First and 10: Can Nick Saban regain his championship mojo? It's the biggest question for 2023 -- and beyond
1. I don’t want to get on a soapbox, but …
This is shaping up as the most intriguing offseason in years in the SEC, with the most defining storyline in the history of the conference.
Can Nick Saban find his championship mojo again?
“For us, the standard, that’s something that we live by,” Alabama quarterback Bryce Young said after a Sugar Bowl win over Kansas State. “It continues for the future of the program, the future of everything.”
But for how much longer?
Defensive coordinator Pete Golding has moved on to Ole Miss. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien could leave for the NFL.
Young, a rare talent at the most important position on the field, didn’t win a national title in his 2 years as a starter and is headed to the NFL.
The offensive line hasn’t been remotely close to Alabama standards in the past 2 seasons, nor have the wide receivers.
Dynamic tailback Jahmyr Gibbs, who transferred in from Georgia Tech this season, is headed to the NFL.
Short story, long: There are more questions this offseason at Alabama than in any of Saban’s 16 previous seasons. And if that’s not enough, the Tide are suddenly chasing instead of leading the pack.
Georgia is the new king of college football — and isn’t going away anytime soon.
“Every team has to go through a process of development,” Saban said. “We have a lot of new players on this team.”
With a lot of lingering uncertainty.
There’s no other way to look at this: Georgia and coach Kirby Smart have the hardware.
Alabama has the excuses.
— If All-American wideout Jameson Williams didn’t injure his knee in the 1st quarter of last year’s national championship game, Alabama would’ve beaten Georgia just like it did in the 2021 SEC Championship Game.
— If Will Reichard doesn’t miss a 50-yard field goal, Alabama beats Tennessee. It’s a different game, even if it gets to overtime.
— If officials called the pick play on LSU’s 2-point conversion, Alabama wins.
— And last but certainly not least: If the Playoff selection committee had chosen the 4 best teams instead of the 4 most deserving, the Tide get in the Playoff and win it all.
Meanwhile, back in reality: There’s a reason Saban needed to add 5 starters from the transfer portal prior to this season to a roster that was stocked with the best recruiting classes in the nation.
All of those elite recruiting classes aren’t paying dividends — at least, to the Alabama standard. Now the best player in college football over the past 2 seasons is leaving.
Now Saban will retool his coaching staff, and if O’Brien leaves, will adjust to another offensive philosophy and play-caller. They’ll begin 2023 with more issues on the offensive line and a retooled defense with a new coordinator.
“Circumstances don’t make you,” Saban said. “They reveal the kind of character you have.”
2. Important hires
In the 2 most important games of the season, the Alabama defense couldn’t do enough to play winning football against Tennessee and LSU.
That same staff has lost Golding (to Ole Miss) and associate defensive coordinator/safeties coach Charles Kelly (to Colorado), and could lose more. That may not be a bad thing; change is often good.
There are, potentially, strong options. At the top of the list: Georgia co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann. An Alabama alum, Schumann is an elite recruiter who has spent the past 4 seasons on the Georgia staff as co-defensive coordinator — first with Dan Lanning, and then with Will Muschamp.
Schumann is 32, and has a strong reputation in the coaching fraternity. He spent 8 years at Alabama as a student assistant, graduate assistant and director of football operations.
One Georgia staffer told me Schumann is, “a young version of Kirby.” The obvious pitch: Come home to your alma mater and rebuild the Tide defense.
Schumann could have a championship impact, and put himself in position down the road to be Saban’s replacement. If Schumann truly is a young Kirby Smart, Alabama could do a lot worse when eventually replacing Saban.
Then there’s the offense. We may not know about O’Brien’s future for a few weeks until open head coaching jobs in the NFL are filled. He’s a candidate for head coach and offensive coordinator positions.
If O’Brien stays, he has worked for 2 years with QB Jalen Milroe, and a year with Ty Simpson, and no matter what Alabama fans think of O’Brien’s play-calling, his work developing Young was masterful (by Young’s own words).
If O’Brien leaves, Saban needs an offensive coordinator who’s also a quarterbacks coach and play-caller — with an emphasis on developing the position. Former Florida coach Dan Mullen would be a terrific hire if he’s interested.
If he’s not, Saban can’t afford to take a chance with the hire, can’t take a flyer like he did with Golding, an unproven entity from UTSA. Smart and the development of Georgia has forced Saban into can’t-miss hires at both coordinator positions.
3. Offseason change, The Epilogue
First it was Clemson. Then LSU. Now it’s Georgia.
There was even the manufactured drama of Texas A&M.
Year after year, the offseason has been about who can not only catch Alabama but surpass the king.
Clemson had 2 national titles in 3 years, but has missed the past 2 Playoffs and isn’t playing at the same level.
LSU had a meteoric splash in 2019, but couldn’t sustain under coach Ed Orgeron and is now building again under Brian Kelly.
Texas A&M beat Alabama in 2021, and Alabama was vulnerable after losing to Georgia in the national championship game and — ta-da! — a new contender emerged.
The potential rivalry got even hotter when Saban accused Fisher of buying every player in the Aggies’ No. 1 recruiting class. There was the public back and forth bickering, and the fight among close friends, and the curtain being pulled back on the impact of NIL on recruiting.
Meanwhile, Georgia kept eating everything is sight.
Now here we are with the inevitable showdown, and nowhere for Saban and the Alabama program to go. It’s Saban, face-to-face with the monster he created (Smart), and the only way out is to recruit better (which he did in this 2023 class) and outplay him (which he didn’t do the last time they met).
Unless something wildly unexpected happens next season, Georgia — with a favorable schedule and loaded roster — will be in the SEC Championship Game.
The question: Will Alabama, with a revamped coaching staff of 2 new coordinators, a new quarterback and the same lingering issues of the past 2 seasons, be there, too?
The offseason of Saban and Alabama finding a way back will be fascinating.
4. The money show
I don’t care what you’ve read, or what you’ve seen, there’s not 1 college football player — currently on an FBS roster, or a high school recruit — who has been offered $13 million to play for a university. If you believe that, I have a guaranteed winning lottery ticket to sell you.
These wild numbers — including the $8 million that was allegedly guaranteed to Tennessee signee QB Nico Iamaleava — are the byproduct of “advisors” or “agents” or “middle men” who float these ridiculous numbers in the social media echo chamber to drive up a brand new market that has no parameters.
Here’s what’s reality: The true numbers are a small fraction of those “millions” that are being reported. Boosters (who fund collectives) are quickly finding out that paying a 17- or 18-year-old young man a nice chunk of change doesn’t guarantee anything. In fact, it may just lead to a 5-7 season (hello, Aggies).
The rate of return isn’t there, and booster are — and will continue to be — reevaluating the money out/production return part of the equation.
And they most certainly aren’t paying $13 million for a Top 40 player.
5. The Weekly 5
The top 5 Heisman Trophy candidates from the SEC in 2023, with national odds from our friends at FanDuel:
- 1. QB Jayden Daniels, LSU (+2000)
- 2. QB Joe Milton, Tennessee (+2000)
- 3. QB Carson Beck, Georgia (+4000)
- 4. QB Ty Simpson, Alabama (+4000)
- 5. QB KJ Jefferson, Arkansas (+6000)
6. Your tape is your resume
An NFL scout analyzes a draft-eligible SEC player. This week: Georgia TE Darnell Washington.
“He can get by with a lot of things at the college level that he won’t here. The size and the length are impressive, but he’s a galloper, and it takes him a while to get up to top speed. He’s not going to be a guy who can stress a defense deep, and he’s not going to be a guy you can split out wide. Now, the good thing is he fights for every ball. He’s got that long range, and strong hands and if you throw it near him, he can rip it away from the defender.”
7. Powered Up
This week’s Power Poll, and 1 big thing: unique statistic of 2022.
1. Georgia: The No. 1 defense in the nation was 58th in average tackles for loss per game (6.07).
2. Alabama: Despite the negative focus on penalties this season, Tide only averaged 1.7 more penalty yards per game in 2022 than 2021 — and nearly 1 more penalty per game (7.9 to 7.1).
3. Tennessee: Forget about the pass-happy narrative: Vols rushed for 10 more touchdowns in 2022 (40) than 2021 (30).
4. LSU: Tigers were +56 from 2021 in long scrimmage plays of 10+ yards (237 in 2022, 181 in 2021).
5. Mississippi State: The defense is there — 3rd-down conversion percentage improved from 41.6 in 2021 to 33.5 in 2022.
6. South Carolina: Gamecocks led the SEC in turnovers gained (23) and turnovers lost (27).
7. Ole Miss: Rebels averaged more than a half yard per carry in 2022 (5.43) than 2021 (4.81).
8. Kentucky: Wildcats gave up 21 more sacks in 2022 (46) than 2021 (25).
9. Arkansas: Hogs gave up nearly 100 more yards per game in 2022 (464.8) than 2021 (367.6).
10. Florida: Gators were +8 in turnover ratio — including +5 in road games — and still lost 7 games.
11. Missouri: Tigers shaved 102 yards off their defensive rush yards per game average from 2021 (227.9) to 2022 (125.5).
12. Auburn: Tigers scored 20 TDs in 8 SEC games, and 15 TDs in 4 nonconference games.
13. Texas A&M: Aggies tackles for loss per game dropped from 7.33 (2021) to 5.83 (2022).
14. Vanderbilt: The Commodores have 26 sacks over the last 2 seasons. Colorado (22) is the only Power 5 school with less.
8. Ask and you shall receive
Matt: Jimbo Fisher knows the history of (Bob) Petrino. Why would he add to his problems by hiring him? — Craig Poole, Miami.
Craig:
Petrino is a fabulous offensive mind and play-caller. If we start with just that concept and that alone, Fisher hiring Petrino as his offensive coordinator is brilliant.
He had Arkansas in the top 5, and he developed Lamar Jackson into a Heisman Trophy winner. Everywhere he goes, his quarterbacks are among the best in their respective conference, and the offense is prolific.
Make no mistake, he has some talent to work with at Texas A&M. Conner Weigman played well in 4 starts at the end of the season, and WR Evan Stewart and TE Donovan Green will soon be elite at their positions.
The offense will be completely different under Petrino, and will be more efficient and proficient. The only potential drawback: Can Petrino and Fisher — 2 of the biggest egos in the sport — coexist? It will be fascinating to watch.
9. Numbers
25. Zach Arnett made the first critical move of his tenure as the Mississippi State coach, hiring Kevin Barbay as offensive coordinator.
Get ready for a change in philosophy in Starkville. The Bulldogs will still throw it, but the days of the pass game accounting for 68 percent of offensive play calls — like they were in 2022 under late coach Mike Leach — are over.
Barbay has been an FBS offensive coordinator for 2 seasons: at Central Michigan in 2021, and App State in 2022. The Mountaineers threw the ball 43 percent of the time, a 25 percent difference from Mississippi State with Leach.
Arnett wants more balance in the offense, and with QB Will Rogers returning in 2023, wants to protect him with the run game.
App State QB Chase Brice threw for 2,921 yards and 27 TDs this season, and the run game accounted for 2,453 yards and 27 TDs — and averaged 5.18 yards per rush.
10. Quote to note
“You don’t inherit greatness. You don’t inherit this. You earn it. And that’s what this team did over the last year. They earned every single victory along the way.” — Kirby Smart
Bama has to get that defense fixed. It isn’t looking like Bill O’Brien is wanting to return to New England so the offense should be fine.
Kirby Smart has put up a wall on the state of GA with recruiting. Bama ain’t getting GA talent like they used to.
Definitely agree about DC importance; don’t agree on offense (BoB must go) and recruiting (Bama has gotten plenty of GA talent last cycle and Kirbz has a fair share of talent from AL – no walls around here).
I personally the the unholy Trinity of Freeze/Pearl/AU will try cheating their way to the top again soon and ncaa is too toothless to try and stop them.
Personally think – whoops
Seriously? It’s not called cheating anymore. It’s called NIL. The biggest pockets(reference A&M) but that doesn’t ensure big results. Coaching plus cash equals winning.
There’s plenty of cheating still going on. Unless you believe every coaching staff is not contacting – poaching players – even before they enter the portal.
Saban got two 5* players and 4* QB out of GA. in the 23 class.
JTF
Kirby didn’t want em.
@RonMexico:
In what universe? UGA can claim that they didn’t want the QB. But they absolutely did want the #1 safety in the country and the #1 RB in the country (a legacy of a fondly remembered player, the son of the “hobnail boot” call RB). UGA immediately started recruiting other guys after those 2 signed with Bama.
I nominate thadec for “most easily fooled”. for the day.
If you haven’t noticed, thadec…up to this point Kirby avoids chasing hard after recruits who feel entitled even if it is in his own backyard, but on occasion a Brenton Cox will slip thru. There’s a reason why Kirby recruits and signs players from coast to coast, this is it. Without calling out any young men, several of the top in state talent insisted on too many perks…
“In what universe? ”
It was a joke. Calm down.
“I personally the the unholy Trinity of Freeze/Pearl/AU will try cheating”
If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’. – Bear Bryant
You better go look at this recruiting class Genius! Apparently that “wall” was like the Southern Border because they came flowing into T Town from GA!
Kirby allowed Saban to borrow them.
A fence? Bama got the 2 highest ranked recruits out of GA this year, and UGA only signed 2 of the Top 10 players overall. Last year he only got 2 in the Top 8 & A&M alone got 3 while Bama had 2.
So Alabama has actually signed more kids than UGA in their own state out of the Top 10/8 from the last 2 seasons. What kind of fence did you mean exactly?
Replacing Young will be the biggest challenge facing Bama next year. UT beats Bama by 2 TDs easy had it not been for Young. I have a hard time seeing Milktoast or Simpson come in a take over like Young did.
Penalties cost Alabama losses last year. If they would have had 6 like the Vols instead of 17, they would have beat y’all by 20+ points.
Oh, no you didn’t say Milktoast, did you? LOL!!!
Neither should have to play at Young’s level IF, as Smart has just demonstrated twice with SB4 at QB, you have a great defense to complement your offense AND you run the ball successfully on at least 40% of the plays.
Saban’s problem the last two years is that his defense has fallen way down from what it once was. That made the Tide too reliant on that pinball scoring offense they’ve had.
The old saying is still true, “Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.”
Just as replacing Tua, and Mack Jones was a challenge. Every team goes through it every few years. It is a part of the game. Bama will have 3 top 9 QBs plus Milroe that was 13th to try to win the starting job. They have the talent; we have to see who wins the job.
If the Tide defense plays like it did last year, whoever wins the QB1 job will struggle to win some games, just like Young did last year.
Four days ago: “Nick Saban knows the end is here.”
Today: “Can Nick Saban regain his championship mojo?”
He answered his own question four days before he asked it. We are witnessing genius.
He forgot what he wrote – give the guy a break: how’s he supposed to remember his idiotic talking points from day to day? He’s too busy playing with his toys and drooling on his keyboard.
“When people run in circles it’s a very, very.. mad world.”
I think Tears For Fears foresaw the internet, and SDS.
Studies show only 37% of people want to rule the world
Hahaha!
But 87% are head over heels and shout about those 37% wanting to rule the world.
A lot of ifs, ands and buts in this article. You are what your records says you are. bama still has a very elite class of talent on their team and recruiting hasnt slowed. Coaching is what appeared to be lacking, especially defensively, but dont forget the decision making like clock management in the TN game. hayes can say bama would have won but thats just a WAG. Who knows but had they run the clock down they at least would have found out. Thats not on Golding. I do think father time is catching saban but it isnt something that equates to falling off a cliff overnite. Its bama and georgia right now with a few others trying to get there. I think they struggle trying to replace BY and if they have two new corrdinators that may create an issue or two along the way. I think LSU is the only team in the west to challenge them for 2023. I still think ATM is a year away. Ark seems to be regressing and ole miss seems stagnant. Auburn could be a wild card but I expect it will take the freeze a couple years to get squared away. Its ga in the east until they get knocked off. if Milton plays well we have a shot in knoxville but we are also likely to lose another one or two we shouldnt. Nobody else in the east is close.
solid takes all-around.
I’ll just add, with expanded playoffs coming that will obviously help. I don’t think anyone who made the playoffs this year wanted to play/see Bama in there even with 2 losses.
Plenty of people wanted to play an Alabama that had a bad OL, no vertical threats among their WRs, a TE with hands of stone that defenses left open on purpose, tons of penalties and absolutely no playmakers in the middle of their defense. Alabama was the #4 team in the SEC this year. They lost to #2 and #3 head to head and would have gotten slaughtered by #1. They won 3 other 1 score games against pedestrian teams, but two of them required very questionable officiating, especially the no-call of the safety against a Texas team playing its 2nd best QB (but also the no-call in pass interference in the end zone against a 5-7 Texas A&M playing its 2nd best QB).
Yes, they blew out Kansas State, but Kansas State was the #2 team in the Big 12 and you saw what UGA did to the #1 team. Also, Bama’s players chose not to opt out of that game, mainly because they knew that the risk of injury was low (if it was a bowl game against a Big 10 or big time ACC team they would have sat out).
If you give Alabama’s resume to Michigan State or Arizona State, people would say that they are maybe a top 10 team. No one would call them a title contender.
No one wanted to play Bama. I mean they would probably say they would just to sound good, but I don’t believe any of the 4 teams if they were being honest would say they’d rather play Bama than TCU or Michigan, or Georgia, etc.
“Also, Bama’s players chose not to opt out of that game, mainly because they knew that the risk of injury was low (if it was a bowl game against a Big 10 or big time ACC team they would have sat out).“
—- that is about the dumbest thing I’ve ever read.
You should be a feature reporter for SDS.
Maybe, but UGA blew out the two teams that beat Bama. So I think they would have showed up.
@booches94 Are saying people would have preferred to play Georgia before Bama? Maybe I missed something but UGA played murder ball in 2022 and Bama looked pedestrian most of the season. UGA played 2 close games, Bama lost 2 games and played in 6-7.
I’d agree no one wanted play Bama if its based solely on recruiting rankings, but the actual games told a different story.
*6-7 close games.
This is a different dynamic for Saban. Once he got Bama rolling 3rd year – he took over the SEC – running Urban Meyer out of the conference, Meyer seen the writing on the wall. There have been loses to Auburn and other teams, but it never got to a point of anybody thinking, this coach – program was in a position to really challenge Saban and Alabama.
Now, it looks like Kirby is in a good position to actually challenge the legend.
Kirby even looks to have one distinct advantage – development. Kirby’s fighting to keep the best coaching staff in CFB together, while Saban’s searching for better assistance coaches, and answers.
The coaching carousel is going to be something to watch, as well as how next season plays out. Can Saban afford to not win it all for a third straight year?
Yes. He can. He’s won so much his legend is certain. I doubt he will lay down. But we will see.
Crimson. Saban’s legend is set in stone. No result is going to change that.
“Can Saban afford to not win it all for a third straight year?”
As in, if he doesn’t – how could that effect the perception of the program and its prospects going forward. If Kirby three-peats – that won’t be devastating to Saban and Alabama. But it would widen the perception that Georgia has pulled ahead…
The media loves setting the narrative, and they’ll play this Saban vs. Kirby narrative to the max. If Saban wants to stay on top, he needs to beat Kirby, be it in a head-to-head or simply winning the NC in whatever path that takes.
This is going to be a long offseason… Until Alabama isn’t competitive in games these types of articles are an incredible waste of time. It’s like pointing out that Georgia only has one direction to go (down) or stay at the top. We won’t know if either will hold true until next season.
Jeez, leave the guy (Saban) alone already. This is like the third or fourth article Hayes has written on the exact same topic.
Saban is getting close to retirement. Georgia good. Got it. Move on.
Amen. And remember this in a year or so when UGA falters (god forbid) and everyone will accuse UGA fans of proclaiming Bama is dead when it’s nothing but sports writers doing it.
is uga good? forgive, but i question if you really believe that. from a declaration of an lsu true fresh dominating the sec champ game to bennett really only being good on account of his age in compariso to his peers to typically trying to convince others that the next challenger stands a good chance of taking uga down to bennett being good for 2+ TOs a game to whatever.
you’ve always had an antagonistic view on uga. that’s fine, you don’t like uga and as a uf fan i get it and appreciate it, but don’t act like you’ve accepted it
P, don’t be silly.
Georgia is UF’s primary rival, so of course I’m antagonistic.
I’m not blind, though. I try to be as objective as I can. In fact, I wrote the other day that while Saban is still the Goat, Kirby is the best coach in the country right now. Georgia has one of the two best rosters in the country. Maybe the best.
If I say it, I believe it.
Yes, I thought 40 could be big for LSU in the SECCG. House didn’t play young Harold the way I would have, so he wasn’t put in a position often enough to do what I thought he could do. Even if Perkins had forced Bennett into multiple turnovers, Georgia still likely would have won the game.
Yes, I’ve said Bennett benefited disproportionately from age and extra experience. How could he not? But that’s just an opinion as to a major reason why he was good, not a claim that he was not good. And the word “only” is yours, not mine.
I can say Ringo is stiff in man coverage and still think Georgia is the best team in the country. Both things can be true.
Didn’t folks know how old Bennett was when they said he was too short? Had a weak arm? Too slow?
Will never be drafted?
LOL. Just to be clear, I think it’s the number of seasons he’s played college football, more so than his chronological age.
He is short for a quarterback. And like Young, has a slight build. His arm strength seemed improved during 2021 but is still not great. Don’t recall anyone ever saying he was “too slow.”
I will be surprised if he is drafted. I could see a team signing him as an UDFA. But then, I am on record saying repeatedly that Anthony Richardson will not be drafted and he may go in the first round; so what do I know?
Matt Hayes is the proverbial dog that always returns to its own vomit.
Agree. First he says he doesn’t want to get on soapbox then says Mullen would be excellent hire. Except he doesn’t like to recruit like Saban expects his coaches to.
I think that is part of Saban’s problem now. He keeps hiring recruiters instead of good coaches. He needs guys that can actually develop talent.
Ya gotta get ‘em there first
Number 1, I don’t assume nor believe that the GOAT has lost his championship mojo. He was 2 last plays of the game from being undefeated and playing for the SEC championship and playoffs.
Number 2, the final play against LSU was not a pick play. The corner covering the TE just played too far back and was a step or 2 from getting there. QB threw to the perfect spot at the perfect time.
actually pop he was one play away from tieing TN and going to OT. May or may not have won. we will never know.
I thought Bama – UT were tied and Bama missed the go ahead FG with like 20-30 seconds on the clock. The way UT was throwing and catching wayaaayyyy to much time to get into winning FG range.
It’s more than close losses as they could have easily lost 7 of the games they played over the last two seasons.
Good on Alabama for winning in those games but this is not what we are used to with Alabama under Saban.
2021
Florida (31-29)
Texas A&M (41-38)
LSU (20-14)
Arkansas (42-35)
Auburn (24-22 OT)
2022
Texas (20-19)
Texas A&M (24-20)
Saban hasn’t lost his championship mojo. When it does, he’ll retire. He’s not gonna hang on forever like JoPa did and run the program into the ground. Bama will be just fine.
Sandusky had a part in that.
Georgia will every game ever from now on, Alabama will lose every game ever from now on. The season is pointless forever. Only Georgia can win. That is it, that is all.
Thanks, Negan. LoL. Just kidding, I get your point.
Brock Bowers would win the Heisman going away if he put up numbers like he did in the natty
Brock can do anything Brock wants to do. He is a generational talent.
I just can’t believe so many people question whether Bama will be as relevant in 2023 as they have been for the last decade. They have not finished lower than third in recruiting in over a decade and Coach Saban has done an exceptional job of replacing staff members for over a decade. Yes, they have questions at QB but they have exceptional talent at every other position so they may not be as explosive on offense as in the past but who in the West is hands down better than Bama? They don’t have a Williams or Metchie at receiver, but they don’t need that to win. We’ve won back-to-back titles with our top receivers being a shell of themselves in the playoffs due to injury in both years. I just believe with the talent they have; they will be right back atop the West and headed to Atlanta for another fight with the Dawgs!
The talent is there. It’s a lot easier to fix problems when you already have the talent.
Exciting opportunity!
I am sharing a big money sure thing bet with you all that Cant Miss! With Mertz a shoe in to win the Heisman and the odds at + 15000 you WILL win BIG MONEY!
Place your bets now with my new APP, MertzDual, and receive a free NFT that MAY increase in value!
Bet Mertz today, so you can retire tomorrow!
247 has Mertz as the starting Gator QB in 2023, Truth. I guess Miller is chopped liver? Yes, this is certainly the silly season, but as for me, I’d sure like to see more of Max before ‘the science is settled’.
And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Then I’d like to say that we’ll miss you, but I can’t seem to make myself.
Hey Einstein It’s an ode to the GOAT as he is in the twilight of his career, geez
Still can’t figure out why this writer keeps bashing Saban. Not really a guy anyone should piss off. A few years ago, writers bashed Saban for the offense and look what happened.
Saban the Clown will go 9-3
Oh the meltdowns that will come on the sidelines & in the crowd
Yet another article where Matt just spews about things, he knows nothing about. “Now Saban will retool his coaching staff, and if O’Brien leaves, will adjust to another offensive philosophy and play-caller.” The OC, and DC, adjust to Bama’s philosophy. This philosophy has been basically unchanged since Kiffin on offense and the defensive philosophy is Saban’s. They do call the plays and may install plays, but the philosophy and terminology stays the same. Saban has said that it is easier for the coordinators to learn the philosophy and terminology than for the entire team. It keeps continuity with the players instead of them having to learn something different every couple of years.
I would say from the games I watched the primary problem was play calling. In the Tennessee game in particular the Vols kept getting their wrs matched up on Bama’s safeties, and yet Golding just kept calling the same plays that allowed that to happen.
The offensive playcalling was also suspect unless 60 percent of your passing plays are called Bryce Young Improvises.
Truth, mrtruth. Thanks for restoring sanity; now if Matt Hayes will just submit to ECT……..
Tidefan, this entire article is silly. I get the sense that Hayes imagines himself a shark with imaginary blood in the water.
This is not an either-or scenario between Kirby and Nick; it’s quite conceivable that the SEC will have two legendary coaches active for quite some time.
I am in no means a Bama fan but let’s hold off on their obituary. They were as close to a 12-0 regular season as you can get. I think they will be just fine. I believe Saban will get much more from this year’s number 1 class than Jimbo go from his last year.
The reports of Saban’s demise are if anything greatly exaggerated.
Little Man is on his way out, even with 5* talent he is beginning to wane. The gruel is taking it’s toll, he’s aged five years this season. Two, maybe three, he’s done.
NIL has a relationship to the past, Here is the equation: The more your program cheated in the past when financial aid was SUPPOSED to be limited::::: the more NIL will kick your ash in the future.
Did Saban live on good coaching or on mystery $$$$$$.?
Personally I think the big gainers in NIL life are not LSU or Oklahoma or Texas or Georgia because these programs will have the same deep pockets while numerous other programs will suddenly have as much or more purchasing power. But Since the old secret money was somewhat a secret total layout now we are really only going to know the new players and how deep their pockets are. The Big Ten will have some Big spenders just never as big as their mouths. The Big 12 will have a fair number of $ Players”. The PAC 12 will have money but blow it anyway. The ACC, I’m just not feeling the $ football culture but what are fans like us going to know???
Think about the new office of Athletic Director regarding INVESTING IN A CULTURE OF NIL SPONSORS. These sponsor people will have super homes away from home about 40 rows up extending 100 yards back out over the parking lot. That weak football field we just saw host the top bowl game ??? They will be tearing that slum down to keep up with Home field NIL luxury field super-suites
I couldn’t make it through 30 seconds of this drivel. Only one person will tell Nick Saban when to retire and her name is Terry. The rest of you are pretentious wannabes who pretend to have some kind of insight into a mind you can’t comprehend. So, thanks for playing, but just wait for the headline like everybody else.