It's the offseason, so I thought I'd ask the board consensus:
One day in the next few years, Nick Saban is going to head to the lake permanently. When that dark day comes, who's in your short list to replace him?
Has to be somebody who would realistically come -- so Belichik (sp?) and Meyer are out. Smart, too.
I'd make Dabo give me an answer, though I really don't think he'd come.
After that, it's tough. There are no perfect candidates -- everybody has multiple weaknesses. But it's a whole lot easier to pick a candidate apart than it is to choose one.
After Dabo, I'd go after Jimbo Fisher.
Then Franklin at Penn State.
Then Pruitt, assuming he does well at UT.
Then Fuente at Va. Tech.
Ater that, I'm out of ideas. What say you?
Great and fun off season question, and it seems like it comes up on this board about every 8-12 weeks.
So repeating more-or-less what I say every time - NO ONE can know what's in any other person's heart. Saban could win a NC this fall and decide he's accomplished all he wanted to accomplish, and retire. My sense (hope) is that he's not "Built" that way, and will coach as long as he's able to produce quality teams. I think he gets his greatest personal satisfaction out of the impact he has on his players and coaches, MORE SO than the outcome of games - even though he's relentless competitive about every snap of every game. (just my opinion)
Coach Saban will turn 67 this October, the week of the LSux game. He looks great for 66 ! But when you pull out a video of, say, the 2009 or 2011 NC games, you can tell that time IS catching up to him, albeit slowly. NONE OF US is "Guaranteed" a another day on this earth, and any of us could go tomorrow - even Coach Saban. But just looking at it pragmatically - as good as his health and energy is at age 66 (and it's Excellent) there's no reason to think he doesn't have at least 4-5 more years "in the tank". I HOPE he coaches 10 more years! But my guess is that (Barring accident or major illness) he's with us 5-6 more seasons. That puts him at age 72 or 73, retiring at the end of either the 2023 or 24 seasons.
Let's assume, for shoots and giggles, that he keeps on dominating the CFB world for Five more seasons, and goes out with a bang, winning the 2023 NC (his NINTH!). What MIGHT the landscape look like in December 2023?
Bill Belichick will be 71 years old, and recently, but permanently, retired.
Urban Myth will be 58 years old and will have coached ELEVEN years at Ohio $tate, and will likely already be (or quickly closing in) on becoming their all-time winning-est coach, behind only Woody Hayes, but with the best Winning % of any O$U coach.
Dabo will be 54 years old, and will have coached FIFTEEN YEARS at Clempson - oh, and ALL of his kids will have gone to college and earned degrees at Clempson.
Jimbo Fulmer will be 58 years old, and will Either have FIVE years under his belt at
THE VERY WEALTHIEST school in the SEC - or he will have been recently fired. (My guess is the latter)
James Franklin will be 51 years old, and will have coached TEN years at Ped State. He will Still be a Native of Pennsylvania, and Still have NO CONNECTION to the SEC save his three years in Nashville.
Jeremy Pruitt will be 49 years old. He will EITHER have coached Five seasons at UcheaT and returned them to competitiveness, OR been recently fired, OR (my hope) moved on to a Better Job, either in the NFL or at a P-5 program (hopefully) outside the SEC.
Justin Fuente will be 46 years old, and likely will have coached VaTech for Seven years. He will still have no connection to the SEC, either by birth, nor as a player or a coach.
Chris Petersen will be 58 years old and finished Nine years at Washington - he's coached only ONE season east of the Rockies, and ZERO seasons anywhere close to the South. Not a likely candidate.
MOST of the rest of the current P-5 HC's will have been fired by then.
Reality is, Dabo and Meyer will likely be in the same boat - unless either of them flames out, both will be Living LEGENDS at their respective schools, and each of their schools will happily match and beat any financial offer Alabama could make.
Kirby Smart might be in the same situation at UGa - but either way, he's not leaving his alma mater unless they fire him.
Jimbo Fulmer will still be "Will Muschamp" with a better QB. IMO it's "Even Money" at best that he's still hanging on at aTm, and that's Assuming he's not caught in another Player RAPE controversy.
Franklin and Fuente are both fine coaches, but neither will be motivated to gamble their personal legacies by following a LEGEND at Alabama - Both will realize that the odds aren't very good for coaches who immediately follow legends.
What about other limbs on the "Saban Tree"? Ignoring the several good coaches who will be too old, who's left?
Major Applewhite? Please......
Will Muschamp? He and Jim McElwain are both "Damaged Goods" and barring a miracle, neither would get even a sniff from UA.
Saban's NFL assistants? Garrett seems to be purely an NFL guy. Quinn coached a couple years, painfully, at UF (2011 & 12), so why would he want back into CFB? Gasse has the closest connections to Saban, but he hasn't coached in College since 2002. Any of these would be a longshot.
Marion Cristobol? A great recrutier, but - lets be honest - a BUST as a position coach. They guy can be a great Recruting coordinator anywhere, but he doesn't but it as an actual coach.
Best Bets? - IMO
In no particular Order:
Jeremy Pruitt - if he Blows it UP at UcheaT And takes a better HC job, (preferably outside the SEC), after the 2020 season - and does well at that job too.
Tosh Lupoi OR Mike Locksley - IF either of them gets a HC job within the next two years AND wins big in that job.
Billy Napier IF he blows it up big at ULL AND gets a P-5 job AND wins big there his first couple years.
But frankly, I wouldn't bet money on
any of those.
IF it's 2023 or later, the guy we hire then probably isn't on anyone's radar yet.
Just my opinions.