Saban Rolls With Tide, takes Alabama Job Nick Saban has accepted an offer from Alabama to coach the Crimson Tide and left the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday, two weeks after declaring "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach." Saban told team owner Wayne Huizenga of his intentions via telephone and then informed all of his coaches by speakerphone that he was leaving to accept the Alabama position, a source told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Alabama made its formal offer to Saban on Monday after rumors swirled for weeks that the Crimson Tide were pursuing the former LSU coach. The offer, believed to run from eight to 10 years, is worth $35 million to $40 million, and includes many variables, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Monday. Saban had issued repeated denials that he was interested in coaching at Alabama, one of the most high-profile and high-pressure college coaching jobs in the country. He leaves the Dolphins with three years left on a deal worth approximately $4.5 million a year. Alabama began looking for a coach after firing Mike Shula on Nov. 27. The Tide finished the season 6-7, losing to Oklahoma State in the Independence Bowl. On Tuesday, Saban asked for and recevied more time from Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga to make a decision. Huizenga remained optimistic Tuesday that Saban would return to Miami, and gave him until 10 a.m. Wednesday to make a decision. "I'm hoping he's leaning on staying," Huizenga was quoted as saying in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I like Nick a lot and hope he's going to stay. I'm not upset. You just have to play this thing through." Huizenga has said he received repeated assurances from Saban late in the season that he would return in 2007. And Saban issued frequent public denials of interest in moving to Tuscaloosa, such as on Dec. 21, when he said: "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach."
This was pretty much a no brainer for Saban. He just dragged it out an extra day to get a little media attention. He can get paid just as much as he would in the NFL, he's close to two bottomless wells of high school talent in Florida and Texas, and he has guaranteed job security just as long as he wins bowl games. Almost every NFL coach is one bad season away from getting fired
Well, in college he can be a god on campus, in the pro's he just another coach who better win or else.
Mr. Saban wasn't having too much fun in Miami, especially when their owners don't want to pony up bucks for talent.
I disagree - I think it was a hard decision and only the massive amount of long-term money swayed it. Dealing with job security in the NFL is one thing, dealing with the relentless pressure from fanatical alabama boosters is another (and probably worse, IMO). Also dealing with the hassle of recruiting, grades, etc. is something that a lot of coaches are glad to discard when they step up to the NFL. Second I don't think Alabama is the recruiting paradise one would imagine. I don't recall many superstar alabama players coming from Texas, ever; they have a pretty low profile here; and they have a LOT to compete with vs. Florida talent (who wants to spend 4 years in tuscaloosa when you can go to Gainesville, Tallahassee, Miami, or any other SEC school) Most 18 year olds these days likewise aren't swayed by the legacy of Bear Bryant or Joe Namath that used to be their selling point. Seriously I think the LSU job he left for the Dolphins was a better one (LSU DOES get texas kids, and doesn't have an Auburn to compete with down the road) - but the long term guaranteed $$$ was too much for him to pass up (by the 10th year of his contract however, he'll probably be making below what he'd be making in the NFL if NFL coach salaries continue to escalate).
He probably has an escalator clause in his contract.... The difference in the pros is you get one first round pick a year, in college, if you recruit right you can get 20+ first round picks. Good for him ! DD
......and you're held hostage to a bunch of 17 year olds and their parents and having to kiss their ass and spend the offseason staying in Comfort Inn's in f-ckall, nowheresville, and sh-t junction to do it - and then they leave in 4 years or less.
not when you're Nick Saban. he'll turn that program around, partially on his name, alone. he's good at the recruiting game, and my guess is he likes it.
Saban doesn't have nearly the amount of hassels that coaches at smaller schools have. He'll make trips out to get the really top recurits, but he has a scouting department that does most of the legwork for him. Guys like Saban, Mack Brown, and Pete Carroll have it easy.
I have my doubts - old powerhouses that trade on name and reputation but aren't ideally located in either a glamourous locale or a recruiting hotbed are going to have a harder time competing as CFB becomes more nationalized. USC, OSU, Michigan, Texas, Florida, Miami, ND, I think are more ideally situated to succeed than say a Nebraska, an Oklahoma, or an Alabama (which is what makes Oklahoma's early 2000's success so remarkable). Those guys have past success on their side, but does 4 years in Tuscaloosa or Norman or Lincoln compare with Miami or LA to an 18 year old? Likewise, while Columbus and South Bend are hardly glamorous - the HS football in that region is fantastically deep, and not surrounded by the types of ferocious rivals like in SEC country. Anyway why'd he move to the Dolphins in the first place if he likes recruiting so much? Answer: the same reason he moved back: $$$. Look at Mack Brown - he's one of the best recuritiers around, and most successful coaches in the game who just lost a commitment from his QB of the future because a lovesick teenager wanted to follow his girlfriend to Florida. You just don't have to deal with that sh-t in the NFL, and while some might enjoy the schmoozing to a degree, I doubt that any of them wouldn't skip it if they could.
No doubt...he should have NEVER left LSU. He probably could have signed a lifetime contract there if he wanted to. When you consider his reputation, the pressures of the job, and the perks, I think he would have been stupid to turn down the Alabama job
it's all about job security and dollars. it's an admission of failure, or at least a lack of confidence he can suceed longterm in the NFL. why else would you move from miami to tuscaloosa?
As has been implied... if you don't have a stud QB in the NFL... and they are hard to come by... you can't really compete. If you don't have one in college, it's up to you to go recruit one. You don't have control in the NFL, you have more in college.
Unless he's a midseason replacement, I think Dom has pretty much proven that he'll be an assistant coach or a defensive coordinator the rest of his career...
