Seems that a lot of Texas fans think they are going to be able to lure Saban from Alabama. That doesn't seem reasonable to me but there are probably a lot of SEC fans who would donate to the cause to help it happen. I'm not one of them.
Some Gator fans know of a former Texas HC-in-waiting that they would like to make available... ... I'm close to being one of them.... :wink:
Don, I read a summary on a Gator Pay site that came from this site. Inside Texas I think you can sign up for free but am not sure if that would include the article I saw. It's a guy that calls himself the Big Cigar and he seems to think Texas will sign Saban. I am just wondering what Terry thinks.
Actually it Seems Muschamp and Briles are who this guy thinks would be the next two they would go after. And for the record I am not one of those fans who want to see Muschamp leave. I think he needs to get the right Offensive Coordinator and give him a free hand. That is what Spurrier did in reverse with Bob Stoops which led to our first National Championship.
Bill, That is absolutely correct and that article you reference states unequivocally that there have been negotiations between Texas interests and Saban's Agent and that Saban is interested. The money is insane that they are talking about. It's obviously not a done deal of course but that article says that there is an excellent chance that after Alabama's season is over that Saban will be announced as the Texas coach. Also there is a claim in that article that Saban is the one who reached out to Texas to find out what the deal would be. Also Oliver Luck, current WVA AD and Father of Andrew Luck is the guy who most likely to be named AD before the end of the season. Muschamp has a big following among Texas fans, Art Briles also on the short list, Texas fans would love to lure the Stanford Coach as well.
I find it hard to believe Texas will outbid Bama. They may not have their own network, but to lose the dynasty coach would be catastrophic. I suspect they will sell off part of the state to make sure salary isn't the deciding factor.
I agree with you Bill on Muschamp....I would give him one more year to prove that he could delegate the offensive strategy instead of getting his stranglehold on it. I do think Saban would leave Bama for say 8-9 mil per year and not just because of the money. He is in a position of bound-to-fail at Bama now. He cannot keep this run up forever and when his Bama team goes 9-3 a couple years in a row the faithful will start questioning the this and the that and Saban doesn't want to hear it.....
Scott...the whole Shale play in Oil is making a lot of new millionaires in Texas and a lot of already rich people richer. I could see Texas Big Cigars and others coming out of their own pockets to pay a big chunk of what it will cost to bring in Saban. Money we got in bundles for Saban, only factor is does he want the new challenge. Based on what he said at Miami...."I will not be the coach at Alabama" and what he said recently when asked about the Texas job rumors...."I'm too damn old to take on a new job"...I'd say there is a good chance he'll be the coach at Texas next year. Also if I remember correctly there is no buyout in Saban's contract with Alabama, if he leaves he leaves...no penalty.
Terry, Not saying there isn't tons of money available for Texas to spend, just thinking Bama will tell him "we'll match whatever they offer". Even if it's $10mil per year. Bama has a LOT to lose, and nothing to gain by letting him go. The SEC network will be online next year, so they could divert all of that to him.
I'm with you Scott I can't for the life of me imagine why he would want to leave Alabama when he has everything going for him. He has if not the top Athletic Facility, one of the top. He has total support of the University, that is they are aware of how important Alabama Football is to the University, the fans, and the state and are willing to do what ever is necessary (within the rules) to assure it's success. Saban in particular draws outside criticism for his totally with in the rules roster management tactics, but not from his AD or Univ President. If he were at ND he would not be allowed to do some of the things that he does (and other coaches as well it's not just him). I might have mention grad rates but the last time they released those ND was #1, but Bama was #7, so kudo's to those guys. Anyway, bottom line is that he makes 5M/year, has the best facilities, has built a tremendous program that not only wins but gets kids into the NFL, and the academics are top 10. So why would you leave for more money to rebuild Texas? Doesn't make sense to me, but then maybe Nick is the Larry Brown of football.
The people here may be crazy, but they are generally good for their word. They've long held that anyone who builds them back into a contender can have anything he wants. A lot of pretenders came along the way trying to tap into that, but couldn't because they weren't 'The Bear' or even Gene Stallings for that matter. Along comes Saban with ballyhoo and fanfare. He struggles, but people like what they see on all other fronts. He then begins to rip off an incredible string of title runs. The end result is that he's the most high profile figure in the state. There's no one more important in the state in terms of public perception. (considering some of the surgeons we have here, that's kinda saying something) When my son was in elementary school, the kids have their own TV station which broadcasts the morning news, leads the Pledge of Allegiance and has a few educational snippets that run weekly. Most of them are provided by the local NBC affiliate (WAFF) that helps fund that program. One of the weekly programs was a short 3 to 5 minute piece from Coach Nick Saban about eating right, being organized, doing your homework and building goals for success. Essentially, it's a stripped down version of his 'process' lecture for children. There is no such segment for Auburn, or Tennessee, or even Vandy which is only 2 hours away. Only Saban. He has a statue outside the stadium among the other legendary Alabama coaches. There's a lot of people who talk about being a God or Dictator or whatever in the South, but it all pales in comparison to the stature of the head football coach at Alabama when he's on a run like this. He's there. He's in the elite club with only the legend of Bear Bryant dangling in front of him, and even the most diehard Bear supporters are starting to share those whispers that Saban may be greater. There is absolutely no cost they will spare to keep him. Texas may well have far more millionaires due to the various oil booms, but Alabama has a much smaller but downright scary group of 'Old Money' boosters who have made their fortunes as land barons, steel barons, political/legal eagles and financial wizards. They don't make a fuss. They aren't flashy. They get their skim from a countless myriad of sources and they are almost exclusively alumni of the University of Alabama. Honestly, I don't care who you are.. you can't outspend them. That's not to say Saban couldn't or wouldn't leave. What I'm saying is that if he does, it's because he wants to be the next head coach at Texas. You can't outspend Alabama. There's not only single facet aside from in-state talent about the job at Texas that isn't looking up at Alabama. Anything the man wants, he gets. It isn't some projected fund raising project with an eye on a 5 year window. He gets it in months, if it even takes that long. In terms of talent, he's in the highest profile job surrounded by Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. I'd argue he has more talent to choose from. If he wants a Texas kid, he just goes and makes a run but he can pick and choose. I can't see it. I just can't. No offense to the Horns at all. There's not many places you can't say that about.. but a winning Alabama looks up at no one.
There are a couple of things that point to the possibility of Saban leaving. 1. The challenge. He's done it here, he's done it at LSU, lets see if he can do it at Texas. 2. Is the NCAA coming after Alabama? I don't know if anything is on the horizon but maybe Saban does. 3. It would seem to me that there are 3 or 4 programs in the country that would be a lateral move at best for Saban. Texas would be one of those. 4. I don't think he leaves but like I said earlier stranger things have happened. 5. Let me say this plainly. If Saban does not want to be at Alabama then I want him to leave. I firmly believe that Alabama is one of the premier programs in college football and we will get a top coach no matter what. The pure pursuit of a single coach, no matter the cost, is not good for the school. That's probably not a popular position, but Coach Bryant came back to Alabama because Momma called. He stayed when he could have gone to the pros, he could have been the richest man in the state or he could have been the governor or Board president of US Steel. On top of all that, Austin is a lot further from the lakes of North Georgia than Tuscaloosa. :wink:
Every time there is a rumor started about a coach coming, it starts with their wife showing up looking at houses.