Question: Kirby? Jimbo? Muschamp? Pruitt? Which Former Saban assistant will be 1st to beat him?

RollTide_HTTR

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Kirby? Jimbo? Muschamp? Pruitt? Sooner or later, one of Nick Saban's former assistants will beat him ... right?



Saw this article and thought it posed an interesting question because of how close Kirby got plus Jimbo and Pruitt joining the list of SEC HCs who are former Saban assistants.

Obviously the gump answer here is none of them. But, it does seem likely that Saban will eventually lose to one of them considering how often he will play them now. Personally, my first thought was Kriby but after thinking about it more I would put money on Jimbo or maybe Pruitt simply because they will play him more often than Kriby.
 

81usaf92

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Lane Kiffin. *** blue


In seriousness I don’t see any of them doing it because I think CNS probably hangs it up before any of them make a better team. But if I was betting on one then I would say Jimbo because 1) he will have more chances than Kirby and 2) better recruits than Jeremy.
 
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drwho

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Personally, my first thought was Kriby but after thinking about it more I would put money on Jimbo or maybe Pruitt simply because they will play him more often than Kriby.
However, if Kirby is playing Saban, it will most likely be in the SEC Championship game.
 

Tidewater

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If you told me one of CNS's former assistant coaches would beat him, but I had to guess which one, I'd say it would be Kirby. He seems to have the closest personality and he has a lot of talent in Georgia. Texas has a lot of talent as well, but I am not yet sold on Jimbo's coaching, and Texas talent gets spread around (Texas A&M, UT, Oklahoma, TT, TCU, etc.). Georgia talent only gets shared among UGa, GT and maybe the University of West Georgia on the Plains.
 

Go Bama

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I’d eliminate Pruitt first. He doesn’t have the horses now and will not have for a few years.

Georgia may own the East for the next few years. My guess is Kriby.

There’s a good chance no former assistant will ever beat Saban.


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81usaf92

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I would probably say if Lane ever went to a power 5 team or Kevin Steele got upgraded mid season because they fire Gus then those are better shots at the Man than Kirby, Jermey, or Jimbo.

I think you could see fear in Kirby’s eyes in the second half, and I’m not convinced he will ever break the Georgia trend of falling 5 yards short of the finish line.

Jeremy is in an uphill battle recruiting so I don’t think we will see him doing it.

Jimbo has a chance but his biggest obstacle is holding of Herman and CNS.

Mush is probably never going to get that many chances. I think 2019 or this year’s SECCG are his only chances.

Kiffin came the closest with a far inferior team than any of them. But predicting Kiffin to do it is so unrealistic it’s not really worth taking it serious. But I’ll say he wasn’t afraid and is able to recruit. I think if he ever got the Auburn job then every Alabama fan would need a Prilosec prescription.

But realistically Jimbo.
 
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RollTide_HTTR

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I’d eliminate Pruitt first. He doesn’t have the horses now and will not have for a few years.

Georgia may own the East for the next few years. My guess is Kriby.

There’s a good chance no former assistant will ever beat Saban.


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It depends how long you see Saban coaching and how long it will take for an assistant to beat him. If it takes a while its possible Pruitt can pull it off.

I like 81s Lane Kiffin pick though. It's just hard to predict that he will even play Saban with a decent team any times soon.
 

B1GTide

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Just playing the odds, Pruitt or Fisher because he has to play them every year. Edge to Fisher because his team is already pretty well assembled.
 

81usaf92

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I think another problem is that CNS’s assistants try too hard to replicate what he does. I think Skip Bayless and Clay Travis hit the nail on the head when they said “ CNS couldn’t have asked for a better matchup in the CFPNCG than UGA”. I think it’s one of those things in “ I’ve taught you everything you know but not everything I know.” Playing a CNS team with a replica CNS is only going to end one way unless you have a considerable advantage. CNS only struggles with foreign offenses and defenses to his system. Dantonio and Kirby aren’t that much different imo.

I think Jimbo at least has his own philosophy with a little CNS structure. But I ultimately compare him to Tuberville and Miles in that they are going to be on the edge of glory a lot but they lose some really head scratchers.
 

RollTide_HTTR

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I think another problem is that CNS’s assistants try too hard to replicate what he does. I think Skip Bayless and Clay Travis hit the nail on the head when they said “ CNS couldn’t have asked for a better matchup in the CFPNCG than UGA”. I think it’s one of those things in “ I’ve taught you everything you know but not everything I know.” Playing a CNS team with a replica CNS is only going to end one way unless you have a considerable advantage. CNS only struggles with foreign offenses and defenses to his system. Dantonio and Kirby aren’t that much different imo.

I think Jimbo at least has his own philosophy with a little CNS structure. But I ultimately compare him to Tuberville and Miles in that they are going to be on the edge of glory a lot but they lose some really head scratchers.
 

PA Tide Fan

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I'd have to say Kirby. I think it will take several seasons before Jimbo or Pruitt would have the kind of team to possibly beat Bama. Meanwhile Kirby already seems to have the kind of team that could beat us. We will most likely have to play Georgia again this year in the SECCG. While I'm not predicting them to beat us I'd have to say they present a much greater danger than any A&M or UT teams in the near future.
 

TomFromBama

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In seriousness I don’t see any of them doing it because I think CNS probably hangs it up before any of them make a better team. But if I was betting on one then I would say Jimbo because 1) he will have more chances than Kirby and 2) better recruits than Jeremy.
Ok, I guess I'm pretty late to the party, but I could totally see this.

My theory? It's ENTIRELY POSSIBLE (based on soft schedules) that Lane could average ~9 wins a year at FAU. Look what he did in his first season!

IF that happens, and WHEN (not If) another SEC or ACC coach falters, I could TOTALLY see Lane getting a P-5 gig again. Really, the only program in the Southeast that would likely NEVER talk to him is UcheaT.
OF all those listed, Lane probably has the most ability to effectively attack a Saban coached team, IF he had the "horses". Imagine for a moment, if Lane got the job at FRU, UF or LSu, and hired a serviceable DC??? :eek2:

That said, just going on the "Odds" - I'd handicap them in this order:
Jimbo Fulmer (plays us every year, taking over a program already in good condition physically and with unlimited resources)
Jeremy Pruitt (plays us every year, will eventually have that program in good shape)
Kirby Smart (Fewer shots at us, but much like Les at LSu or Urban at UF - took over a program that was already at a near-Championship level).

But my HOPE is that it never happens!


PS- gotta agree - listening to or reading ANYTHING from clay travis or Skip Bayless is like drinking RAW SEWAGE. :p_sad:
 

BamaMoon

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I'd look at the QBs on their rosters. It's usually a team that has a hot QB, more than the coach himself.

Just looking at the state of the rosters and QB talent, I think for the foreseeable future Georgia is probably going to be out toughest out and it'll typically be in the SECCG.
 

GrayTide

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Lane Kiffin. *** blue


In seriousness I don’t see any of them doing it because I think CNS probably hangs it up before any of them make a better team. But if I was betting on one then I would say Jimbo because 1) he will have more chances than Kirby and 2) better recruits than Jeremy.
I realize it was in blue font, but if Kiffin has another big year at FAU he could very likely wind up in the SEC at LSU. Orgeron is not HC material and another 8-9 win season losing to Alabama might get him the hook. If Kiffin could keep Aranda that would be a formidable LSU team.
 

TiderJack

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Kirby? Jimbo? Muschamp? Pruitt? Sooner or later, one of Nick Saban's former assistants will beat him ... right?



Saw this article and thought it posed an interesting question because of how close Kirby got plus Jimbo and Pruitt joining the list of SEC HCs who are former Saban assistants.

Obviously the gump answer here is none of them. But, it does seem likely that Saban will eventually lose to one of them considering how often he will play them now. Personally, my first thought was Kriby but after thinking about it more I would put money on Jimbo or maybe Pruitt simply because they will play him more often than Kriby.
I am going to have to say Kirby for one reason. Recruiting. He is recruiting the type Jimmy and Joe's that can hang with our J&J's and for the next 3-4 years I expect to see them in ATL. The UGA talent is going to be equivalent to the LSWho talent in 2010, 11, 12. I don't see A&M, UT and certainly not USCe getting this much talent in the next few years to compete with us.
 

BamaInBham

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I am going to have to say Kirby for one reason. Recruiting. He is recruiting the type Jimmy and Joe's that can hang with our J&J's and for the next 3-4 years I expect to see them in ATL. The UGA talent is going to be equivalent to the LSWho talent in 2010, 11, 12. I don't see A&M, UT and certainly not USCe getting this much talent in the next few years to compete with us.
Very good comparison with LSU. In fact, I would say from 08-15 they were the one program who had the athletes to play with Bama consistently. IMO, they were actually more athletic. LSU, not AU, was Bama's true rival during that time. That was the one program on which the Bama's coaches and players were focused. IMO, the win over LSU in '13 was the reason for the AU loss. Bama lost focus because they thought their season was over. The following MSU game, along with the 08 Tulane game, was the worst game Bama played in the past 10 years. They got is back somewhat vs AU, but IMO, they were never the same after LSU.
 

gman4tide

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I realize it was in blue font, but if Kiffin has another big year at FAU he could very likely wind up in the SEC at LSU. Orgeron is not HC material and another 8-9 win season losing to Alabama might get him the hook. If Kiffin could keep Aranda that would be a formidable LSU team.
Kiffin couldn't stay sober in Tuscaloosa...no way he stays coherent that close to bourbon street!
 

81usaf92

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I realize it was in blue font, but if Kiffin has another big year at FAU he could very likely wind up in the SEC at LSU. Orgeron is not HC material and another 8-9 win season losing to Alabama might get him the hook. If Kiffin could keep Aranda that would be a formidable LSU team.
Yes I said it in jest, but I could see your scenario play out if Oeaux let’s aTm go ahead of them. If that happens Kiffin goes to the top of my list of the former assistant to break the streak because he is a gambler and not a Saban purist.

FWIW idk why so many assume Kirby has righted the ship at UGA. If it’s because he reached the NCG and won the SEC within his first 2 years then I know there is coach in Lee Co that did the same. I also know that that coach in Lee Co did it with a far inferior team as well. Point is I think many are jumping the gun like they were with Mac. I believe Kirby is better than Mac just based off recruiting but I’m not convinced he is better than Richt just yet.
 

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