My Hot take on how Saban leaving affects UT

[pimo1]

A lot of people think that Saban leaving means all of a sudden Alabama is immediately gonna suck. I posit that is the furthest thing from the truth. I think that him leaving saved Alabama from a bigger collapse. DO I think Deboer will have the same Dynasty? Heck no. But Saban saw the writing on the wall. He wanted nothing to do with NIL/PORTAL and he has been witnessing the pussification of modern sports that's been happening for the last 20 years. It was bad enough before NIL/PORTAL. Kids are softer, they cant take hard coaching. They don't want to wait their turn. This is a generation fully immersed in the participation award era. Why is he getting this I'm not, even though he is working and producing and I'm not. This is the world we live in. Had Saban Stayed within a couple years there would have been a big downturn. Deboer gives a chance to mitigate that.

Will Deboer be the next Saban? Not likely we wont see another coach like that for a long time if ever. The dynasty he built can't be replicated as things stand now especially not at Alabama. They do not and won't have a collective to compete toe to toe with the big dogs. Tuscaloosa is not a place people want to go to. When is the last time someone was like 'hey lets hop in the car and go to Tuscaloosa' for anything but a football game or elope with their 3rd cousin? The interesting story is NIL/PORTAL era favors the UT's and LSU more than any other SEC schools because comparatively, they are the only schools not in drive-through towns. Vandy is in Nashville but does not count. Ole Miss is an outlier because they got money anyway. There is a reason Spyre is one of the top collectives. If UT was located in Johnson City it would be a completely different story. Knoxville, Nashville, Austin, Baton Rouge are destination cities comparatively to other SEC cities.

ATHENS, GA
AUBURN, AL
BATON ROUGE, LA <--LSU
BRYAN, TX
COLLEGE STATION, TX
COLUMBIA, MO
COLUMBIA, SC
FAYETTEVILLE, AR
GAINESVILLE, FL
LEXINGTON, KY
NASHVILLE, TN<-- Vandy
OXFORD, MS
STARKVILLE, MS
TUSCALOOSA, AL
KNOXVILLE, TN <--UT

I think Saban leaving ends a dynasty but Alabama will still be a top SEC team for a long time coming. I think UT is in a position to rise to the top because of Spyre and the city of Knoxville. It's a good location, geographically. Has a decent culture. Mild weather year-round comparatively. it is a big enough place that there is access to everything one could want. It is small enough that you're not worrying about getting mugged every time you leave home. No, I am not from Knoxville, I am a proud Chattanoogan. I remember as a youngster in the 80's and 90's I was not interested on any level in going to Knoxville because there was a stigma about that part of the state. Things have changed a lot and Knoxville in the late 90's and 2000's changed a lot (for the better imo).. like the rest of the world.

There are a lot of things we can't affect as fans but one thing we can affect directly is the cities we live in. All you guys up in Knoxville keep doing what you're doing and those of us who can, support Spyre, and good things will happen.

 

[Butch s]

I think he sees the writing on the wall also, that says now everyone can pay players, not just the gumps,and they just don’t have enough money

 

[DaddyChad]

It’s harder to identify with players now and to win a title now is an absolute marathon through the toughest conference in the nation.

 

[HighRockvol]

Bama will never repeat what Saban just did don’t see how it saves them at all

 

[VolBricks]

Saban got beat by TX this year and was afraid to have to play them every other year

 

[Orange931]

Bama will never repeat what Saban just did don’t see how it saves them at all

Their fans seem to think so since he will have an office on campus and be at practices

 

[tennrich1]

Their fans seem to think so since he will have an office on campus and be at practices

Biggest issue the new coach with have to deal with IMO. For all the past experiences I can think of...a clean separation and a new beginning is the only way to be able to "forget" the past and move on with the new staff. IMO it applies not only to sports but business, church, non-profits, etc.

 

[fossilfiction]

Saban retiring changes college football and that's not me trying to exaggerate. Alabama cannot maintain the way things have been. I do believe the impact is seen this year but they likely have a couple of decent years and then run him out of town because he couldn't meet expectations. It will only get worse from there.

 

[pimo1]

Bama will never repeat what Saban just did don’t see how it saves them at all

It will not save the dynasty but it will save them from having a complete collapse like Florida. They will no longer rule college football but they will be a perennial Top 15 team for the foreseeable future with the moves they made. Deboer is a good enough coach to pull that off.

 

[pimo1]

Saban retiring changes college football and that's not me trying to exegerate. Alabama cannot maintain the way things have been. I do believe the impact is seen this year but they likely have a couple of decent years and then run him out of town because he couldn't meet expectations. It will only get worse from there.

If they expect him to replicate what Saban did you're 100% right.. but he will be able to pull off consistent 9-10 win seasons. It's about setting realistic expectations which isn't a thing fans tend to do.

 

[pimo1]

Biggest issue the new coach with have to deal with IMO. For all the past experiences I can think of...a clean separation and a new beginning is the only way to be able to "forget" the past and move on with the new staff. IMO it applies not only to sports but business, church, non-profits, etc.

Actually, Saban sticking around could be a great thing depending on how he handles it. If he is there as an ambassador who enjoys golfing and is available to the new guy when he needs him it could be great and he would be a bridge. If he is looking over Deboer's shoulder, popping up in every practice and podcast.. well that's a totally bad thing. It could go either way. But as Bama if the guy wants and office you give it to him right between his 6 statues.

 

[Cod]

NIL has changed the face of football, Saban left because Saban wanted to leave. He's a family man, husband etc. and has worked a great career but with everything in life change is inevitable.

Alabama and others, OSU, Michigan, etc. will have the money to lure players.............we'll just have to see how much / good or bad this change has made on college football.

The problem with most programs is coaching, coaches don't stay anymore. The next team to offer them 1Mil over their last contract and buyout they're gone..... it's ridiculous but it is what it is. The days of a coach signing on and staying for XX years is or is close to being over.

 

[ptcarter]

Hard to remember Bama "pre-Saban", but they had a lot of bad years and sucked and all that. That's what needs to happen.

 

[OffTackleVol]

Hard to remember Bama "pre-Saban", but they had a lot of bad years and sucked and all that. That's what needs to happen.

Bama will go 8-4, 9-3 next year and the new coach will be firmly on the hot seat. Unfairly so, but will be..........

 

[Wahoooo]

I have mixed feelings on Saban. Let’s go back to LSU. Won an SEC title over the Vols in the 2nd most painful loss in modern history (most painful was 90 9-6 loss to Bama). Few years later won the natty. Subsequently 2 successive marginal LSU coaches won nattys as well. Was this due to Saban or due to the talent rich state Louisiana is?

Move ahead to Bama, didn’t necessarily take over a s—t show, Shula was not as bad as the ass wipes we have had since Fulmer. Still, Bama took control of the SEC and he did run Urban out of the league. Still obviously he elevated Bama to heights they have never achieved, even under Bear. I still think he was able to get away with things no other head coach in NCAA history got away with , mainly due to the fact he had TOTAL control of of U of A and Tuscaloosa as well. I still think 3rd and 4th parties were funneling money to recruits, especially in the first 3-4 years until the nattys started coming. I still don’t understand how Tua’s entire family just suddenly all uprooted from Hawaii and all moved to Bama without assistance. Nick turned Bama into a professional football factory when other schools were still being amateurs. Until Kirby left for UGA with the same blueprint Saban installed at Bama, he had no equal.

Bottom line is Saban wants control of his team and in college football in general. Let’s not forget how big of a fit he had with no huddle offense. Couldn’t control the way the game was played. Had a fit until he brought Lane in and suddenly he was OK with it.

I get amused by all the pundits and fans stating Saban is getting out because NIL and portal is transferring college game to semi pro, bla bla. Saban needs to look no further than in the mirror for who started this mess in the first place, Bama sold thier soul to obtain football glory again. Total control. UNLIMITED budgets, Others soon found out they have to spend similar amounts on a coaching staff as well as 20 or 30 analysts. Dollars flowed into coaches salaries as well as universities pockets. Players finally stood up and demanded their part and now the transformation is complete. Now you have 20-30 major universities operating the same professional football structure Bama has been since Saban’s arrival and frankly, HE CANNOT TAKE IT that Bama now has to compete on a LEVEL playing field.

 

[sjt18]

Agree that Saban made a choice not to go to the effort of adapting to NIL and portal. He failed in the NFL in part because players had a lot of power. NIL/portal give college players more power. Not NFL power... but more.

Disagree that kids are necessarily soft or don't want hard coaching. However that hard coaching has to be coupled with a belief that the coach cares about them. I am not sure that's Saban. He made a straight pitch that he would coach them at an elite level and give them their best shot at the league. I don't think "caring" was part of his skill set. It was transactional. He got talented CFB teams. Players got the maximum opportunity for the NFL. He likely didn't like the idea of having to constantly recruit his own players but what coaches do? In the end, he's a guy in his 70's who just bought a $17 million mansion in FL... wish we could all land on that end of the rainbow.

I don't expect DeBoer to last more than 3 or 4 years. He may be a great coach eventually but the task of replacing a legend is just too big and especially for a guy with only 4 years of HC experience at the BCS level. I've lived in Seattle and known "rabid" UW fans. They're more a pro sports team anyway. They would be casual fans for any SEC team not named Vandy. He's never seen pressure anything like what he's about to see. If UW has a bad season, fans go to the boat races or something. If Bama has a bad season, coaches get death threats.

I absolutely respect what Pac12 football had become. They probably had deeper quality at the top of their league this year than the SEC. But he's about to face a whole new level of competition too. There is talent imbalance in the SEC just like all conferences... but not enough that with the quality of coaches you cannot get beat in any given week. Even Vandy popped up and got a UF and UK win recently. Mediocre HC's don't last long in the SEC. They get trampled.

Bama has its own allure and there's something to be said for football being the only good reason to go to Tuscaloosa. I don't expect them to go away completely or at least not permanently. I don't think they've made the hire that will keep performance where its been.

 

[pimo1]

NIL has changed the face of football, Saban left because Saban wanted to leave. He's a family man, husband etc. and has worked a great career but with everything in life change is inevitable.

Alabama and others, OSU, Michigan, etc. will have the money to lure players.............we'll just have to see how much / good or bad this change has made on college football.

The problem with most programs is coaching, coaches don't stay anymore. The next team to offer them 1Mil over their last contract and buyout they're gone..... it's ridiculous but it is what it is. The days of a coach signing on and staying for XX years is or is close to being over.

Of those 3 schools, only Michigan has a top 20 collective (13). Think about that. Arkansas, West Virginia, and Texas Tech have bigger collectives than them. SMU and South Carolina have bigger collectives than Bama and OSU.

On3's top 20 most ambitious NIL collectives

Two years in, here are On3’s rankings of the top 20 most ambitious NIL collectives. These all play a unique role in helping to shape this category in real-time.

www.on3.com

 

[TCNC53]

W

A lot of people think that Saban leaving means all of a sudden Alabama is immediately gonna suck. I posit that is the furthest thing from the truth. I think that him leaving saved Alabama from a bigger collapse. DO I think Deboer will have the same Dynasty? Heck no. But Saban saw the writing on the wall. He wanted nothing to do with NIL/PORTAL and he has been witnessing the pussification of modern sports that's been happening for the last 20 years. It was bad enough before NIL/PORTAL. Kids are softer, they cant take hard coaching. They don't want to wait their turn. This is a generation fully immersed in the participation award era. Why is he getting this I'm not, even though he is working and producing and I'm not. This is the world we live in. Had Saban Stayed within a couple years there would have been a big downturn. Deboer gives a chance to mitigate that.

Will Deboer be the next Saban? Not likely we wont see another coach like that for a long time if ever. The dynasty he built can't be replicated as things stand now especially not at Alabama. They do not and won't have a collective to compete toe to toe with the big dogs. Tuscaloosa is not a place people want to go to. When is the last time someone was like 'hey lets hop in the car and go to Tuscaloosa' for anything but a football game or elope with their 3rd cousin? The interesting story is NIL/PORTAL era favors the UT's and LSU more than any other SEC schools because comparatively, they are the only schools not in drive-through towns. Vandy is in Nashville but does not count. Ole Miss is an outlier because they got money anyway. There is a reason Spyre is one of the top collectives. If UT was located in Johnson City it would be a completely different story. Knoxville, Nashville, Austin, Baton Rouge are destination cities comparatively to other SEC cities.

ATHENS, GA
AUBURN, AL
BATON ROUGE, LA <--LSU
BRYAN, TX
COLLEGE STATION, TX
COLUMBIA, MO
COLUMBIA, SC
FAYETTEVILLE, AR
GAINESVILLE, FL
LEXINGTON, KY
NASHVILLE, TN<-- Vandy
OXFORD, MS
STARKVILLE, MS
TUSCALOOSA, AL
KNOXVILLE, TN <--UT

I think Saban leaving ends a dynasty but Alabama will still be a top SEC team for a long time coming. I think UT is in a position to rise to the top because of Spyre and the city of Knoxville. It's a good location, geographically. Has a decent culture. Mild weather year-round comparatively. it is a big enough place that there is access to everything one could want. It is small enough that you're not worrying about getting mugged every time you leave home. No, I am not from Knoxville, I am a proud Chattanoogan. I remember as a youngster in the 80's and 90's I was not interested on any level in going to Knoxville because there was a stigma about that part of the state. Things have changed a lot and Knoxville in the late 90's and 2000's changed a lot (for the better imo).. like the rest of the world.

There are a lot of things we can't affect as fans but one thing we can affect directly is the cities we live in. All you guys up in Knoxville keep doing what you're doing and those of us who can, support Spyre, and good things will happen.

What’s wrong with Johnson City?

 

[Dadof2Vols]

It will not save the dynasty but it will save them from having a complete collapse like Florida. They will no longer rule college football but they will be a perennial Top 15 team for the foreseeable future with the moves they made. Deboer is a good enough coach to pull that off.

Problem is Top 15 will not be good enough and old Coach D will get run off before they realize CFB is now a different game and there is no future Saban like Dynasty on the horizon for Alabama.

 

[pimo1]

Agree that Saban made a choice not to go to the effort of adapting to NIL and portal. He failed in the NFL in part because players had a lot of power. NIL/portal give college players more power. Not NFL power... but more.

Disagree that kids are necessarily soft or don't want hard coaching. However that hard coaching has to be coupled with a belief that the coach cares about them. I am not sure that's Saban. He made a straight pitch that he would coach them at an elite level and give them their best shot at the league. I don't think "caring" was part of his skill set. It was transactional. He got talented CFB teams. Players got the maximum opportunity for the NFL. He likely didn't like the idea of having to constantly recruit his own players but what coaches do? In the end, he's a guy in his 70's who just bought a $17 million mansion in FL... wish we could all land on that end of the rainbow.

I don't expect DeBoer to last more than 3 or 4 years. He may be a great coach eventually but the task of replacing a legend is just too big and especially for a guy with only 4 years of HC experience at the BCS level. I've lived in Seattle and known "rabid" UW fans. They're more a pro sports team anyway. They would be casual fans for any SEC team not named Vandy. He's never seen pressure anything like what he's about to see. If UW has a bad season, fans go to the boat races or something. If Bama has a bad season, coaches get death threats.

I absolutely respect what Pac12 football had become. They probably had deeper quality at the top of their league this year than the SEC. But he's about to face a whole new level of competition too. There is talent imbalance in the SEC just like all conferences... but not enough that with the quality of coaches you cannot get beat in any given week. Even Vandy popped up and got a UF and UK win recently. Mediocre HC's don't last long in the SEC. They get trampled.

Bama has its own allure and there's something to be said for football being the only good reason to go to Tuscaloosa. I don't expect them to go away completely or at least not permanently. I don't think they've made the hire that will keep performance where its been.

Kids in all sports are softer than they used to be..... because they are enabled. Things get tough they bounce. It is just the reality of things. It is why the Primes and Kiffins are the future of coaching to some extent and the Sabans are outdated. Kinda how Bobby Knight got sent to pasture. Different generations.

 

[tennesseeduke]

A lot of people think that Saban leaving means all of a sudden Alabama is immediately gonna suck. I posit that is the furthest thing from the truth. I think that him leaving saved Alabama from a bigger collapse. DO I think Deboer will have the same Dynasty? Heck no. But Saban saw the writing on the wall. He wanted nothing to do with NIL/PORTAL and he has been witnessing the pussification of modern sports that's been happening for the last 20 years. It was bad enough before NIL/PORTAL. Kids are softer, they cant take hard coaching. They don't want to wait their turn. This is a generation fully immersed in the participation award era. Why is he getting this I'm not, even though he is working and producing and I'm not. This is the world we live in. Had Saban Stayed within a couple years there would have been a big downturn. Deboer gives a chance to mitigate that.

Will Deboer be the next Saban? Not likely we wont see another coach like that for a long time if ever. The dynasty he built can't be replicated as things stand now especially not at Alabama. They do not and won't have a collective to compete toe to toe with the big dogs. Tuscaloosa is not a place people want to go to. When is the last time someone was like 'hey lets hop in the car and go to Tuscaloosa' for anything but a football game or elope with their 3rd cousin? The interesting story is NIL/PORTAL era favors the UT's and LSU more than any other SEC schools because comparatively, they are the only schools not in drive-through towns. Vandy is in Nashville but does not count. Ole Miss is an outlier because they got money anyway. There is a reason Spyre is one of the top collectives. If UT was located in Johnson City it would be a completely different story. Knoxville, Nashville, Austin, Baton Rouge are destination cities comparatively to other SEC cities.

ATHENS, GA
AUBURN, AL
BATON ROUGE, LA <--LSU
BRYAN, TX
COLLEGE STATION, TX
COLUMBIA, MO
COLUMBIA, SC
FAYETTEVILLE, AR
GAINESVILLE, FL
LEXINGTON, KY
NASHVILLE, TN<-- Vandy
OXFORD, MS
STARKVILLE, MS
TUSCALOOSA, AL
KNOXVILLE, TN <--UT

I think Saban leaving ends a dynasty but Alabama will still be a top SEC team for a long time coming. I think UT is in a position to rise to the top because of Spyre and the city of Knoxville. It's a good location, geographically. Has a decent culture. Mild weather year-round comparatively. it is a big enough place that there is access to everything one could want. It is small enough that you're not worrying about getting mugged every time you leave home. No, I am not from Knoxville, I am a proud Chattanoogan. I remember as a youngster in the 80's and 90's I was not interested on any level in going to Knoxville because there was a stigma about that part of the state. Things have changed a lot and Knoxville in the late 90's and 2000's changed a lot (for the better imo).. like the rest of the world.

There are a lot of things we can't affect as fans but one thing we can affect directly is the cities we live in. All you guys up in Knoxville keep doing what you're doing and those of us who can, support Spyre, and good things will happen.

DC retired, WR coach needed replacing, players walking in demanding $1,000,000, 72yrs old, SEC changing, I think are all contributing factors on what led him to walk. He was a couple of wins from 300, he was 2minutes from beating UM and would have beaten UW. He is old and tired and disappointed where CFB is at and going so time to get out.

 

[pimo1]

DC retired, WR coach needed replacing, players walking in demanding $1,000,000, 72yrs old, SEC changing, I think are all contributing factors on what led him to walk. He was a couple of wins from 300, he was 2minutes from beating UM and would have beaten UW. He is old and tired and disappointed where CFB is at and going so time to get out.

I feel that totally.

 

[OrangeEtBlanc]

Alabama won’t go through what Tennessee and (to a lesser extent) Florida have gone through the past 10-15 years, but they will not be as elite as they have been. This will largely be due to recruiting, where Saban simply dominated. They won’t be stacking 4 & 5 stars in the 3-deep as they have been. Deboer will do well, but not good enough for what expectations they have, and he will get fired. Then they will experience some of what we have gone through with coaching turnover, but probably not as long and to the same extent.

 

[S.C. OrangeMan]

A lot of people think that Saban leaving means all of a sudden Alabama is immediately gonna suck. I posit that is the furthest thing from the truth. I think that him leaving saved Alabama from a bigger collapse. DO I think Deboer will have the same Dynasty? Heck no. But Saban saw the writing on the wall. He wanted nothing to do with NIL/PORTAL and he has been witnessing the pussification of modern sports that's been happening for the last 20 years. It was bad enough before NIL/PORTAL. Kids are softer, they cant take hard coaching. They don't want to wait their turn. This is a generation fully immersed in the participation award era. Why is he getting this I'm not, even though he is working and producing and I'm not. This is the world we live in. Had Saban Stayed within a couple years there would have been a big downturn. Deboer gives a chance to mitigate that.

Will Deboer be the next Saban? Not likely we wont see another coach like that for a long time if ever. The dynasty he built can't be replicated as things stand now especially not at Alabama. They do not and won't have a collective to compete toe to toe with the big dogs. Tuscaloosa is not a place people want to go to. When is the last time someone was like 'hey lets hop in the car and go to Tuscaloosa' for anything but a football game or elope with their 3rd cousin? The interesting story is NIL/PORTAL era favors the UT's and LSU more than any other SEC schools because comparatively, they are the only schools not in drive-through towns. Vandy is in Nashville but does not count. Ole Miss is an outlier because they got money anyway. There is a reason Spyre is one of the top collectives. If UT was located in Johnson City it would be a completely different story. Knoxville, Nashville, Austin, Baton Rouge are destination cities comparatively to other SEC cities.

ATHENS, GA
AUBURN, AL
BATON ROUGE, LA <--LSU
BRYAN, TX
COLLEGE STATION, TX
COLUMBIA, MO
COLUMBIA, SC
FAYETTEVILLE, AR
GAINESVILLE, FL
LEXINGTON, KY
NASHVILLE, TN<-- Vandy
OXFORD, MS
STARKVILLE, MS
TUSCALOOSA, AL
KNOXVILLE, TN <--UT

I think Saban leaving ends a dynasty but Alabama will still be a top SEC team for a long time coming. I think UT is in a position to rise to the top because of Spyre and the city of Knoxville. It's a good location, geographically. Has a decent culture. Mild weather year-round comparatively. it is a big enough place that there is access to everything one could want. It is small enough that you're not worrying about getting mugged every time you leave home. No, I am not from Knoxville, I am a proud Chattanoogan. I remember as a youngster in the 80's and 90's I was not interested on any level in going to Knoxville because there was a stigma about that part of the state. Things have changed a lot and Knoxville in the late 90's and 2000's changed a lot (for the better imo).. like the rest of the world.

Knoxville is one of the better SEC cities.
Nashville and Austin are the best. Athens is pretty good.

There are a lot of things we can't affect as fans but one thing we can affect directly is the cities we live in. All you guys up in Knoxville keep doing what you're doing and those of us who can, support Spyre, and good things will happen.

 

[Rocky Top T]

It pains me to say it, but the Gumps will still be very good. They made a good hire. I still hate them!