I say 17 Nick Saban. Change my mind.

[T-TownDawgg]

This guy built his brand and an empire at an already well established national powerhouse built on a foundation of working the system to screw over smaller competing schools. He had absolutely nothing to say about inequality among the schools in recruiting when he was chewing through his schedules with 4 and 5 star loaded rosters for almost 3 decades. He made over a hundred-million dollars in a system that was so top heavy that players fought it and ushered in the clusterfukery we currently endure. When his competitive edge was dulled he quit. That’s my take.

I hearing increasingly more media pundits say that NS is absolutely the right person for the White House and Congress to consult on how to structure the corralling of this runaway train.

My brain screams. He was a major part of the trends and forces that brought this on. Revenue sharing is the only reasonably feasible option to help bring any semblance of logic. So why the unnecessary consult? This mofo is retired. Political posturing?

Did Roosevelt consult the Rockerfellers on anti-trust legislation? Am I wrong?

 

[Dawgbite]

Saban didn’t create the cluster **** that is now collegiate sports. His success At working the system may have been the catalyst that started the whole thing. He didn’t do anything at Alabama that every coach before him didn’t do or at least attempted to do, he was just better at it. Someone has to reel this monster in and Saban really has no personal agenda, he’s out of the game. What is some lobbyist going to offer Saban that he doesn’t already have. Would you rather have a Benny Thompson running the show or a bunch of lawyers keeping everything in perpetual limbo thus guaranteeing a constant revenue stream for the lawyers and no solution for the fans.

 

[GloryDawg]

They did buy his teams much like several other blue bloods, but what made his teams so much better year in, and year out was, he coached them up and made them better. I don't think Smart or anyone else did it as good as he did.

 

[jethreauxdawg]

You do you, but he’s nowhere near the list of people I’d 17

 

[patdog]

Saban didn’t create the cluster **** that is now collegiate sports. His success At working the system may have been the catalyst that started the whole thing. He didn’t do anything at Alabama that every coach before him didn’t do or at least attempted to do, he was just better at it. Someone has to reel this monster in and Saban really has no personal agenda, he’s out of the game. What is some lobbyist going to offer Saban that he doesn’t already have. Would you rather have a Benny Thompson running the show or a bunch of lawyers keeping everything in perpetual limbo thus guaranteeing a constant revenue stream for the lawyers and no solution for the fans.

He also didn't do anything at Alabama that coaches at Auburn, Tennessee, LSU, Texas, and dozens more hadn't been doing for years. Like Glory Dawg said, what he did better than anyone else was get a bunch of 5* players to buy in to a system and play as a team. Easier said than done.

 

[Anon1717806835]

This guy built his brand and an empire at an already well established national powerhouse built on a foundation of working the system to screw over smaller competing schools. He had absolutely nothing to say about inequality among the schools in recruiting when he was chewing through his schedules with 4 and 5 star loaded rosters for almost 3 decades. He made over a hundred-million dollars in a system that was so top heavy that players fought it and ushered in the clusterfukery we currently endure. When his competitive edge was dulled he quit. That’s my take.

I hearing increasingly more media pundits say that NS is absolutely the right person for the White House and Congress to consult on how to structure the corralling of this runaway train.

My brain screams. He was a major part of the trends and forces that brought this on. Revenue sharing is the only reasonably feasible option to help bring any semblance of logic. So why the unnecessary consult? This mofo is retired. Political posturing?

Did Roosevelt consult the Rockerfellers on anti-trust legislation? Am I wrong?

I'm for anyone trying to make changes to current environment, and I think a former head coach can come closer to getting right or atleast making it not as much of a joke.

 

[Drebin]

Saban didn’t create the cluster **** that is now collegiate sports. His success At working the system may have been the catalyst that started the whole thing. He didn’t do anything at Alabama that every coach before him didn’t do or at least attempted to do, he was just better at it. Someone has to reel this monster in and Saban really has no personal agenda, he’s out of the game. What is some lobbyist going to offer Saban that he doesn’t already have. Would you rather have a Benny Thompson running the show or a bunch of lawyers keeping everything in perpetual limbo thus guaranteeing a constant revenue stream for the lawyers and no solution for the fans.

I understand what you're saying but the reason he's out of the game is because he took his ball and went home when he lost his competitive advantage.

 

[patdog]

I understand what you're saying but the reason he's out of the game is because he took his ball and went home when he lost his competitive advantage.

Might have also had something to do with the fact he was 70 years old at the time and just naturally lost some of his fire and edge over the last few years, like most coaches do at that age. I don't know that he would still be coaching today even without NIL. My guess is, he wouldn't.

 

[Pookieray]

To act like NS did anything that any other coach or really boosters do or did is ridiculous. It is my opinion that boosters do "it" anyway. It is the boosters that know who the coaches want or need and I do believe the coaches know but it's done by the boosters. If the school you support has many wealthy boosters and they are willing to put up the $ your team will be a good to great team. If you support a school that doesn't have the numbers or wealth or ones that are willing to spend their $ on the school then you have to coach up the players to compete. State is perceived to be an engineering and agricultural school and probably rightfully so, and they are usually wise with the $ and the ones I've met aren't usually boastful. We've had our coaches who encouraged boosters to go the extra mile and some have done it. It just hasn't been enough at one time or over a long enough period of time to make it to the top. But to act like state doesn't play the game is ridiculous. If you want to compete for a NC or to get into the playoffs it'll cost you and it'll take years of that cost to get you into the playoffs. We will see if the loud mouths up north are willing to pay up year after year to get there. It's still on the boosters and fanbase to get the $ to compete. It's just in the open now.

 

[pseudonym]

The problem with college football is year-round free agency. I don't see how that is Saban's fault. I would trade this era for the Alabama dynasty era (without immediate eligibility) in a heartbeat.

2010-2019 was a very good period of State football, very much the Alabama dynasty era.

 

[Theconnormead]

I understand what you're saying but the reason he's out of the game is because he took his ball and went home when he lost his competitive advantage.

Alternatively, it could be due to recruitment challenges, with players prioritizing money, brand and guaranteed playing time.

 

[Chesusdog]

**** Saban. He is an awful human being.

 

[paindonthurtDCD2]

This guy built his brand and an empire at an already well established national powerhouse built on a foundation of working the system to screw over smaller competing schools. He had absolutely nothing to say about inequality among the schools in recruiting when he was chewing through his schedules with 4 and 5 star loaded rosters for almost 3 decades. He made over a hundred-million dollars in a system that was so top heavy that players fought it and ushered in the clusterfukery we currently endure. When his competitive edge was dulled he quit. That’s my take.

I hearing increasingly more media pundits say that NS is absolutely the right person for the White House and Congress to consult on how to structure the corralling of this runaway train.

My brain screams. He was a major part of the trends and forces that brought this on. Revenue sharing is the only reasonably feasible option to help bring any semblance of logic. So why the unnecessary consult? This mofo is retired. Political posturing?

Did Roosevelt consult the Rockerfellers on anti-trust legislation? Am I wrong?

It’s a simple fox

eliminate unlimited transfers
Let them have revenue sharing but cap it at some point

CBA may be the answer to do the above but the system could end up being better than it was before.

To your point though, saban shouldn’t be the guy heading this up. Maybe he should be involved but he shouldn’t the the main decision maker.

 

[paindonthurtDCD2]

Might have also had something to do with the fact he was 70 years old at the time and just naturally lost some of his fire and edge over the last few years, like most coaches do at that age. I don't know that he would still be coaching today even without NIL. My guess is, he wouldn't.

Partially true but he got mad with nil and I think that had a lot to do with losing an advantage.

 

[T-TownDawgg]

It’s a simple fox

eliminate unlimited transfers
Let them have revenue sharing but cap it at some point

CBA may be the answer to do the above but the system could end up being better than it was before.

To your point though, saban shouldn’t be the guy heading this up. Maybe he should be involved but he shouldn’t the the main decision maker.

That’s my point. He was the Evil Emperor over the old system. Why is he the unelected savior for the new system he quit on and is vocal about his disdain for it?

Oh, and for the “he was going to quit anyway, he’s 70” folks, I heard many times from people in the big booster club that he would coach as long as it was fun for him. I took that as a shot at the opinionated cigar boys and UA administrators to continue to leave him alone, which was the problem when he first arrived there.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

The combination of being able to transfer, at will, plus direct NIL, has turned the players into complete
Gypsies and Whores.
Not saying that Saban was remotely on the up and up, but with the system in place now, college sports is being destroyed.
Unless something changes, you are going to see many college sports programs shut their doors.
That also means leagues like the NFL will not have as many players to chose from. And fewer people will have
and opportunity to get a college education. ETC, it goes on, and on.
Your close men's programs, and then there will also be fewer opportunities for women.

 

[Jack Klompus.sixpack]

I don’t like the transfer portal, NIL, or Saban. No particular order, just want them all gone.

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

I understand what you're saying but the reason he's out of the game is because he took his ball and went home when he lost his competitive advantage.

Saban didn’t lose his competitive edge, Saban finally got fed up with players not not asking or caring about how to become better to help the team win, to make the NFL, but asking instead, how much is my NIL going to be next year.
Saban had a good team in ‘23 but lost to an even better Michigan in the Playoff.
He conducts end of year individual interviews with every player and after these were done in early January is when Saban said 17-it and retired.
It was told to me that not one player asked anything much about anything other than their NIL deals.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Revenue sharing is the only reasonably feasible option to help bring any semblance of logic.

Revenue sharing is the only option to bring any competitive balance to the non-rich teams. Big difference.

The actual solution is to continue to allow boosters to pay for whoever they want and leave the mess alone. Boosters started it. Let them have it. Keep the schools completely out of it. And….actually police the collectives NCAA.

 

[Drebin]

Saban didn’t lose his competitive edge, Saban finally got fed up with players not not asking or caring about how to become better to help the team win, to make the NFL, but asking instead, how much is my NIL going to be next year.
Saban had a good team in ‘23 but lost to an even better Michigan in the Playoff.
He conducts end of year individual interviews with every player and after these were done in early January is when Saban said 17-it and retired.
It was told to me that not one player asked anything much about anything other than their NIL deals.

Yeah I heard him tell that story too.

I'll tell you a secret....it's BS.

 

[ababyatemydingo]

This guy built his brand and an empire at an already well established national powerhouse built on a foundation of working the system to screw over smaller competing schools. He had absolutely nothing to say about inequality among the schools in recruiting when he was chewing through his schedules with 4 and 5 star loaded rosters for almost 3 decades. He made over a hundred-million dollars in a system that was so top heavy that players fought it and ushered in the clusterfukery we currently endure. When his competitive edge was dulled he quit. That’s my take.

I hearing increasingly more media pundits say that NS is absolutely the right person for the White House and Congress to consult on how to structure the corralling of this runaway train.

My brain screams. He was a major part of the trends and forces that brought this on. Revenue sharing is the only reasonably feasible option to help bring any semblance of logic. So why the unnecessary consult? This mofo is retired. Political posturing?

Did Roosevelt consult the Rockerfellers on anti-trust legislation? Am I wrong?

Rev sharing won't replace NIL. It'll be in addition to NIL. NIL isn't going anywhere. The courts have said as much. The rich will still buy more good players than the poors

 

[Dawgzilla2]

I really hate Nick Saban. He didn't personally ruin college football, but he is the poster child for everything that is wrong in college sports today.

That said, he is the perfect person to try to right the ship. If you listen to him for 10 or 15 minutes, you will agree. He cares about college sports and the athletes.

Saban knows the college sports system inside and out. He had to in order to utilize every possible advantage. He also understands the psyche of today's college players, which he had to in order to be a good coach. Players and administrators will listen to him.

Saban wants players to be able to earn legitimate money off the field. He also wants them prepared to face the world once they are out of sports. And he can see the current system is killing the golden goose.

Saban certainly isn't the only man who could get this done, but he has time on his hands and he seems willing to put in the work. I still hate him, but he gets my vote.

 

[HumpDawgy]

He did have a good system that worked in college football, but he always needed a school with top tier resources (LSU and Bama) to be successful with that system. I would have been more impressed if he stayed at Michigan State and built them into a powerhouse, but he decided to take easier paths.

 

[MSUDAWGFAN]

I understand what you're saying but the reason he's out of the game is because he took his ball and went home when he lost his competitive advantage.

Think about it this way: In the NFL - which is geared up to be an equal talent league (except at QB), Saban couldn't win. He won at LSU and Alabama for one reason - he had more talent. You think those players went there for free? I have some questions, which I'll get to in a minute.

Saban only went undefeated once or twice at Alabama despite having the #1 recruiting class at least 9 years in a row. That means after the first couple of years every single game he lost he was outcoached. You think players are going there for the very best coaching? Nah. He's getting players that are already bound for the NFL when they get there. And as far as NIL goes, Saban was the very first one to come out and brag about his QB having almost a million dollars of NIL deals, stating that wasn't him, it was the program. It wasn't until after Ohio State came out saying their QB had almost $4 million in NIIL deals that he started complaining that it needed to be regulated. Well, Nick I'd say coaches salaries need to be regulated. That's fair right?

Now on to that question - to anybody thinking Saban did things on the up and up. During the Ole Miss investigation it was found that Bo Davis had illegally contacted recruits during the dead period, which he denied in front of the NCAA - twice. Now, every coach knows that the one thing you don't do to the NCAA is lie to them. If he had just told the truth, it would have been pretty minor. He would ave had to go get some further training, like in a PowerPOint presentaiton or something. But instead, he got a show cause.

So Alabama had to fire him. And then they paid him a lump sum of money that was more than he had remaining on his contract. When someone at The Tuscaloosa News put in an NIL request for "all payments made to Davis in each pay period as well as a year to date total" The lawyers at Alabama did not include the lump sum, nor did they include the year to date total. When it was found out that they ommitted this info and questioned about it, the lawyers - people with advanced degrees - said "that's not how your request was interpreted."

So my question is simple - did the lawyers really not know what that request was asking for or were they covering for the football team cheating? If they were honest and didn't know what that request was asking, they should be fired because that is basic English any middle school child would know. And remind me to never hire an Alabama grad ever again if that speaks for the University. But I think we know what the answer really is.

For reference, this is the Alabama Rivals site - hardly an Anti Alabama site - detailing the info.

Bo Davis received $316K payout in August

Bo Davis has been paid more in 2016 than he would have if he had kept his job.

alabama.rivals.com

 

[MSUDAWGFAN]

**** Saban. He is an awful human being.

People that say Saban was some great disciplinarian. I point out Tim Williams, who failed (in his own words "Many drug tests" while at Alabama, Cam Robinson who got arrested for what would have been felony gun possession ( but the DA didn't charge him because "I'm not going to ruin some young man's future who spent his childhood outside while others spent theirs indoors in air conditioning" and my favorite - Courtney Upshaw who got arrested for Domestic Violence. None were kicked off the team. None were even suspended.

The reason Courtney Upshaw is my favorite of those 3 is that a few years later, there was a walk on or junior college transfer that hardly played, if ever, who got arrested for DV on a Friday. At the next press conference, Saban came out and banged the podium saying "He's off the team because that's not who we are." Great. But when it was future 1st round pick Courtney Upshaw, it was for damn sure who they were then.

 

[Motodawg]

Think about it this way: In the NFL - which is geared up to be an equal talent league (except at QB), Saban couldn't win. He won at LSU and Alabama for one reason - he had more talent. You think those players went there for free? I have some questions, which I'll get to in a minute.

Saban only went undefeated once or twice at Alabama despite having the #1 recruiting class at least 9 years in a row. That means after the first couple of years every single game he lost he was outcoached. You think players are going there for the very best coaching? Nah. He's getting players that are already bound for the NFL when they get there. And as far as NIL goes, Saban was the very first one to come out and brag about his QB having almost a million dollars of NIL deals, stating that wasn't him, it was the program. It wasn't until after Ohio State came out saying their QB had almost $4 million in NIIL deals that he started complaining that it needed to be regulated. Well, Nick I'd say coaches salaries need to be regulated. That's fair right?

Now on to that question - to anybody thinking Saban did things on the up and up. During the Ole Miss investigation it was found that Bo Davis had illegally contacted recruits during the dead period, which he denied in front of the NCAA - twice. Now, every coach knows that the one thing you don't do to the NCAA is lie to them. If he had just told the truth, it would have been pretty minor. He would ave had to go get some further training, like in a PowerPOint presentaiton or something. But instead, he got a show cause.

So Alabama had to fire him. And then they paid him a lump sum of money that was more than he had remaining on his contract. When someone at The Tuscaloosa News put in an NIL request for "all payments made to Davis in each pay period as well as a year to date total" The lawyers at Alabama did not include the lump sum, nor did they include the year to date total. When it was found out that they ommitted this info and questioned about it, the lawyers - people with advanced degrees - said "that's not how your request was interpreted."

So my question is simple - did the lawyers really not know what that request was asking for or were they covering for the football team cheating? If they were honest and didn't know what that request was asking, they should be fired because that is basic English any middle school child would know. And remind me to never hire an Alabama grad ever again if that speaks for the University. But I think we know what the answer really is.

For reference, this is the Alabama Rivals site - hardly an Anti Alabama site - detailing the info.

Bo Davis received $316K payout in August

Bo Davis has been paid more in 2016 than he would have if he had kept his job.

alabama.rivals.com

I know Bo personally. I’ve worked at his house many, many times. He’s as solid as they come. He was 100% the fall guy in that whole thing.

 

[MSUDAWGFAN]

I know Bo personally. I’ve worked at his house many, many times. He’s as solid as they come. He was 100% the fall guy in that whole thing.

But he was paid to shut up about it. That's what that lump sum was for. The reason they gave doesn't even make sense to me. What disputes? And why didn't any other coaches seem to have disputes?

 

[Motodawg]

But he was paid to shut up about it. That's what that lump sum was for. The reason they gave doesn't even make sense to me. What disputes? And why didn't any other coaches seem to have disputes?

All I know is when we’ve talked about it, Bo says what a wonderful man Saban is. I reckon if I got paid to be a fall guy, instead of just getting screwed like I always have in these situations, I’d say you were a great man too lol

 

[MagnoliaHunter]

This guy built his brand and an empire at an already well established national powerhouse built on a foundation of working the system to screw over smaller competing schools. He had absolutely nothing to say about inequality among the schools in recruiting when he was chewing through his schedules with 4 and 5 star loaded rosters for almost 3 decades. He made over a hundred-million dollars in a system that was so top heavy that players fought it and ushered in the clusterfukery we currently endure. When his competitive edge was dulled he quit. That’s my take.

I hearing increasingly more media pundits say that NS is absolutely the right person for the White House and Congress to consult on how to structure the corralling of this runaway train.

My brain screams. He was a major part of the trends and forces that brought this on. Revenue sharing is the only reasonably feasible option to help bring any semblance of logic. So why the unnecessary consult? This mofo is retired. Political posturing?

Did Roosevelt consult the Rockerfellers on anti-trust legislation? Am I wrong?

You are definitely wrong. It should be 17 nicky satan with a red hot poker.

 

[DerHntr]

I hate that congress is addressing it at all. Their primary focus will be how to enrich themselves. There is too much money involved for them to stay out of the cookie jar. But, if they are going to address it, they need input from people who have dealt with the system. I’d prefer they engage coaches at schools that vary from blue bloods to dumpster fires. I think being heavily influenced by Saban will not stop congress from screwing it up worse.

 

[Ranchdawg]

Saban was an *ss his first year after he lost to State. I said when Bummer hired him it was the end of college football. Saban is Saban's biggest fan. He will lobby for the big name programs because that's paying the bills. College football will improve when he is gone.