Saban went into a little more depth on reasons for his retirement. Nick Saban expands on reasons for retirement from Alabama: Report
This is the most discouraging thing Saban said. “I thought we could have a hell of a team next year, and then maybe 70 or 80 percent of the players you talk to, all they want to know is two things: What assurances do I have that I’m going to play because they’re thinking about transferring, and how much are you going to pay me?” Saban told ESPN.
Sabans success was greatly based on his ability to get everyone to buy into the “process”. The “Meism” is antithetical to that. I really liked his attitude to being a bad loser.
IMO, Saban was ready at 72 to retire, regardless of the issues he cited as contributing factors. If he had wanted to stay, he'd adapt and deal with the issues and continue to be eminently successful. There have been several significant changes in college athletics in our collective lifetime. One major change over time that's very subtle is the continuously rolling "new" generation of athletes and how they need to be coached. One example of a great coach who couldn't adapt is Bob Knight. It cost him his job at IU. There are some potentially great coaches out there - not just in football - who'll emerge because they'll successfully adapt to the new reality and build their teams accordingly, carefully balancing transfers with effective recruiting.
Sid, you are absolutely correct. Saban would have adapted and he supposedly made it clear that NIL and Portal was not THE primary reason he retired.
And that is EXACTLY why I have turned my back on the sport. Mercenaries with no ties to your school are no fun...
I agree with you Scott, but in all honesty coaches have been acting the same way for many, many years and we all accepted it and in many cases we encouraged it. Before now, the lure of the NFL or the lure of a free college education was enough. Now the athletes are acting like the coaches (not all) have always acted
I'm surprised to learn that Saban is "only" 5'6" tall. I always envisioned him as taller. It clearly shows that the measure of a man has nothing to do with his physical stature. He always will stand tall in his profession.
I have shrunk to 5'6" in my late 80s and can relate to the stature remarks, not that I am in that category of professionalism. (Chuckle)
My daughter and my niece got a picture with him a couple of years ago and they were as tall as he was.
kp, the coaches were EMPLOYEES taking better jobs... can't compare that to STUDENTS on scholly. They are about to be employees, so I guess that difference is disappearing.
Yeah, I think that the big money grab by the networks, the NCAA, the Conferences, the Universities, and the Coaches finally got too blatant. The only people not making money are the athletes. They are compensated (scholarships) but they are the talent not making money. I don’t have a problem with the players making money but there has to be caps and limits. The NFL has done this. Right now, it is the wild, Wild West. The same with the transfer portal.
The problem is... with the court opinions as they are flowing, there is no way to curb the money the kids get. It'll take something very clever to reign this in... I don't see it happening.
This is a huge shock to me Trev Alberts a Neb Alum and former star on the Huskers Football team has left the Motherland to go to Texas A*M. I would have never believed he'd do it, I would have thought the Aggies wouldn't even have bothered to call him. Texas A&M has hired Nebraska's Trev Alberts as the Aggies' new director of athletics, the school announced on Wednesday. Alberts was expected to get a five-year deal with Texas A&M that will put him near the top of the SEC and among the top 10 athletic directors nationally in terms of salary, sources tell ESPN's Pete Thamel. "From my perspective, there has never been a more consequential time in history for higher education and the evolving landscape of intercollegiate athletics," Alberts said in a statement. "Leadership matters now more than ever before. My interest in Texas A&M is not only due to its prestigious reputation but also because of President (Mark) Welsh's compelling vision in which, I believe, Athletics can play a small but important role in helping Texas A&M achieve unprecedented success."
I understand the lure of taking a new job for a big raise, but does Alberts realize that those who are not immediately successful at A&M have the job lifespan of a house fly?
Interesting article explaining how inept leadership by the regents at UNL may have motivated Alberts to leave. Gov. blames Nebraska leadership for Alberts' exit