I think you're being too hard on Saban. Sure he retired suddenly but I always thought he would. I never thought he'd give a year or two notice before he'd do it. What do you think Saban's recruiting class would have looked like during his final year or two had he done that? Saban did recruit Ryan Coleman- Williams who's a pretty good receiver for DeBoer. Saban also recruited Kayden Proctor, who was a pretty good O'lineman for DeBoer. Yes, DeBoer had the better first two year record at Bama but Saban took over a team that was 6-7 its prior season while DeBoer took over a team that was 12-2 the prior season. I think it's unfair to say Saban almost wrecked the program. When any great coach retires these days players look elsewhere. You think there wouldn't be a mass exodus of players if Kirby decided to leave Georgia?
Way too hard. Comically too hard. Many have been too hard and assigned too much blame.
CNS took over a team ravaged by probation and who finished a season just quitting and losing 5 out of their final 6 games.
What great All-American Award Winning off the shelf players did Shula leave CNS??
I mean give me a break who are kidding with this nonsense revisionist history.
The 1st guy that hit an All-American difference maker level was True Freshman Rolando McClain.
That’s a Saban kid… Saban got that guy… he got a LOT of guys.
(Edit: For 100% accuracy he did inherit Andre Smith who was an FWAA FR All-American in 2006.
He became a Consensus All-American under CNS and won the Outland in 2008.)
There were also a few All-SEC level players that developed further into All-American level players under CNS.
Guys like Caldwell and Rashad Johnson.
The guys he inherited he put through a crucible and either made them better or made them quit and they moved on.
The entire program was Soft and lacked discipline and he had to completely rebuild everything in year 1 and take us from recruiting rankings of barely in the Top 25 most of the time to perennial Top 5 or Higher.
He had an undefeated regular season in Year two and hit a #1 Ranking and gave Meyer and Tebow’s team all they wanted in the SECCG with on paper a much less talented roster.
CKD took over a program who just went 12-2 and won an SEC Championship and lost in a Semifinal OT game to the eventual NC.
There was a lot of guys who left but there was still more talent on paper left over than what rolled into 2007 from Shula. Certainly not less in any shape for or fashion.
There also wasn’t any branding damage. Our image as a program was still close to its zenith. So theoretically that’s one less obstacle in attracting new players to come in addition to being able to take players from the portal as immediate transfers who can immediately play.
It’s the new staffs job to build a roster and Alabama isn’t the only team that’s had to deal with mass roster turnover in the NIL era.
CKD did inherit Proctor, Booker, and #4 who on paper at least were All-SEC or in Proctor’s case a Fr All-American.
The only new addition in 2024 at that level was Ryan Williams.
In 2025 the All-SEC players were Ty, Proctor, Brailsford, Lawson, and Bray.
Only Brailsford is 100% a CKD developed player. I’m not saying the other 4 didn’t grow just that they were inherited players from CNS.
But the lack of accountability towards the new staff for faults and flaws is absolutely astounding.
I don’t like the CNS to CKD comparison to begin with because it’s not 1:1 because the landscape has changed a lot and keeps changing and in addition to that CNS is the GOAT undisputed with a bullet point. Nobody compares.
But nobody wants to allow any kind of comparisons to contemporaries either in the same time frame and circumstances.
Any other Top HC vs CKD is also not allowed and is ‘Unfair’ because most have more tenure at their current school.
If a comparison is made the timeline changes and people pick their early years in a pre nil pre portal era where they are having to slowly build their program through recruiting only and that’s also not 1:1 and a bad faith debate starter.
It’s also not allowed to compare CKD to someone with the same tenure in the same era like Cignetti because “He has an entire team of 29 year old 8th year seniors… Unfair!”
It’s excuse after excuse after excuse, move the goal posts after moving the goalposts, passing the blame after passing the blame.
We are in a situation where the HC is making Top 5 $10 Million money but its simultaneously an apprenticeship ‘learning as he goes’ with an asinine contract with a ridiculous buyout and it’s just okay that it’s that way.
We can’t talk about the pros and cons because of the ‘well who can we replace him with tomorrow’ stipulation which to be completely honest is immaterial to the fact of how well the current job is being done or not done.
How did Tidefans get here?
How is Nick Saban a Villain?
How and why is a guy who averages 4 losses a year and who loses to 5 loss teams as double digit favorites and who gets blown out by 3-4 scores just off limits and above criticism?
All of it to me is just crazy. I’m sorry but it’s crazy.
