Would, or would not? If the latter, it’s a bit of a divk move, but the calendar is so compressed that there’s no good way to do it.
I had missed this story back in September.
Wouldn’t- sorry for the typo.
I call it a strategic move.
It slows down the immediate departures for all but those who were looking for a reason to leave. It gives Alabama time to hire a coach and give a vision before the next window opens this summer.
I will add there is one report that indicates that Saban was doing interviews for positions the same morning he ended up retiring in the afternoon. People are speculating there may be a non football reason for the suddenness of the announcement.
Seems plausible to me. At first, I assumed there was an agreement between him and the AD that he would continue til the replacement deal was finalized. In that scenario, we’d already know who the replacement is. Since we don’t, the sudden nature seems to indicate it was unplanned and not football related.
Not that NPR is a quality source for sports news but the dude on there this morning was saying there’s talk about DeMeco Ryans. I laughed.
I’ve seen a source I consider reliable say that Mrs. Saban is seriously ill.
Hate to hear that.
It’s rare in sports when someone can leave on his or her own terms.
I did see one report that said the program expects to name its new coach within 72 hours, which would indicate there was some advance planning.
But… if others knew about and had been working on this, it’s hard to imagine it wouldn’t have leaked somewhere.
So… who knows.
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I’m expecting Lanning to have the job by Sunday.
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Saw a report, from a reporter in Oregon, that Lanning was in Tuscaloosa last night.
The Oregon folks pushed hard against that report. I suspect Lanning also, but I also would have expected an announcement yesterday, right after a press conference for Nick’s retirement.
The possibility of an extended search, one that could make Bama fans uncomfortable, seemed like a real long shot to me last night. Now, it seems like a real possibility.
For whatever it’s worth, Lanning has said multiple times that his family loves living in Oregon and has no desire to leave. Nike U and Uncle Phil also have the money to match anything Alabama offers. We’re still talking about one of the bluebloods of college football, though, where winning national championships is a distinct and realistic possibility.
How often do current NFL coaches leave for a NCAA job? Saban did, but he had been a NCAA coach for a long time prior, the Dolphins stunk and their QB was Joey Harrington. Ryans has never coached in the NCAA and has what looks to be a franchise changing QB.
Didn’t Harbaugh leave SF for Michigan?
Yes, but like Saban he had previously coached in college. The difference is Harbaugh was fairly successful in the NFL.
Well SF and Harbuagh mutually decided to part ways, according to Wikipedia reference. I had forgotten about him. But seems like he and the SF ownership weren’t seeing eye to eye.
Well, he may have about to have been fired, but he coached SF one year and Michigan the next. I suppose it may depend on who you ask.
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Apparently Lanning just publicly stated he’s staying at Oregon.
So will he be announced as Bama’s coach today or will they wait til tomorrow?
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This job could lose luster quickly. It’s been about Saban as much as Alabama during this run. Auburn might compete for local talent again. The newcomers to the league can recruit as “SEC” from exciting home geographies. Kiffin has the best blend of attributes and experiences, I believe, but is “flawed” I suppose. So was/is Saban, of course, a little bitch when things didn’t go his way. Ryans would be a good hire, including likely for recruiting which is more important than everything else combined.