Image: Tuscaloosa News
A coaching search that until today could only be described as "embarrassingly public" should get a different description shortly. The new description would be "successful."
The Orlando Sun-Sentinel, the Birmingham News and the Tuscaloosa News are reporting that Nick Saban will become the new head coach at Alabama today. As with any Alabama coaching search story, it is obviously still developing.
Bama fans won't rest easy until they see him at the press conference, but this looks like a done deal.
Nick Saban is a proven, established winner with a national championship and two SEC championships under his belt in five years at LSU. His head to head record vs. Tuberville was 2-3 with both coaches holding serve at home. He's also a proven recruiter with consistent Top 5-10 recruiting classes at LSU.
Bottom line: He was the best coach in America that was willing to come to Alabama. Bama did the right thing by offering the money to get him there.
He also has the personal gravitas/cojones to run the Alabama football program "his way" and not the way that Lee Roy Jordan, Paul Bryant Jr., or Mal Moore think he should run it. With a rumored $30 million contract (roughly the same amount they paid Albert Means*), they can't fire him if he gets on their nerves. He'll assemble a world class coaching staff, and he'll recruit gang busters. Plus, he has burned a ton of bridges with the NFL over his departure from Miami. So where else can he really go?
It's a good thing that Georgia plays Alabama in 2007 and 2008. That way we get him before he reloads their talent pool. It's also a good thing for Georgia that Saban is coming to the SEC. A strong Bama rises at the expense of Tennessee and Auburn.
The only real downside for the Dawgs and Tech...he will most certainly come into Atlanta for recruits. The good news...there's plenty of talent for everyone.
PWD
*the Albert Means line was shamelessly ripped off from MakoDawg on ThePorch.
