Would Nick Saban ...

Redmich

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Jun 21, 2022
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have been Nick Saban if he stayed at Mich State his entire career

I don't think so
I think a coach's record is a combination of the coach's ceiling and the program's ceiling

are we less than enthused about a number of coaches with less than stellar records but may be performing close to their current programs ceiling?
 
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steinek11

All-Conference
Apr 18, 2004
13,484
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have been Nick Saban if he stayed at Mich State his entire career

I don't think so
I think a coach's record is a combination of the coach's ceiling and the program's ceiling

are we are less than enthused about a number of coaches with less than stellar records but may be performing close to their current programs ceiling?
This is how I think. Who does more with less? (consistently). There's a lot more that goes into building a program then bringing in top recruits, and no, I'm not discounting the value of recruiting.
 

redwine65

All-Conference
Jun 23, 2010
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no, the sec has been the best paying for players the last 2 decades (outside of ohio state and usc)
 

Dean Pope

All-Conference
Oct 11, 2001
13,288
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have been Nick Saban if he stayed at Mich State his entire career

I don't think so
I think a coach's record is a combination of the coach's ceiling and the program's ceiling

are we are less than enthused about a number of coaches with less than stellar records but may be performing close to their current programs ceiling?
I agree 100%. Saban took on Osborne once in East Lansing. Saban had a 1000 yard rusher, a future NFL QB & WR and he lost 50-10. When Saban left Michigan State for LSU and left the NFL for Alabama he did it simply because he thought it would be easier to win at those jobs.

In relating this topic to the NU coaching search, some of the best coaches in college football do not always win. Sometimes the best coaches are at places where it's just flat out tougher to win year in and year out.

With that in mind, I cringe when I see Twitter posts that upgrade or downgrade coaching candidates based on last Saturday's results. Adding "must be coming off a 10 win season" to the criteria in the coaching search eliminates some damn good program building candidates.
 

moralvictories

Sophomore
Jan 22, 2022
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have been Nick Saban if he stayed at Mich State his entire career

I don't think so
I think a coach's record is a combination of the coach's ceiling and the program's ceiling

are we are less than enthused about a number of coaches with less than stellar records but may be performing close to their current programs ceiling?
No, he likely would have been an unknown mediocre coach.
 

SuperBigFan

Redshirt
Jun 10, 2021
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The ability to recruit with boosters that are happy to cheat for you made the Bama job easy.

The next coach at Bama will not have the success that Nick has had and it won't even be close.

There is really only one coach that I can think of that won big at all his stops BEFORE getting to a blue blood and kept winning, that is Cal at Kentucky.

FF with Umass
FF's (I think) and title game at Memphis
FF's and title at UK
 
Dec 4, 2007
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have been Nick Saban if he stayed at Mich State his entire career

I don't think so
I think a coach's record is a combination of the coach's ceiling and the program's ceiling

are we are less than enthused about a number of coaches with less than stellar records but may be performing close to their current programs ceiling?
Stop using logic, it doesn't go over well with some posters.
 

Redmich

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Jun 21, 2022
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This place would implode if we hire someone at their current job with Nick Saban’s record while at Mich St
 
Sep 29, 2001
75,439
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This place would implode if we hire someone at their current job with Nick Saban’s record while at Mich St
This place well could implode with whoever is named as the next coach. I don't sense there is any widespread agreement on a coach this time by fans so a large number likely to be displeased with any pick. BUT that doesn't matter at all if Trev gets it right with picking a winner. Winning games will quiet down the fanbase in short order like nothing else could.

My message to Trev would be don't try to make a decision based on pleasing the fans or the well to do boosters, make the decision on the best probability for winning games. Act like your job depends on picking a winner (because it does).
 

Redmich

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Jun 21, 2022
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This place well could implode with whoever is named as the next coach. I don't sense there is any widespread agreement on a coach this time by fans so a large number likely to be displeased with any pick. BUT that doesn't matter at all if Trev gets it right with picking a winner. Winning games will quiet down the fanbase in short order like nothing else could.

My message to Trev would be don't try to make a decision based on pleasing the fans or the well to do boosters, make the decision on the best probability for winning games. Act like your job depends on picking a winner (because it does).
Coaching hires are a gamble - I would say name your hire that you think will be a winner AND doesn't crater your career if it doesn't work out

another decision out of left field - like bringing back a 3-9 head coach for year 5 - that doesn't work out should limit Trev's post NU AD career to a job where he is strictly told what to do and when to do it and not allow him any lee way to make any important decisions

if he hires a winner regardless of resume all is good
if he doesn't hire a winner and that hire doesn't have a resume that would be attractive to peer programs then he should never be allowed to be in a position of import again
 

SRURock24

Senior
Jul 25, 2017
565
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Saban took over an MSU program that was going through sanctions from the Perles era. He would have built the Spartans into a consistent winner had he stayed but not to the level of Bama or LSU. Harder to get players.
 

BigRedTed

Freshman
Nov 20, 2021
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Probably not. Wouldn't have had the same resources at MSU opposed to a blue blood like Bama. He wasn't going to stick around at the 6th most (historically) revelant program in the Big 10 or whatever MSU is at any rate.
 

HuskerLegion

Freshman
Jan 31, 2011
562
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This place well could implode with whoever is named as the next coach. I don't sense there is any widespread agreement on a coach this time by fans so a large number likely to be displeased with any pick. BUT that doesn't matter at all if Trev gets it right with picking a winner. Winning games will quiet down the fanbase in short order like nothing else could.

My message to Trev would be don't try to make a decision based on pleasing the fans or the well to do boosters, make the decision on the best probability for winning games. Act like your job depends on picking a winner (because it does).
100% agree.
 

FissionReaction

Redshirt
Dec 8, 2021
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have been Nick Saban if he stayed at Mich State his entire career

I don't think so
I think a coach's record is a combination of the coach's ceiling and the program's ceiling

are we less than enthused about a number of coaches with less than stellar records but may be performing close to their current programs ceiling?
Had he stayed at Michigan State, I think he'd be viewed in much the same way Bill Snyder is today - a pretty good coach who won their conference a few times, but no national titles.

I may be giving Saban too much credit, though. KSU was a doormat for decades before Snyder took over that program and made them relevant for the first time. Who's to say Saban would have had that type of success at MSU?
 

dinglefritz

Heisman
Jan 14, 2011
51,426
12,841
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Coaching hires are a gamble - I would say name your hire that you think will be a winner AND doesn't crater your career if it doesn't work out

another decision out of left field - like bringing back a 3-9 head coach for year 5 - that doesn't work out should limit Trev's post NU AD career to a job where he is strictly told what to do and when to do it and not allow him any lee way to make any important decisions

if he hires a winner regardless of resume all is good
if he doesn't hire a winner and that hire doesn't have a resume that would be attractive to peer programs then he should never be allowed to be in a position of import again
Trev isn’t going anywhere for a very long time.
 

Redmich

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Jun 21, 2022
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LSU has done a great job of recognizing great head coaches that were getting very mediocre results at their schools and turned both hires into national titles

Saban at MSU
MIles at Ok St. - 4 years at Ok St -- 4 wins, 8 wins, 9 wins, 7-5 before going to LSU -- never higher than 3rd in the Big 12

zero major bowls between them
 

cHUCK001

Senior
Nov 6, 2016
2,193
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have been Nick Saban if he stayed at Mich State his entire career

I don't think so
I think a coach's record is a combination of the coach's ceiling and the program's ceiling

are we less than enthused about a number of coaches with less than stellar records but may be performing close to their current programs ceiling?
Alabama success? Probably not. However, his last year at MSU, they finished with 2 losses and ranked in the top ten. He turned that program around in 5 years. People tend to forget. Good coaches are good coaches and they will be successful anywhere. He might have turned them into Ohio St had he stayed. I doubt it, but who knows?
 
Jun 20, 2001
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The ability to recruit with boosters that are happy to cheat for you made the Bama job easy.

The next coach at Bama will not have the success that Nick has had and it won't even be close.

There is really only one coach that I can think of that won big at all his stops BEFORE getting to a blue blood and kept winning, that is Cal at Kentucky.

FF with Umass
FF's (I think) and title game at Memphis
FF's and title at UK
I get your point, but the Final Fours at both UMass and Memphis have been vacated for cheating (Marcus Camby and Derrick Rose)
 

SuperBigFan

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Jun 10, 2021
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I get your point, but the Final Fours at both UMass and Memphis have been vacated for cheating (Marcus Camby and Derrick Rose)
Ha..of course they have!

Cal is (was) a huge cheater but in the end those teams were good!

By the way, if you ever get to read up on the Rose ACT issue, it is awesome!
 

moralvictories

Sophomore
Jan 22, 2022
4,078
134
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Will the next coach not have the same help?
He will, but the chances that he will achieve the same success as Saban are pretty slim. The coach still has to be a solid coach in order to continue along the path they are on.
 

TheHuskerFreak

Sophomore
Dec 18, 2020
1,141
188
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No, but still damn impressive what he has done at Alabama. They weren't exactly lighting it up with Mike dubose or Mike Shula. Even with gene stallings they didn't win like Saban and they were cheating