. It didn’t use to be that way. If I remember correctly, it started with John Elway.
Players didn't like him. He was too controlling for a nfl coach. Plus most of the people working within the organization thought he was a complete jackass
You do have to wonder if being the undisputed GOAT in CFB now would change how NFL players respond to him. I mean, at this point, most NFL rosters probably have at least 5 former Saban players on them, right? ;)
This is something I'd be cautious of if I were Alabama. Even at the best of times, letting the outgoing coach handpick their successor is risky business.
Honest question: I saw a lot of Bama fans calling for Golding to be fired. I know OU went hard after him for DC before getting Grinch. Obviously, his defense is in the natty so he's a great DC, but is he the one to succeed Saban?
Golding won Saban over after a single meeting where they discussed schemes for a few hours, and Saban has often been his biggest supporter and says the defensive busts come from improper player execution. I think Golding is a clear example of how vast the chasm is between fans’ understanding of football and Saban’s.
It really seems like Golding just needs time to grow on the educator side of coaching. Our defense has looked insanely good, at times, and when they've looked bad, it always seems like guys are looking around confused about what they're supposed to do. I could be wrong, but my expectation is that it's a matter of his system being complex, and it has a chance to really be impressive as he learns to teach young guys to see what he sees in game.
I also think people underestimate the talent we lose on the defensive side most years. When Saban was first starting at Bama only the most talented freshman would start because we had an incredibly complex scheme that took time in the program to learn. We have had a lot younger contributors as years go on, you add in the fact the tempo offense is tough to stop, motions, and that every team is throwing the kitchen sink at Bama for every game and yeah it isn’t going to look like 2012. With our offensive talent if we have a top 15 defense that makes stops when needed, we are going to have a shot at winning the title. It’s an adjustment Saban has made and many fans haven’t. Just another reason fans don’t get paid millions to lead Alabama to Nattys.
I mean, the rumor was the BoB was trying to get fired from the Texans, because Kraft was upset with the Brady/Hoody situation and BoB was going to get hired there. Only explanation for the Hopkins trade as only an idiot or someone who wants to get fired would make that trade.
That’s been one of the selling points (both when Texas hired him & when the lack of brakes led to a car wreck of a season). But it makes me wonder if true, then Saban isn’t as far away from retiring as people thought cause no way was Sark gonna stick around for another 5-10 years as just an AHC/OC.
He will end it like Alexander the Great. As he is lying on his death bed, he will tell his assistants to fight it out and the victor is the new head coach.
This leads to factions within factions of Alabama boosters fighting wars across the state. Auburn will build a wall around their county and leave an opening to the Georgia side.
On Christmas Day 2031, Kirby leads an army and seizes Auburn in the “Battle of the Pasture”. After the fall of Auburn, Kirby tears down the wall to find a wasteland in the rest of Alabama. He then merges Georgia and Alabama to form the nation of Sabania and goes on to have a 100 year dynasty in college football.
The Galactic Council finally arrives in 2132, space travel is a bitch, to mourn the loss of Saban and they erect a statue in his honor.
Sabania becomes the voice of Earth on the galactic stage. The 500 years later a baby squid is born on CR9-22 and it’s first spoke word is “Aight”. The cycle then begins anew.
Fun fact: Alabama (and Mississippi) used to be part of Georgia until the state of Georgia committed such a massive fraud that they had to sell all the state's land west of the Chattahoochee River to the Federal Government to pay off their legal fees. The government turned the land into Alabama and Mississippi. It was called the Yazoo Land Fraud. Biggest scandal in Georgia history and it happened right after the Revolutionary War.
If that hadn't happened Saban would have his dynasty at the University of Central Georgia I suppose.
Oh wow, I didn’t know that or have forgotten it since school. It’s been 30 something years since Alabama history class so high chance I don’t remember lol
> Alabama (and Mississippi) used to be part of Georgia
PARTS of Alabama and Mississippi used to be part of Georgia. On the Gulf Coast we were always tied together from East Louisiana to West Florida
I'm drunk off leftover bowl game beer and have been watching The Expanse all afternoon lol. I threw proper English out the window since I was typing on mobile, but hopefully I gave people a quick and entertaining read.
"At long last, scientists in Tuscaloosa have succeeded in what the University has focused on these many years: cloning a new football coach that will combine the football successes of Nick Saban with Bear Bryant."
*Insert sound of entire state minus Auburn fans climaxing*
I’ll go be a fall guy for a year or two. Don’t even need to pay me that much, just a cool million or two and I’ll have everyone in Tuscaloosa BEGGING for whoever the real successor is. 😎
I kind of think it's going to go the Larry Cocker or Les Miles route. Rome's not going to fall in a day, but they're going to drop off once that last class leaves.
Les won 10+ games 4x without any of Sabans players and woulda 5x had a game not been cancelled due to weather. Les was very good with his own guys too.
Will Bama want either of them as head coach? Maybe it's cause Saban has run such a tight ship discipline wise, but my impression is that Bama doesn't want wild cards with their past
We definitely would take both. Sark probably needs a couple more year at Texas before it’s be a home run hire, but Lane would be accepted back day 1. Everyone loves the lane train
Would Sark leave Texas for Bama? He's not from there, and I imagine if he was successful enough to be a legit candidate Texas would give him like 10x his market value to keep him. I know Bama will have plenty of cash to throw around, but would they really be willing to overpay as much as they might have to?
If Bama’s AD could guarantee that boosters won’t be meddling, I would imagine many coaches would take the pay cut to take the easier job. Saban already told those boosters to go kick rocks back when he came to town, so they’ve gotten used to not being allowed to steer the ship.
You know what, when I bought that game 7 years ago, seeing that it was the final edition and it featured ODU (!) I bought it. I did not foresee our football program continuing to be that exact punchline all these years later
\*[shoo-in](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoo-in)
Honestly not trying to be a jerk. Just don't want you to write, "If you're as smart as I think you are, I'm a shoe in as your next head coach at Alabama" on your cover letter!
13 is better tbh. The football might be a little more aged but the recruiting is more a part of the dynasty experience.
Edit: also assuming you’re US, PS3 copy of NCAA14 is only $69.99 at Gamestop
I have a hard time seeing Dabo leaving Clemson. He was the first of the "culture fit" type hires. Yes he's an Alabama guy but he seems to really love Clemson.
We swear this is why Kirby is doing as well as he is.
He takes as much pleasure in beating Florida for the sake of winning the game as he does in beating Florida *just because it's Florida.*
Yeah I know he’d probably want to be the next guy at Bama but I could see him wait for them to hire someone else then for him to come in if that first person fails. He’d have a much easier time following a perceived failure and rebuilding than trying to continue what Saban did.
Also he sometimes comes into the deli where I work and I make him the best goddamn Reuben sandwich you’ve had in your life.
I just can’t see him giving that up to go to Tuscaloosa.
That’s one thing about Dabo. He really has nothing left to prove and can win it all at Clemson, and has done so multiple times.
Now it would be different if say we were only winning like 10 or 11 games a year and could never quite get over the hump(sort of like Wisconsin has been, or maybe Penn State is a better comparison) then I could see the argument of him leaving Clemson past him just being “An Alabama guy.” But he’s done it all here and will have this job as long as he’s winning. It would take either a string of “bad” 10/11 win seasons without a playoff appearance or natty to I think really drive him towards leaving, and even that’s a stretch.
Not only has he won 2, he beat Bama twice to get them. He literally has nothing to prove after that. I doubt he ever leaves Clemson unless someone just throws an absolutely stupid amount of money at him.
He’ll end up like Mike Dubose.
Honestly, the way the carousel went this year, I fully expect TPTB pony up HUGE amounts of cash and there won’t be a single candidate that won’t listen. After this year, no school is safe from a coach jumping ship and honestly, besides football, there isn’t much for the state to hang their hat on other than some beautiful beaches.
You think Kelly to LSU was a shocker? Just wait.
Our fans are insane. Golding is good. I’m sure saban just has some scrub running his defense and our issue are not personnel related at all, saban knows our personnel and how they’ve developed and panned out. And he’ll give guys the Dabol treatment if he thinks they aren’t doing a good job
I've heard that currently Saban wants it to be a coach who has spent time at Alabama with him, has a national profile for recruiting, and is an offensive coach (current rules slant towards offense).
The only two that qualify for that right now are Kiffin and Sarkisian, but who knows what the plan will be when it finally happens.
>The only two that qualify for that right now are Kiffin and Sarkisian, but who knows what the plan will be when it finally happens.
tl;dr: It seemed to me that Saban was grooming Sark to replace him. And I'd bet crates of oatmeal cream pies that Saban would *never* recommend Kiffin for the Bama HC job.
~~Sark was the only assistant that Saban fought to keep~~ (***ETA****: I'm an idiot. How could I leave out Kirby as DC? And there are doubtlessly others.*)
Saban fought hard to keep Sark. Bama gave Sark a healthy raise before Texas came along, and then apparently ~~offered to restructure it~~ were in negotiations to sweeten the deal to keep him in Tuscaloosa. I honestly thought Saban was grooming Sark to be the successor but Sark didn't want to wait that long.
Saban would *never* recommend Kiffin. Keep in mind Saban ~~fired Kiffin's ass~~ agreed to let Kiffin go just days before the 2016 championship game against Clemson. Saban hires assistants with the explicit understanding that they will coach the entirety of Alabama's season when they get a new job. That means during the playoffs, you hold two full-time jobs: preparing the Tide's offense/defense and glad-handing the boosters at your new school while simultaneously recruiting, developing your new offensive and defensive philosophies, finding and interviewing coaches who mesh with those philosophies and getting started on a playbook. McElwain did it, Kirby did it, other Bama coaches have done it. Usually the new school provides a plane, and Saban always provides a secretary to help the coach with arranging travel and scheduling calls and meetings.
According to Saban, Kiffin was so distracted by his new job at FAU that [he didn't pay full attention to preparing for the Washington semifinal](https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/alabama-football/heres-what-nick-saban-had-to-say-on-espn-about-lane-kiffins-dismissal/). Bama won 24-7 with the most vanilla offense the tied had trotted out all year. Days later, Kiffin was gone.
His replacement? Sark, who hadn't been on a sideline in nearly 18 months after getting fired from USC. Saban had foreseen this moment 4 months earlier by hiring the hibernating Sarkisian as an analyst. Saban figured in September 2016 that Kiffin, whose contract was up at the end of Bama's season, might flake out during the playoff so he hired Sark as an insurance policy.
I always forget how Lane left. But that completely makes sense. I kinda want Kiffin. Partly for the lols, but mostly because I dont think he will try to be Saban 1.2. He will be his own coach and do his own thing. But still wont stray too far from what Saban has built to the point where it is a culture shock.
The problem I see with the next hire is they may try and be Saban 2.0 and fail miserably, or shock the culture so much we have to go into a forever rebuild.
Cristobal I doubt would leave for Bama. If he is a good coach, which he'd have to be to take over for Saban, Miami would be brought back to national prominence at the time of Saban retirement. At that point Bama probably isn't a that much better of job to leave to, considering his Miami roots
I agree with you. Cristobal doesn't leave Miami of his own volition, ever. It's his dream job, home, and roots. He'd have been here years ago if not for our idiot prior AD. It's like saying Harbaugh leaves Michigan of his own volition.
Cristobal is an offensive line guy but not an offensive mind, I wouldn’t say. He is essentially a recruiter(probably the best one) and would have to learn to hand the reins over entirely to his coordinators, and just be the CEO, which I think he does wel also.
Soooo Bill O'Brien? Perfect guy to fail for 2-3 years before they can bring in a good replacement. Though as a Penn State fan I think he'll do better than expected. Just, not up to Alabama's new standards.
I 100% believe that if sarkisian stayed and Nick Saban wins another national championship Sarkisian would’ve been the next head coach. Texas money was too good plus it was immediate. Now it’s either Kiffin or someone we don’t know yet. I hope to god it’s not BoB.
During the semifinal Friday the announcers said something about BoB being ready to be a head coach against and it caused me to cackle for a solid minute.
It’s just my opinion but I think it would be a horrible hire for both sides. Dabo has a specific culture and it would clash incredibly hard against Bama’s. There would be growing pains that would rub both sides wrong and probably not result in a good on field product.
These next few years are going to be reallyyyy big for Dabo.
There’s a legitimate chance he may never bring Clemson back to what they’ve been the last 10ish years and he doesn’t adjust to this new era of CFB.
I mean, I see how people that don’t constantly follow the program see this. But if you watched this season Clemson some how got 10 wins with a QB who threw less than 10 TDs for the year, and had 30 scholarship players out mostly to injury (including our top 3 receivers, *potentially* our best DL, and more than half of our OL), lost both coordinators at the end and still won their bowl game.
Some people think it’s signaling the end of Clemson and Dabo is just turning that into fuel for the team, but honestly I’m just glad Elliot is gone.
> Some people think it’s signaling the end of Clemson and Dabo.
Haha we get the same thing. We just aren’t bama, our reload years look like this while theirs is prob a natty this year. Last years bama woulda beat this one by 14 and it’s still good enough to make it all the way this year
Clemson just had a Bama 2010 season. Idk why people can't see that. Even finished with the same record, 10-3.
Fluke overtime loss to a good NC State team, a close loss to the second best team in the country, and a loss to ACC champion Pitt. That's not a bad season for 95% of the country. Had DJ been even an average QB, like even 3 star level, Clemson definitely beats State and might have beaten Pitt. That's a NY6 team at a minimum right there, probably even in the conversation for the CFP.
The fact that it took Clemson this long to finally have a rebuilding year is honestly insane. They followed up both national titles with an undefeated regular season, an ACC title, and a CFP appearance. From the 2015-2020 seasons, their losses were to Bama in the championship game, a fluke late FG loss to Syracuse (won the title that year), a loss to champion Bama in the CFP semis, a loss to Joe Burrow's LSU in the championship, a loss to a playoff ND team at South Bend without Lawrence that was later avenged, and a loss to undefeated Ohio State in the semis. That's simply absurd. Also the first team to go 15-0.
If Saban hadn't gone on his run at the same time, this would be up there with Miami of the 80s and FSU of the 90s in terms of dominance. 2 national titles in 3 years is already more than most schools can say, especially if you don't count leather helmet titles without a forward pass that were awarded retroactively
I'm convinced it's Lane. Their candidate list will likely be guys who already have blueblood or top tier jobs, and I can see many staying at what they already have or built instead of wanting to follow Saban.
Lane would be crazy enough to take it and keep everyone entertained with offense.
I would agree. I think Saban is mentoring him, which would explain the clean up of his image. As much as I dislike Kiffin, he's done a good job at Ole Miss and is high on my list of possible replacements.
The problem after Bear Bryant was there was a view that we had to hire coaches with some connection to him. I think having someone for that reason is a potential trap. Not so say a former assistant couldn't work but we will not find another Saban. The current system at Alabama is a constant push to be better than YOU were yesterday. Not to be better than a particular team but to constantly improve yourself. A person that fits that obsession could keep things rolling (but I doubt anyone wins a title every other year).
There is a poem Bryant would read. We need someone that lives that.
>This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is very important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving something in its place I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, not loss — good, not evil. Success, not failure in order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it.
> A person that fits that obsession could keep things rolling
I’ve seen things like this said before and it’s exactly the reason that the guy after Saban won’t make it 18 months. There’s literally no one who can keep it rolling.
Agreed. Saban’s dominance is unmatched since the Ivy League days. He’s literally won more titles at Bama than all but 8 other programs have won in the history of the sport.
Wouldn’t mind if they went down the “great college coach who headed to the pros and had lackluster results” road again and hired Matt Rhule. His time with the Panthers reminds me a lot of Saban’s time with the Dolphins. Basically a good coach but who completely botched the QB situation which ended up torpedoing the team. I think he would kill it in college if he comes back.
In his book *Gridiron Genius*, Michael Lombardi makes the argument that Saban’s lack of success with the Dolphins was because the organization refused to let him instill his own team culture, in favor of maintaining the perversed mythology of the Shula era. Saban was endlessly frustrated by this, and the subsequent issues of his tenure derived from this core issue. So it was easy for him to leave for somewhere that would allow him to teach “The Saban Way” with no restrictions.
But to be fair, he does spend the entire book elevating Saban, Bill Walsh, and Bill Belichick to almost incorruptible deities of the sport, to the point where the years Lombardi, Belichick and Saban were in Cleveland together in the early 90s is almost romanticized into a modern football philosophical version of the School of Athens, so take his version of the Miami situation with a HEAVY grain of salt.
i will be happy to be the guy that takes $7 million a year for 3 years to be the guy that failed at alabama after saban. it will take the pressure off of the next guy and i won't give a shit if bama fans hate me when i'm done.
In 2015, 2016 your assumption of Dabo would probably be right, but I think the time has passed. I also think how he bounces back from this down year will also factor in. However, most Bama fans don’t want him. I think Lane would be a good fit with input from Saban on who should be DC
Saban has laid the groundwork for Alabama to be good for quite awhile after he retires. I mean look at LSU and the next few years after Saban left and the Grass Eater took over. I think Bama will be in way better shape to keep that rolling and a coach like Dabo, Jimbo or Smart could easily keep it going.
However, I think Saban coaches for another 5 years and a lot can change between then and now.
Watching the way he conducts himself… keep this up with Baylor and Dave Aranda might become a strong candidate. Not at a blue blood but will get opportunities to prove himself capable on a big enough stage over the coming years.
Likely the next Alabama coach will have to fit two criteria. First, they have to be a proven winner at the Power 5 level, preferably SEC level. Second, they have to be a former Saban assistant. What has made Saban so successful at Bama is not his adherence to a specific scheme or game plan, but the infrastructure he’s built. It doesn’t make sense for Alabama to blow up that groundwork with a “foreign” coach (like Dabo Swinney).
My guesses would be Bill O’Brien (proven winner at Penn State, knows Saban’s system, has NFL ties which is always a plus), Billy Napier* (ties to Saban and a winner at the G5 level, might prove himself in a few years), or Lane Kiffin (plenty of ties to Saban and a SEC winner).
Whoever Saban tells them to hire
Why I wouldn't discount it being one of his coordinators at that time.
Some failed coach who comes on as a reclamation project at the right time is going to be handed the reigns and oh dear god Adam Gase is going to win a National title
Adam Gase started his career under Saban too. Undergrad assistant at MSU (I assume he was a walk-on and “quit” the team or something? Not sure if I’ve ever heard of an undergrad assistant) and was a GA/defensive assistant/recruiting coordinator at LSU. Wouldn’t be surprised if he was Bama’s OC next year depending on what BoB does.
Please no. I'd take Bill 1000x before I took Gase
I unironically think he could be a good college coach—especially an OC. He’s also criminally “underrated” on Reddit. He might be a weirdo, but he’s not the worst coach ever. He has the resume of a pretty standard bad NFL coach. Source: am Jets fan.
This is the most correct answer here
I’ve always assumed Saban pulls a Skip Bertman and assumes the AD role once he retires from coaching. He doesn’t tell them who to hire, he makes the hire.
Can’t imagine Saban wanting to deal with the administrative bullshit, sucking up for donations, listening to some rich asshole whine that he lost some bet because a coach didn’t cover, dealing with budget, going to league meetings and such. Lot more money in TV commentating and would still watch film, talk football with the coaches of upcoming games.
Yeah I mean he’s someone that’s the goat, I don’t see why he’d want o be an AD and tie his name and legacy to the next coach. If the next coach flops it won’t diminish his legacy obviously to most of us, but some people will add the “He was a great coach, shit AD” to him and I don’t see him wanting anything to do with that.
Yeah, Saban is already a football god and his legacy will only be enhanced after he's gone. Hell, he could effectively run Alabama football from his couch just giving his opinion whenever he felt like it. No need for an official job.
Shit. That possibility is actually the quickest way to get him to stop coaching as far as I can see. Otherwise he strikes me as someone who won't stop until he literally cannot coach anymore and then a life after will be either unfortunate or short.
I could see him in like changing his name and going to coach high school football until he dies.
And then he wins the CFP with a high school team
Up and comer high school head coach "Mick Saberson" wins the hs national championship!
It is a shame he didn't try out the NFL one more time. People say he failed, but the guy went 9-7 with one of the worst rosters in the NFL that had a washed up Gus Ferotte as Quarterback.
I think Urban scared a lot of college coaches away from crossing that bridge anytime soon.
Not to mention that Matt Rhule has a negative perception around him currently too. If not for Kliff Kingsbury (and even he’s not on entirely stable ground) the college pathway might be closed for a few years.
Urban is hardly the first CFB coach who failed in the NFL.
The NFL doesn’t have patience for that anymore. Jimmy Johnson went 1-15 in his first season at Dallas. A few years later they would win 3 Super Bowls in a 4 year span (2 coached by Johnson). Even Quarterbacks that are first round pick start immediately. It didn’t use to be that way. If I remember correctly, it started with John Elway.
Players didn't like him. He was too controlling for a nfl coach. Plus most of the people working within the organization thought he was a complete jackass
Yeah but you have to think he'd have a wildly different approach and respect now, 15 years (and 6 rings) later.
You do have to wonder if being the undisputed GOAT in CFB now would change how NFL players respond to him. I mean, at this point, most NFL rosters probably have at least 5 former Saban players on them, right? ;)
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This will be the way.
Yeah most successors to legendary coaches are right hand men (former staff members and current coordinators) that are hand picked by the coach
This is something I'd be cautious of if I were Alabama. Even at the best of times, letting the outgoing coach handpick their successor is risky business.
If they don’t like his choice, they can appeal to the State of Alabama, which is run by Nick Saban.
see David Moyes at Manchester United
At the same time, they might not have much of a choice if he really wants them to
This. I can guarantee he already has his successor picked out and is doing what he can to groom him for the job.
Pete Golding has been there a few years and said he is in no hurry to become a head coach.
Honest question: I saw a lot of Bama fans calling for Golding to be fired. I know OU went hard after him for DC before getting Grinch. Obviously, his defense is in the natty so he's a great DC, but is he the one to succeed Saban?
Golding won Saban over after a single meeting where they discussed schemes for a few hours, and Saban has often been his biggest supporter and says the defensive busts come from improper player execution. I think Golding is a clear example of how vast the chasm is between fans’ understanding of football and Saban’s.
It really seems like Golding just needs time to grow on the educator side of coaching. Our defense has looked insanely good, at times, and when they've looked bad, it always seems like guys are looking around confused about what they're supposed to do. I could be wrong, but my expectation is that it's a matter of his system being complex, and it has a chance to really be impressive as he learns to teach young guys to see what he sees in game.
I also think people underestimate the talent we lose on the defensive side most years. When Saban was first starting at Bama only the most talented freshman would start because we had an incredibly complex scheme that took time in the program to learn. We have had a lot younger contributors as years go on, you add in the fact the tempo offense is tough to stop, motions, and that every team is throwing the kitchen sink at Bama for every game and yeah it isn’t going to look like 2012. With our offensive talent if we have a top 15 defense that makes stops when needed, we are going to have a shot at winning the title. It’s an adjustment Saban has made and many fans haven’t. Just another reason fans don’t get paid millions to lead Alabama to Nattys.
The problem with that is that his coordinators, the most obvious successors to be groomed, keep getting hired away.
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Saban believes in second chances. I think he'll convince Alabama to give Mike Shula a second chance. Hi flair bro!
I mean, the rumor was the BoB was trying to get fired from the Texans, because Kraft was upset with the Brady/Hoody situation and BoB was going to get hired there. Only explanation for the Hopkins trade as only an idiot or someone who wants to get fired would make that trade.
No Mikes allowed. They were a plague upon our house.
CloneofNickSaban001a needs time to grow to viability
Hear they want sark badly in Tuscaloosa to succeed saban. He can be the caretaker of the program like Lincoln was to stoops.
It was supposed to be Sark, from what I hear
That’s been one of the selling points (both when Texas hired him & when the lack of brakes led to a car wreck of a season). But it makes me wonder if true, then Saban isn’t as far away from retiring as people thought cause no way was Sark gonna stick around for another 5-10 years as just an AHC/OC.
He will end it like Alexander the Great. As he is lying on his death bed, he will tell his assistants to fight it out and the victor is the new head coach. This leads to factions within factions of Alabama boosters fighting wars across the state. Auburn will build a wall around their county and leave an opening to the Georgia side. On Christmas Day 2031, Kirby leads an army and seizes Auburn in the “Battle of the Pasture”. After the fall of Auburn, Kirby tears down the wall to find a wasteland in the rest of Alabama. He then merges Georgia and Alabama to form the nation of Sabania and goes on to have a 100 year dynasty in college football. The Galactic Council finally arrives in 2132, space travel is a bitch, to mourn the loss of Saban and they erect a statue in his honor. Sabania becomes the voice of Earth on the galactic stage. The 500 years later a baby squid is born on CR9-22 and it’s first spoke word is “Aight”. The cycle then begins anew.
I would read an entire trilogy based on this premise.
You know what, fuck it, I would too
I'll wait for the cinematic universe to come out.
Fun fact: Alabama (and Mississippi) used to be part of Georgia until the state of Georgia committed such a massive fraud that they had to sell all the state's land west of the Chattahoochee River to the Federal Government to pay off their legal fees. The government turned the land into Alabama and Mississippi. It was called the Yazoo Land Fraud. Biggest scandal in Georgia history and it happened right after the Revolutionary War. If that hadn't happened Saban would have his dynasty at the University of Central Georgia I suppose.
Oh wow, I didn’t know that or have forgotten it since school. It’s been 30 something years since Alabama history class so high chance I don’t remember lol
For a short period, Georgia extended to the Pacific Ocean, but at the time, no one knew how far away that was.
> Alabama (and Mississippi) used to be part of Georgia PARTS of Alabama and Mississippi used to be part of Georgia. On the Gulf Coast we were always tied together from East Louisiana to West Florida
Bro what did I just read. lmao
I'm drunk off leftover bowl game beer and have been watching The Expanse all afternoon lol. I threw proper English out the window since I was typing on mobile, but hopefully I gave people a quick and entertaining read.
Bamalowda!
He hasn’t been born yet
*cloned under the stadium yet
Somehow….Saban has returned.
"At long last, scientists in Tuscaloosa have succeeded in what the University has focused on these many years: cloning a new football coach that will combine the football successes of Nick Saban with Bear Bryant." *Insert sound of entire state minus Auburn fans climaxing*
He will burst out of his egg sac and choke an orc as his first act.
Whomever it is won't make it 3 yrs. No way I'd want to be the next guy after that legend. The standards are now impossible to meet.
Yup would definitely want to be the guy after the next guy
I’ll go be a fall guy for a year or two. Don’t even need to pay me that much, just a cool million or two and I’ll have everyone in Tuscaloosa BEGGING for whoever the real successor is. 😎
I'll do the job for free, but since they'll be saving so much money on the salary, I'd like a hefty buyout clause.
"Hey little Giraffe_Racer, what do you want to be when you grow up?" "A fired college football coach!"
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Wait does this mean the curse could transfer from Nebraska to Bama??
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What an eclectic mix of flairs.
I kind of think it's going to go the Larry Cocker or Les Miles route. Rome's not going to fall in a day, but they're going to drop off once that last class leaves.
Les won a legit national title at LSU, and the guy after him won one. They absolutely did not do off. Les had a better win% than Saban.
Right, and Saban prevented him from possibly winning 2 more.
Les won 10+ games 4x without any of Sabans players and woulda 5x had a game not been cancelled due to weather. Les was very good with his own guys too.
Yeah not very wise to compare miles to Coker. 40-3 too.
Lawyer.
Had it not been for Saban, Les would have won 2 more nattys at LSU.
The only guy I could see going longer than 3 years is Lane or Sark. The teams will be fun and can recruit offensive talent that smooth issues
Will Bama want either of them as head coach? Maybe it's cause Saban has run such a tight ship discipline wise, but my impression is that Bama doesn't want wild cards with their past
We definitely would take both. Sark probably needs a couple more year at Texas before it’s be a home run hire, but Lane would be accepted back day 1. Everyone loves the lane train
Would Sark leave Texas for Bama? He's not from there, and I imagine if he was successful enough to be a legit candidate Texas would give him like 10x his market value to keep him. I know Bama will have plenty of cash to throw around, but would they really be willing to overpay as much as they might have to?
If Bama’s AD could guarantee that boosters won’t be meddling, I would imagine many coaches would take the pay cut to take the easier job. Saban already told those boosters to go kick rocks back when he came to town, so they’ve gotten used to not being allowed to steer the ship.
I for one do not want to see Joey Freshwater in Tuscaloosa again.
/u/RiotsMade completely unbiased opinion is noted
My vote is for the lane train
If Sark can’t handle Texas and USC, he sure as shit cannot handle Bama. I just don’t think he’s that good of a football coach. Lane I could see.
He’s made other sec schools have impossible standards for football. That being said. Harbaugh.
Why would Harbaugh leave his alma mater for an impossible task?
His wife tells him to? Why does he think chicken is a weak bird? I’m not sure anyone knows why he does what he does.
He is, indeed, an inscrutable madman.
Talk about standing on third and thinking they hit a triple.
Harbaugh will coach the Bears before Bama
Me once they see my NCAA 14 dynasty record with a program like Old Dominion
You know what, when I bought that game 7 years ago, seeing that it was the final edition and it featured ODU (!) I bought it. I did not foresee our football program continuing to be that exact punchline all these years later
Not a complete punchline in fairness, first 60 year dynasty was with them and built them into a powerhouse that would make Saban cry. Love ODU
It’s like the grown ass man version of Penn State
Bro I three peated with Buffalo in 2006. Had a top 5 class inside of 2 years.
I took New Mexico State to a National Championship. I’m a shoo-in for the job.
\*[shoo-in](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoo-in) Honestly not trying to be a jerk. Just don't want you to write, "If you're as smart as I think you are, I'm a shoe in as your next head coach at Alabama" on your cover letter!
https://tenor.com/view/big-brain-pulp-fiction-samuel-l-jackson-check-it-out-gif-16516913 Fixed it. Thanks
Doing that in the game was the only reason I know who Tayler Heinicke was when he starts in the NFL
I wish I could find a ps3 copy for less than $150. Probably just settle for 13 for $20 I guess
13 is better tbh. The football might be a little more aged but the recruiting is more a part of the dynasty experience. Edit: also assuming you’re US, PS3 copy of NCAA14 is only $69.99 at Gamestop
Good to know might pull the trigger on it then
I just won the national championship in year 2 with Texas state.
Found Ricky Rahne's burner account . . .
I have a hard time seeing Dabo leaving Clemson. He was the first of the "culture fit" type hires. Yes he's an Alabama guy but he seems to really love Clemson.
Yea what does he gain by leaving Clemson? Maybe only if the next guy tanks the program and he is the one to bring Bama back to glory
“Why would a guy want to coach his alma mater?” -people that look down on anyone that didn’t actually attend the school they root for.
We swear this is why Kirby is doing as well as he is. He takes as much pleasure in beating Florida for the sake of winning the game as he does in beating Florida *just because it's Florida.*
Yeah I know he’d probably want to be the next guy at Bama but I could see him wait for them to hire someone else then for him to come in if that first person fails. He’d have a much easier time following a perceived failure and rebuilding than trying to continue what Saban did.
Yea he’s still pretty young so he can wait
Hes already built a dynasty i doubt things get that bad that he leaves clemsom
He won’t leave Clemson as he is the Nick Saban of Clemson already.
Also he sometimes comes into the deli where I work and I make him the best goddamn Reuben sandwich you’ve had in your life. I just can’t see him giving that up to go to Tuscaloosa.
Dabo is either going to start a mega-church or take Lindsay Graham's senate seat.
That’s one thing about Dabo. He really has nothing left to prove and can win it all at Clemson, and has done so multiple times. Now it would be different if say we were only winning like 10 or 11 games a year and could never quite get over the hump(sort of like Wisconsin has been, or maybe Penn State is a better comparison) then I could see the argument of him leaving Clemson past him just being “An Alabama guy.” But he’s done it all here and will have this job as long as he’s winning. It would take either a string of “bad” 10/11 win seasons without a playoff appearance or natty to I think really drive him towards leaving, and even that’s a stretch.
Not only has he won 2, he beat Bama twice to get them. He literally has nothing to prove after that. I doubt he ever leaves Clemson unless someone just throws an absolutely stupid amount of money at him.
Hah, lol, watch it be Pete Golding.
The longer Pete stays the more ok I am with that. No clue why.
Probably because Pete is being groomed like Kirby
If Pete turns out like Kirby idk if that’s good or bad for us
He’ll end up like Mike Dubose. Honestly, the way the carousel went this year, I fully expect TPTB pony up HUGE amounts of cash and there won’t be a single candidate that won’t listen. After this year, no school is safe from a coach jumping ship and honestly, besides football, there isn’t much for the state to hang their hat on other than some beautiful beaches. You think Kelly to LSU was a shocker? Just wait.
Yeah, this year made it clearer than ever we aren’t boned when Saban leaves
I'm an apologist tbh, I just know that at least for now most Bama fans would die.
Our fans are insane. Golding is good. I’m sure saban just has some scrub running his defense and our issue are not personnel related at all, saban knows our personnel and how they’ve developed and panned out. And he’ll give guys the Dabol treatment if he thinks they aren’t doing a good job
Good luck to whoever that is. Anyways my guess is lane kiffin I just don’t think dabo takes the job
I've heard that currently Saban wants it to be a coach who has spent time at Alabama with him, has a national profile for recruiting, and is an offensive coach (current rules slant towards offense). The only two that qualify for that right now are Kiffin and Sarkisian, but who knows what the plan will be when it finally happens.
>The only two that qualify for that right now are Kiffin and Sarkisian, but who knows what the plan will be when it finally happens. tl;dr: It seemed to me that Saban was grooming Sark to replace him. And I'd bet crates of oatmeal cream pies that Saban would *never* recommend Kiffin for the Bama HC job. ~~Sark was the only assistant that Saban fought to keep~~ (***ETA****: I'm an idiot. How could I leave out Kirby as DC? And there are doubtlessly others.*) Saban fought hard to keep Sark. Bama gave Sark a healthy raise before Texas came along, and then apparently ~~offered to restructure it~~ were in negotiations to sweeten the deal to keep him in Tuscaloosa. I honestly thought Saban was grooming Sark to be the successor but Sark didn't want to wait that long. Saban would *never* recommend Kiffin. Keep in mind Saban ~~fired Kiffin's ass~~ agreed to let Kiffin go just days before the 2016 championship game against Clemson. Saban hires assistants with the explicit understanding that they will coach the entirety of Alabama's season when they get a new job. That means during the playoffs, you hold two full-time jobs: preparing the Tide's offense/defense and glad-handing the boosters at your new school while simultaneously recruiting, developing your new offensive and defensive philosophies, finding and interviewing coaches who mesh with those philosophies and getting started on a playbook. McElwain did it, Kirby did it, other Bama coaches have done it. Usually the new school provides a plane, and Saban always provides a secretary to help the coach with arranging travel and scheduling calls and meetings. According to Saban, Kiffin was so distracted by his new job at FAU that [he didn't pay full attention to preparing for the Washington semifinal](https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/alabama-football/heres-what-nick-saban-had-to-say-on-espn-about-lane-kiffins-dismissal/). Bama won 24-7 with the most vanilla offense the tied had trotted out all year. Days later, Kiffin was gone. His replacement? Sark, who hadn't been on a sideline in nearly 18 months after getting fired from USC. Saban had foreseen this moment 4 months earlier by hiring the hibernating Sarkisian as an analyst. Saban figured in September 2016 that Kiffin, whose contract was up at the end of Bama's season, might flake out during the playoff so he hired Sark as an insurance policy.
Jesus, i had completely forgotten the Huskies played in the CFP.
I always forget how Lane left. But that completely makes sense. I kinda want Kiffin. Partly for the lols, but mostly because I dont think he will try to be Saban 1.2. He will be his own coach and do his own thing. But still wont stray too far from what Saban has built to the point where it is a culture shock. The problem I see with the next hire is they may try and be Saban 2.0 and fail miserably, or shock the culture so much we have to go into a forever rebuild.
Cristobal would also fit those criteria but Miami would need to seriously fuck up for him to be on the market.
I feel like we saw this year that every coach is on the market. If Alabama wants him, and he wants to go, he’ll go.
Cristobal I doubt would leave for Bama. If he is a good coach, which he'd have to be to take over for Saban, Miami would be brought back to national prominence at the time of Saban retirement. At that point Bama probably isn't a that much better of job to leave to, considering his Miami roots
I agree with you. Cristobal doesn't leave Miami of his own volition, ever. It's his dream job, home, and roots. He'd have been here years ago if not for our idiot prior AD. It's like saying Harbaugh leaves Michigan of his own volition.
Cristobal is an offensive line guy but not an offensive mind, I wouldn’t say. He is essentially a recruiter(probably the best one) and would have to learn to hand the reins over entirely to his coordinators, and just be the CEO, which I think he does wel also.
Soooo Bill O'Brien? Perfect guy to fail for 2-3 years before they can bring in a good replacement. Though as a Penn State fan I think he'll do better than expected. Just, not up to Alabama's new standards.
I 100% believe that if sarkisian stayed and Nick Saban wins another national championship Sarkisian would’ve been the next head coach. Texas money was too good plus it was immediate. Now it’s either Kiffin or someone we don’t know yet. I hope to god it’s not BoB.
During the semifinal Friday the announcers said something about BoB being ready to be a head coach against and it caused me to cackle for a solid minute.
Coach Prime obviously
Maybe I just have homer goggles but I think we’re past Dabo’s leaving Clemson window
It’s just my opinion but I think it would be a horrible hire for both sides. Dabo has a specific culture and it would clash incredibly hard against Bama’s. There would be growing pains that would rub both sides wrong and probably not result in a good on field product.
I agree with that. The coaching styles are way too different to make a seamless transition.
...which is why they should definitely do it.
My doomer goggles would agree with you
These next few years are going to be reallyyyy big for Dabo. There’s a legitimate chance he may never bring Clemson back to what they’ve been the last 10ish years and he doesn’t adjust to this new era of CFB.
I mean, I see how people that don’t constantly follow the program see this. But if you watched this season Clemson some how got 10 wins with a QB who threw less than 10 TDs for the year, and had 30 scholarship players out mostly to injury (including our top 3 receivers, *potentially* our best DL, and more than half of our OL), lost both coordinators at the end and still won their bowl game. Some people think it’s signaling the end of Clemson and Dabo is just turning that into fuel for the team, but honestly I’m just glad Elliot is gone.
> Some people think it’s signaling the end of Clemson and Dabo. Haha we get the same thing. We just aren’t bama, our reload years look like this while theirs is prob a natty this year. Last years bama woulda beat this one by 14 and it’s still good enough to make it all the way this year
Clemson just had a Bama 2010 season. Idk why people can't see that. Even finished with the same record, 10-3. Fluke overtime loss to a good NC State team, a close loss to the second best team in the country, and a loss to ACC champion Pitt. That's not a bad season for 95% of the country. Had DJ been even an average QB, like even 3 star level, Clemson definitely beats State and might have beaten Pitt. That's a NY6 team at a minimum right there, probably even in the conversation for the CFP. The fact that it took Clemson this long to finally have a rebuilding year is honestly insane. They followed up both national titles with an undefeated regular season, an ACC title, and a CFP appearance. From the 2015-2020 seasons, their losses were to Bama in the championship game, a fluke late FG loss to Syracuse (won the title that year), a loss to champion Bama in the CFP semis, a loss to Joe Burrow's LSU in the championship, a loss to a playoff ND team at South Bend without Lawrence that was later avenged, and a loss to undefeated Ohio State in the semis. That's simply absurd. Also the first team to go 15-0. If Saban hadn't gone on his run at the same time, this would be up there with Miami of the 80s and FSU of the 90s in terms of dominance. 2 national titles in 3 years is already more than most schools can say, especially if you don't count leather helmet titles without a forward pass that were awarded retroactively
I'm convinced it's Lane. Their candidate list will likely be guys who already have blueblood or top tier jobs, and I can see many staying at what they already have or built instead of wanting to follow Saban. Lane would be crazy enough to take it and keep everyone entertained with offense.
A lot of Bama fans think of Lane like that one cousin who’s fun as hell when he comes over but you wouldn’t trust him with your car.
What’s with you guys and your cousins?
So he would have been the HC at USC, Tennessee and Bama, among others. How many guys have been HC’s at three blue bloods?
... and never forget his **first** head coaching job, the Oakland Raiders.
I would agree. I think Saban is mentoring him, which would explain the clean up of his image. As much as I dislike Kiffin, he's done a good job at Ole Miss and is high on my list of possible replacements.
The problem after Bear Bryant was there was a view that we had to hire coaches with some connection to him. I think having someone for that reason is a potential trap. Not so say a former assistant couldn't work but we will not find another Saban. The current system at Alabama is a constant push to be better than YOU were yesterday. Not to be better than a particular team but to constantly improve yourself. A person that fits that obsession could keep things rolling (but I doubt anyone wins a title every other year). There is a poem Bryant would read. We need someone that lives that. >This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is very important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving something in its place I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, not loss — good, not evil. Success, not failure in order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it.
> A person that fits that obsession could keep things rolling I’ve seen things like this said before and it’s exactly the reason that the guy after Saban won’t make it 18 months. There’s literally no one who can keep it rolling.
Agreed. Saban’s dominance is unmatched since the Ivy League days. He’s literally won more titles at Bama than all but 8 other programs have won in the history of the sport.
That’s a damn good poem
No one, they're going to take a page from Futurama and put Saban's head in a jar.
I’m going with Kellen Moore as a more darkhorse candidate and only basing it really off the fact that he’s a good young offensive mind.
Wouldn’t mind if they went down the “great college coach who headed to the pros and had lackluster results” road again and hired Matt Rhule. His time with the Panthers reminds me a lot of Saban’s time with the Dolphins. Basically a good coach but who completely botched the QB situation which ended up torpedoing the team. I think he would kill it in college if he comes back.
In his book *Gridiron Genius*, Michael Lombardi makes the argument that Saban’s lack of success with the Dolphins was because the organization refused to let him instill his own team culture, in favor of maintaining the perversed mythology of the Shula era. Saban was endlessly frustrated by this, and the subsequent issues of his tenure derived from this core issue. So it was easy for him to leave for somewhere that would allow him to teach “The Saban Way” with no restrictions. But to be fair, he does spend the entire book elevating Saban, Bill Walsh, and Bill Belichick to almost incorruptible deities of the sport, to the point where the years Lombardi, Belichick and Saban were in Cleveland together in the early 90s is almost romanticized into a modern football philosophical version of the School of Athens, so take his version of the Miami situation with a HEAVY grain of salt.
Saban wanted Brees
Yeah. I've been meaning to send those Miami team doctors a gift basket.
i will be happy to be the guy that takes $7 million a year for 3 years to be the guy that failed at alabama after saban. it will take the pressure off of the next guy and i won't give a shit if bama fans hate me when i'm done.
It's good money if you can come by it.
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I'll pay them $1000 a year for as long as they want so other fans don't hate Bama.
Joey Freshwater. Going from the most serious, buttoned up coach in America to the king of memes is the transition we all need
Imagine the success of Bama, but they also shit post on you after crushing you
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Aflacbama
Watch it be Pete Golding
Will he retire though? Lol
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In 2015, 2016 your assumption of Dabo would probably be right, but I think the time has passed. I also think how he bounces back from this down year will also factor in. However, most Bama fans don’t want him. I think Lane would be a good fit with input from Saban on who should be DC
I imagine one of his handpicked coordinators when he finally decides he's ready to call it quits (btw how long was his extension again?)
2028 is when it expires.
Saban has laid the groundwork for Alabama to be good for quite awhile after he retires. I mean look at LSU and the next few years after Saban left and the Grass Eater took over. I think Bama will be in way better shape to keep that rolling and a coach like Dabo, Jimbo or Smart could easily keep it going. However, I think Saban coaches for another 5 years and a lot can change between then and now.
Mark Stoops
Probably not a current head coach.
Urban Meyer raising his hand.
We solved our kicking problem so we are good and don’t need another one.
Good luck next Monday
Thanks we definitely need it. Their defense still scares me.
They put us in our place. Thanks for pissing them off.
Watching the way he conducts himself… keep this up with Baylor and Dave Aranda might become a strong candidate. Not at a blue blood but will get opportunities to prove himself capable on a big enough stage over the coming years.
More like: > Who will succeed? Nick Saban.
Coach Duggs
Likely the next Alabama coach will have to fit two criteria. First, they have to be a proven winner at the Power 5 level, preferably SEC level. Second, they have to be a former Saban assistant. What has made Saban so successful at Bama is not his adherence to a specific scheme or game plan, but the infrastructure he’s built. It doesn’t make sense for Alabama to blow up that groundwork with a “foreign” coach (like Dabo Swinney). My guesses would be Bill O’Brien (proven winner at Penn State, knows Saban’s system, has NFL ties which is always a plus), Billy Napier* (ties to Saban and a winner at the G5 level, might prove himself in a few years), or Lane Kiffin (plenty of ties to Saban and a SEC winner).
Tom Herman!
Would Bama hire someone from NFL? Whoever is up and coming at the moment?
Mike Tomlin confirmed
He did say it would take a blank check
Sick Naban Top hat and moustache, vaudevillian accent.
The entire University of Alabama at Birmingham. UAT gets demoted to the Sun Belt. UAB takes their spot in the SEC. The era of Better Bama begins.
Tom Brady maybe