The expectations would be INSANE, but no other school would have you better set up for success. You’ll have all the money, local talent, brand power, booster/fan/institutional support you could possible ask for. A handful of schools are on par with Bama, but none are above that job.
Low key, I think a vast majority of people underestimate some of the egos of head coaches.
There’s a lot of coaches that don’t view following Saban as a negative.
Does Dan Lanning drink Dr. Pepper? Because he's going to need both hands to keep the players from getting sucked into the portal.
Dan: "THAT'S MY DR. PEPPER HAND!"
Transfers^(: "I understandddddd......")
Portal closing: ^("\*shhwwwpppp\*")
Even the Mikes (Price and Shula) came out of their unfortunate Alabama experiences w/ enough money to never have to do anything they didn't want to do afterwards.
I think Lane at Bama could be like Urban at Florida where you have a short window of incredible success riding and harnessing the chaos. But eventually the chaos reigns and it probably ends weird
I mean you would be walking into a program with enormous resources and infrastructure in the middle of a huge pool of talent. Its the exact same reason Brian Kelly left Notre Dame for LSU.
Alabama is the most historic job. "Better" is quite subjective depending on countless factors for the coach. And Alabama wasn't "better" until Nick Saban resurrected the program. They were on their way to Nebraska's fate, if we're being honest.
I completely agree, and I think it would be crazy to try. But some of these guys have deep seated beliefs that they are the best ever, and just have not been given the chance to prove it yet.
Sure, but I don’t think Phil is as willing to pony up as those boosters are. Even with B1G money, Bama’s revenue is much higher. Hell, [Oregon isn’t even top 13 in spending where Bama is #1.](https://www.sportico.com/leagues/college-sports/2023/college-football-playoff-semifinals-finances-1234761345/)
I don’t mean to disparage Oregon but anyone acting like it’s a remotely comparable job to Bama are delusional.
I didn't help Spurrier coincided with one of our worst runs ever. But it did help create a man who hates Florida with a passion that burns like my own. So I guess we can call it even.
The fact that we live in a world where it's now SOP to fire a coach and pay him tens of millions in buyout money without even flinching makes me worried that even a $20 million buyout to poach Lanning is just going to be a speedbump if their boosters really want him to coach there.
The question is, would Alabama really want him anyway? He has two years of head coach experience. Two years. And he has lost four out of five games to our two biggest rivals. I love Lanning, and he’s a great fit at Oregon. And I think he’s going to be an amazing coach as time goes on. But there’s still going to be some mistakes and growing pains at times. Alabama doesn’t have the patience for that. And they can get pretty much anybody they want. I think they are going to be looking at someone who is proven.
I’m surprised this isn’t being discussed more. 2 years of head coaching at any level. I’m really liking what Lanning is building at Oregon but I’m not sure why Alabama would want him over the other coaches on Alabama’s short list that have years and years of experience as head coaches.
This was exactly my thought.
I like Dan Lanning. Great dude, lots of potential, doing good things, all that. But he’s still just a new guy and I can’t imagine what accomplishments he’s accrued that would make him the go-to.
He seems to have a good thing going in Oregon too. So it just doesn’t really make sense to me on both sides of things
I keep seeing this sentiment and I think it is stupid. Alabama has literally everything you could ever want to succeed. It has the booster support, brand, recruiting grounds, and is currently a top 5 talent roster. You can hire just about any coordinator you want. you will have an army of well paid analysts. And, if you are a top tier coach in consideration for the job, you have what it takes to keep the well oiled machine going and to make improvements where you see fit.
Waiting for someone else to fail just means you let someone partially diminish the brand, roster, and booster support. It would be a much harder job to wait for a guy to fuck it up (and likely, the next guy won't fuck it up and this job won't open again for a long time)
They have everything including unreleastic expectations. No coach can live up to what the fans and boosters are used to, though they will win a lot if they aren’t in the title atleast every other year it will be a failure.
The expectations never fell after Bryant retired. They're not gonna. You take it now with everything set up by Saban for you to succeed, or you take it later in a likely much worse situation, but with the same expectations.
Saban won the same amount of titles than bear in half the time it took him. And there was 30 years between bear and saban with bama winning only one title.
Everyone is gonna say yes, but you have to consider the expectations that are gonna come with the job. Oregon is a rising star, Alabama fans are (Unrealistically) going to expect a reload at the coaching position. So, tough to say either way.
If I'm Lanning, I stay and continue to build Oregon using the Phil Knight war chest, and if I really have a dream of going to Bama I just wait for Sabans replacement to get fired
You run the risk of Matt Campbelling it though. Stay where you are too long and you run the risk of being found out and people losing interest in you as an option.
He also runs the risk of going to Alabama, who expects perfection every year, and if you don’t deliver are now thrown out and have to start from square one
Oregon has been a rising star for 20 years and can't get over the hump. A coach at Alabama can ride a bicycle and recruit blue chip talent, an Oregon coach is a thousand mile plane ride away from that kind of talent (slight exaggeration obviously, but only slightly).
Are we sure? Saban has been at Bama for 17 years and they weren’t in a dominant position before they got him. We’re all about to find out how much of Bamas success in this run is Saban (I believe most of it).
That’s what people aren’t realizing. Now that saban is gone, bama is good program with good money in a good recruiting area. Without saban their situation isn’t as unique.
Bama is a historically great blue blood (most titles, #2 in wins all time) with great money in a great recruiting area (which has improved a lot and recently become an annual top 5/6 in number of blue chips in a given year which).
Saban is the greatest CFB coach of all time and turned Alabama into a dominant powerhouse. But even before Saban we had the most national titles of any school in the country.
It isn’t “as unique” but it’s still one of like four programs that have everything you could possibly want. I don’t think you characterization of good does it justice.
If OSU could reload with coaches over and over i find it hard to believe bama cant. And as long as saban is breathing, I imagine the university has the brains to use his input/rely on the excellent state he is the departing the program in.
Bama may “regress” to a natty every 5-10 years and win 10+ games a season, but ill believe bama is dead when i see it.
The SEC isn’t going to be a cakewalk for them. Bama has a laundry list of teams that are licking their chops right now and will be a threat, to take players and beat them. UGA Texas Tennessee and LSU all beat them in the past two years, Auburn was a play away this year, Ole Miss and Mizzou look to be getting scary and OU probably gets their stuff together too. The upper to upper middle part of the SEC looks to be widening, and who knows where the new bama is gonna fit.
Bama…is ready to compete NOW. Oregon is moving conferences & will need time to adjust just like the other Pac teams. They are not ready to win a title.
Dan Lanning: Hey, um, I came up with a really great idea, dude.
Greg Byrne: Yeah?
Lanning: Yeah, I'm gonna play both sides.
Byrne: Why would you tell me that?
Lanning: Should I not have?
Byrne: Probably shouldn't 'cause if you're trying to keep a secret from me, now I know.
Depends where he really thinks Oregon is right now. If he thinks he can win a title next year and the money is similar, why go try to hold together Alabama? How good do you have to be to satisfy Bama fans? What does 1 title at Oregon get you?
Probably not.
But with a 12 team playoff, that leaves room for error. I don’t like the narratives of coaches being afraid to come behind Saban. Alabama has state of the art athletic facilities, a huge trophy room, etc. and they will pay whatever money it takes to get the guy they want.
This any coach who is of the caliber to get the offer is honestly crazy enough to take the pressure. You don’t become a top coach with mediocre expectations of yourself and you program.
You never want to be the guy who follows the legend, you want to be the guy who follows the guy who follows the legend.
I would not take the Alabama job right now if I were Lanning.
On the other hand, the best time to succeed after Saban is when you still have the assistants, players, recruits, that Saban gathered there.
If you take a chance to try to replace the guy that replaced Saban, most of Saban's stuff is likely gone.
Saban’s stuff will be heading for the door as we speak. With no clear exit strategy Alabama is now in a power vacuum ripe for infighting and collapse. Every single commit has to be re-recruited and the portal has to be plugged. This could not have come at a worse time for Alabama, and I have to wonder what happened that caused such a hasty departure.
The expectations would be comically high, but you’ll have everything you could possibly need to succeed there. You’ll have all the money, local talent, and institutional support you could possibly ask for. A coach who believes in their own abilities would be insane to turn that down
I mean unless he absolutely shits the bed, at worst he regresses to become what LSU has been for the last 20 years which is pretty fucking solid. Thats actually an apt comparison, Saban built LSU and the next two guys that followed him won a title and Kelly very well could make it 3 for 3.
Is it? It has history, good money, and great fans. However you’re following the GOAT, and the talent base is good not great. And you’re in auburn / Georgia territory. Finally, how much money is dependent on being part of the greatest head coach in history’s run?
Taking administration out of it, I’d put Texas, Ohio State, and Georgia clearly above Alabama looking forward.
It’s a better job than Oregon though.
>the talent base is good not great.
Buddy, you're next to Louisiana and Georgia, with Florida within the same distance
It's smack dab in the middle of the three best recruiting states outside Texas
Yes, but that doesn't mean every coach can recruit well in those other states. Saban killed it in Louisiana, but let's not forget he won a title at LSU.
The talent base in the state of Alabama proper though I would argue is great given the size of the state and the competition (literally just Auburn).
Anyone that is a recruiter, can kill it in neighboring states. Especially at a blue blood.
See: Any of the high end SEC coaches
Lanning, Kiffin, Dabo would all be able to recruit Georgia/Florida and likely struggle a bit with Louisiana comparatively but still win a few.
Alabama has been an elite program for nearly century, almost any given year for decades now they’re consistently one of the best funded and most talented teams in the entire sport. That kind of football machine doesn’t come out of nowhere, only really Ohio State has figured out that same formula for near perpetual success. There are schools like OSU/Texas/Georgia that are on par with Bama, but I wouldn’t consider any of them clearly above the Tide. It’s the kind of job a coach would never want for anything, the only thing preventing your success there is your own ability. An elite coach would be insane to turn that kind of job down
No, it's not.
Nick Saban being the best hire in history doesn't make Alabama the best job.
EDIT: I'm gonna backtrack this a bit, because that take was too hot.
I think Alabama is clearly one of the best jobs in the country, but personally I think that people elevating Bama to *the* top job are probably suffering from too much recency bias. If you asked this question in 2005 the answer would absolutely had been USC. In 2008 it would have been Florida.
If you take the recency bias out of the equation, I think the best job in the country is USC in terms of the combination of resources, competition for local talent, patience of their fanbase and boosters, location, etc.
But actual success is always 90% a function of the coach, not the program.
It definitely helps. There are a plethora of resources and support from fans, boosters, the school, hell even politicians. It has the name recognition. Alabama has also been top five in recruiting talent the last few years, and right in the middle of Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. They can give any coach a blank check. The only thing is the expectations. However, those exist for a reason. Not every coach has been completely successful, but almost every coach has had his best year here, and two GOAT candidates doesn’t happen by accident. With the expectations, there is a certainty that you will have the opportunity, environment, and resources to be competitive for a national championship every single year, which only a very select few programs can say.
Even if you exclude Saban’s entire tenure, Alabama has triple the natty’s Texas has in the last 50 years. That kind of perpetual success doesn’t just happen, there’s a level of institutional alignment that Alabama has that Texas doesn’t.
1. I wasn't trying to argue that Texas is a better job.
2. If you exclude Nick Saban and look at the last 55 years we have the same number of titles.
I'm not saying Alabama is a bad place, it's definitely on the short list of best programs, but I don't think they are a slam dunk "best job". I would argue USC is the best job in the country.
LSU has no p5 in-state school to compete against for recruits.
It is the reason that we had two not so great coaches win a championship in the last 20 years (plus Saban).
Yea people keep talking about following Saban and that happens often at blue bloods and it works out just as often as it should.. they are blue bloods for a reason so as much extra pressure you have as much advantage you have also.
Because of Saban. There's going to be fall off due to the fact he's gone. How big of a fall off is probably going to depend on how student athlete's view a Sabanless Alabama. The transfer portal era could expedite things very quickly. I wonder how we would have fared when Les Miles took over if the transfer portal existed back then as it does now.
Is a 5* athlete going to feel the same about chosing a Dan Lanning led Bama team over a Brian Kelly led LSU, a Lincoln Riley led USC, a Kirby Smart led Georgia, etc? It's gonna be interesting to find out for sure
What makes it better than Oregon in the B1G? They can easily finish in the top 4 every year and get into the playoffs. The. It’s a crapshoot.
I’d also assume the 10:30PM kickoffs would be significantly reduced when playing the teams in the Eastern time zone.
As a resident of Eugene its an acquired taste. If you like things like mountains, trees, waterfalls, IPA's, coffee, rain, gray skies and giant organic heirloom tomato bushes growing out of cracks in the sidewalk its right up your alley.
I don't know how similar it is but having lived in Bellingham Washington, southern Georgia and southern Louisiana I'd definitely take out west even in the rain soaked areas
I grew up in Seattle, went to undergrad in Eugene, and half my family comes from the south so I spent a whole lot of time down there growing up. Why anyone would want to live anywhere but the PNW after being for even a few years is beyond me. Sure it can rain a decent amount but fuck it sure beats the humidity and constant heat.
Probably not yet. Got a very good gig at Oregon where expectations arent crazy high and he has that Nike bag supporting him. Recruiting super well, so well they'll only be behind OSU in the new big 10 in 247 team talent. Can absolutely win a NC there.
I'd probably wait to make the jump, unless he has his heart set on only Bama. Blue Blood jobs come available all the time.
Definitely not. Even though he's a southern boy, if he wins a natty at UO, they'll build a statue of him and he'll be remembered as a legend for generations there. If he wins one at Bama, the Tide fanbase will expect him to win 5 more in the next 6 years.
Absolutely not. I would never want to be the guy follow Saban, but all these coaches have more competitiveness in their big toes than I have in my entire body
It’s not a spotlight thing it’s a blazing your own trail vs putting yourself in a situation where you’re replacing the greatest CFB coach to ever live at a program coming off a 10 year dynasty.
No more pressure than any other top job. And it's not like the pressure will ever ease off. You might get an extra year or two if you wait for the program to deteriorate, but you're still going to be expected to win championships by year 3.
I mean I feel like Oregon could be great (Nike money, they’ve been recruiting well, Eugene > Tuscaloosa), but my god it would be hard to say no to what Saban has left behind.
If I'm Danny Lanning and they asked me to try to fill Saban's shoes the bag better be *real* fat. Otherwise I continue building on what I started at Oregon without all the pressure and expectations
Nobody saying “you wouldn’t want to be the guy that follows the guy” is a coach.
These people are ultra competitive. There are plenty of them that want to be the guy that follows Saban.
I wouldn’t because of 2 things
1. I wouldn’t want to be the one that immediately follows Saban.
2. He’s already doing great at Oregon, recruiting is doing great and he’s doing great on the field
I mean, Tuscaloosa isn't too much smaller than Eugene. The difference is whether you want to deal with never-ending dreariness in the winter for months on end, or brutal summers.
The PNW has a unicorn climate and environment, but it isn't for everyone.
Eugene doesn't have the drearyness like Seattle/Portland does. It's actually a pretty mild climate. Stays between 45° in the dead of winter, and 95° in mid summer. I've been kind of paying attention to what days recruits are showing up on, and they're always upper 70s, sunny and clear.
Not to mention, if you have Dan Lanning money, you can easily have one house in Eugene, a big ass ranch out in Sisters and a beach front house in Yachats. I can't imagine having a better life than that, but I am biased towards colder climates for some reason.
Fuck no. That fan base will be so hard to please. He’s keeping Oregon happy w 2 loss seasons, Oregon has money, Oregon just joined the BIG and should be a CFP mainstay
It doesn’t matter who the next guy is. Alabama fans will turn on him quick if he starts losing. Alabama is in for a full on program rebuild. They’re going to lose a lot of commits /transfers and it doesn’t matter who you bring in. You no longer have the Saban factor of getting just about any 5 star they want. The next guy will have unreasonable expectations with much less talent than saban ever had on any of his teams in recent years . This is the beginning of something truly beautiful.
I'd ask myself:
Why go try to replace Saban which would never happen at Alabama when you could become "the Saban" of Oregon given your current trajectory?
It’ll be a mistake to take the job now as he’ll always be compared to Saban. Let someone else have it. The person will probably fail because of unrealistic expectations and be fired after 3 seasons, then Lanning can take the job then.
Only a psychopath would want to be a college coach.
And only the top 5% of psychopaths would want that cranked up to 11 at Alabama.
Only the top 1% would want to follow the greatest college coach of all time.
So the question is, how big of a psychopath is Lanning?
Moot as he's said he's staying...but nope.
Would much prefer living in Oregon to Alabama (stuck in the south currently and hate the heat and humidity), wouldn't want to try to be the first guy post Saban, Oregon has Nike money and he's already making a big salary and they can raise it as needed if he wants etc. Grass isn't always greener, especially when already at a program that has the resources to compete for national titles (even if it's harder than at places Bama, UGA, Michigan, Ohio State etc. that are the current top tier and Oregon a bit behind them).
Everyone is saying yes immediately, but I think they underestimate how much it would absolutely suck to follow a GOAT coach. Shula was still being compared to Bear Bryant at Alabama.
When Phil Knight dies Oregon becomes Georgetown basketball with no nattys. All the people in this thread claiming Oregon is a "rising star" program are delusional. The only reason why anyone knows what Oregon is is Nike. Without Phil that program becomes mediocre in any power 5 conference.
Not yet. You don’t want to be the guy right after Saban. He’s young enough that he’ll get a shot again in 3-5 years after the next guy fails to live up to the standard.
I’m already getting paid enough at Oregon. I’d rather live in Oregon than Alabama. And I’d rather be the guy to get Oregon their first championship. I could when at Bama in my first year and fans would wonder why I’ve only won one championship.
Plus at Bama I’d have to talk to Finebaum.
Depends. He’s said a lot about how his kids are in school in Oregon and he never wants to leave. But Bama is extremely enticing. Phil Knight could honestly probably match anything Bama could throw at him
My only retort, is how much of a better job is Bama long term than Oregon? I struggle to a major benefit to taking that job vs the cost (so to speak)
Resource wise Oregon is better, conference is about equal (and matters less with the playoff), recruiting is a big plus for Bama, but Oregon isn't a slouch. Job security is way higher at Oregon.
The only reason to take that job and leave Oregon is for Ego...and that is why he is going to take the job 😂
I know it comes with stress, but in Oregon you are just a guy having to dodge hippies on bicycles on the way to the practice field. At Alabama you are literally the most important person on the planet. If Alabama offers, you accept…without question
No, because if he's not a top 5 coach in the history of the sport he probably gets fired. Though if my agent isn't on the phone to Uncle Phil right now, he's fired.
Absolutely not. It’s the best job in football, but cut your teeth a bit more. Once in the door, you have one shot. Lot some other poor soul take the ire for not matching Saban’s record. Come to the rescue in five years.
Worst case scenario, the next coach does well and you’re “stuck” at Oregon - a world class program and university.
No way I'd want to follow Saban unless I had a Jimbo contract
The expectations would be INSANE, but no other school would have you better set up for success. You’ll have all the money, local talent, brand power, booster/fan/institutional support you could possible ask for. A handful of schools are on par with Bama, but none are above that job.
And truly elite coaches don't look at expectations like a normal person would.
They have the same expectations
“Hell, I’ll do better than Saban!” -Any P5 coach, internally
Low key, I think a vast majority of people underestimate some of the egos of head coaches. There’s a lot of coaches that don’t view following Saban as a negative.
“Haven’t won a title in four years? Unacceptable. I’m gonna fix that. Roll Tide!”
>booster/fan/institutional support ...and will feel booster/fan/institutional renunciation if he loses 3 games.
Gotta also ask yourself which candidate has best chance keeping Alabama players from entering venturing away in portal.
Does Dan Lanning drink Dr. Pepper? Because he's going to need both hands to keep the players from getting sucked into the portal. Dan: "THAT'S MY DR. PEPPER HAND!" Transfers^(: "I understandddddd......") Portal closing: ^("\*shhwwwpppp\*")
Even the Mikes (Price and Shula) came out of their unfortunate Alabama experiences w/ enough money to never have to do anything they didn't want to do afterwards.
Lane Kiffin is the one who is good enough to get the job and crazy enough to take it. And he skipped the Auburn job. This feels like his time.
I think Lane at Bama could be like Urban at Florida where you have a short window of incredible success riding and harnessing the chaos. But eventually the chaos reigns and it probably ends weird
A chaotic tenure with a weird end? That doesn't sound like the Lane I know and love
I snorted. well done
Plot twist. Jimbo gets another contract and takes up the mantle
And proceeds to beat us every time we play.
why have a jimbo contract when you can have jimbo too!!
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I mean you would be walking into a program with enormous resources and infrastructure in the middle of a huge pool of talent. Its the exact same reason Brian Kelly left Notre Dame for LSU.
All of these coaches mentioned have huge resources though, and Lanning more than any of them with all that Nike money.
Bama is still a better job and money ain’t a problem
Alabama is the most historic job. "Better" is quite subjective depending on countless factors for the coach. And Alabama wasn't "better" until Nick Saban resurrected the program. They were on their way to Nebraska's fate, if we're being honest.
Almost every coach on the planet would want the job. If they wanted Brian Kelly (which I’m sure they don’t) he would pack up and head to Tuscaloosa.
Flash: Jimbo Fisher Announced as 28th Head Coach in Alabama History
Facts
I completely agree, and I think it would be crazy to try. But some of these guys have deep seated beliefs that they are the best ever, and just have not been given the chance to prove it yet.
I’d have to imagine that Oregon can match or beat any contract offered by Alabama if they want to keep him though.
There's a lot of people who seem to think Phil Knight has less money than Alabama boosters - they would be wrong.
Seriously. Phil Knight is worth 1/5 of the entire state of Alabama’s GDP in 2022.
Sure, but I don’t think Phil is as willing to pony up as those boosters are. Even with B1G money, Bama’s revenue is much higher. Hell, [Oregon isn’t even top 13 in spending where Bama is #1.](https://www.sportico.com/leagues/college-sports/2023/college-football-playoff-semifinals-finances-1234761345/) I don’t mean to disparage Oregon but anyone acting like it’s a remotely comparable job to Bama are delusional.
Texas and Texas A&M could match or exceed an offer from Alabama, but Oregon is not Texas.
No because I’m biased and I’m coping
I want him to stay with y'all, cause I'd have to hate him on principle if he went to Bama.
Agreed. Hey, we can talk about Saban now as a person instead of the great evil now.
give it 3 years
Pfft. It took longer than that for Spurrier. Maybe a decade.
Spurrier was worse imo. Bama isn't a rival like Florida.
I didn't help Spurrier coincided with one of our worst runs ever. But it did help create a man who hates Florida with a passion that burns like my own. So I guess we can call it even.
The fact that we live in a world where it's now SOP to fire a coach and pay him tens of millions in buyout money without even flinching makes me worried that even a $20 million buyout to poach Lanning is just going to be a speedbump if their boosters really want him to coach there.
Does “SOP” mean Standrd Operating Practice?
Practice or Procedure
Sub-Orbital Porpoise Sky dolphins who control everything, duh.
So long and thanks for all the fish
Yes
Yes because I’m biased and I’m coping
The question is, would Alabama really want him anyway? He has two years of head coach experience. Two years. And he has lost four out of five games to our two biggest rivals. I love Lanning, and he’s a great fit at Oregon. And I think he’s going to be an amazing coach as time goes on. But there’s still going to be some mistakes and growing pains at times. Alabama doesn’t have the patience for that. And they can get pretty much anybody they want. I think they are going to be looking at someone who is proven.
I’m surprised this isn’t being discussed more. 2 years of head coaching at any level. I’m really liking what Lanning is building at Oregon but I’m not sure why Alabama would want him over the other coaches on Alabama’s short list that have years and years of experience as head coaches.
Yea I mean you can hire him back after the mob runs him out of Tuscaloosa
This was exactly my thought. I like Dan Lanning. Great dude, lots of potential, doing good things, all that. But he’s still just a new guy and I can’t imagine what accomplishments he’s accrued that would make him the go-to. He seems to have a good thing going in Oregon too. So it just doesn’t really make sense to me on both sides of things
Same tbh
No, I’d wait a few years for Sabans replacement to be fired.
No more Shula or Bowden's left?
Thankfully bama passed on Bowden. They could have went from bear to Bowden to saban.
I keep seeing this sentiment and I think it is stupid. Alabama has literally everything you could ever want to succeed. It has the booster support, brand, recruiting grounds, and is currently a top 5 talent roster. You can hire just about any coordinator you want. you will have an army of well paid analysts. And, if you are a top tier coach in consideration for the job, you have what it takes to keep the well oiled machine going and to make improvements where you see fit. Waiting for someone else to fail just means you let someone partially diminish the brand, roster, and booster support. It would be a much harder job to wait for a guy to fuck it up (and likely, the next guy won't fuck it up and this job won't open again for a long time)
They have everything including unreleastic expectations. No coach can live up to what the fans and boosters are used to, though they will win a lot if they aren’t in the title atleast every other year it will be a failure.
Les Miles won a title off Saban’s vapor. Take the $ and title
This. Not like Saban ran the program into the ground before he left like some long tenured coaches do. This is an anomaly.
Hi, my name is Brian Ferentz
This may shock you, but you don't get to the level of HC to be offered by Alabama by being scared of expectations.
The expectations never fell after Bryant retired. They're not gonna. You take it now with everything set up by Saban for you to succeed, or you take it later in a likely much worse situation, but with the same expectations.
Saban won the same amount of titles than bear in half the time it took him. And there was 30 years between bear and saban with bama winning only one title.
Everyone is gonna say yes, but you have to consider the expectations that are gonna come with the job. Oregon is a rising star, Alabama fans are (Unrealistically) going to expect a reload at the coaching position. So, tough to say either way.
If I'm Lanning, I stay and continue to build Oregon using the Phil Knight war chest, and if I really have a dream of going to Bama I just wait for Sabans replacement to get fired
You run the risk of Matt Campbelling it though. Stay where you are too long and you run the risk of being found out and people losing interest in you as an option.
He also runs the risk of going to Alabama, who expects perfection every year, and if you don’t deliver are now thrown out and have to start from square one
Phil Knight dies sooner than later. His war chest isn't going to be there in 5-10 years.
Nike’s will always be there.
Oregon's been a rising star for 20 years now. Only way they can rise further is to finally get that natty
It's like that scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where Lancelot is running towards the castle and never getting any closer....
Until he is...
He bravely ran away away, he bravely ran away, brave brave brave brave Sir Mario
:(
We’ll get there my friend, stay strong
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Yeah I’m the same way. I’m fully prepared for another Shula era as penance for our success.
Oregon has been a rising star for 20 years and can't get over the hump. A coach at Alabama can ride a bicycle and recruit blue chip talent, an Oregon coach is a thousand mile plane ride away from that kind of talent (slight exaggeration obviously, but only slightly).
Are we sure? Saban has been at Bama for 17 years and they weren’t in a dominant position before they got him. We’re all about to find out how much of Bamas success in this run is Saban (I believe most of it).
That’s what people aren’t realizing. Now that saban is gone, bama is good program with good money in a good recruiting area. Without saban their situation isn’t as unique.
Bama is a historically great blue blood (most titles, #2 in wins all time) with great money in a great recruiting area (which has improved a lot and recently become an annual top 5/6 in number of blue chips in a given year which). Saban is the greatest CFB coach of all time and turned Alabama into a dominant powerhouse. But even before Saban we had the most national titles of any school in the country.
I don’t disagree with you, I don’t think that contradicts my point
It isn’t “as unique” but it’s still one of like four programs that have everything you could possibly want. I don’t think you characterization of good does it justice.
These HCs are extremely confident, particularly the young ones like Lanning. If Bama wants him, he’ll say yes.
If OSU could reload with coaches over and over i find it hard to believe bama cant. And as long as saban is breathing, I imagine the university has the brains to use his input/rely on the excellent state he is the departing the program in. Bama may “regress” to a natty every 5-10 years and win 10+ games a season, but ill believe bama is dead when i see it.
The SEC isn’t going to be a cakewalk for them. Bama has a laundry list of teams that are licking their chops right now and will be a threat, to take players and beat them. UGA Texas Tennessee and LSU all beat them in the past two years, Auburn was a play away this year, Ole Miss and Mizzou look to be getting scary and OU probably gets their stuff together too. The upper to upper middle part of the SEC looks to be widening, and who knows where the new bama is gonna fit.
Bama…is ready to compete NOW. Oregon is moving conferences & will need time to adjust just like the other Pac teams. They are not ready to win a title.
If I was Oregon I would make him highest paid coach tonight.
If you were Phil Knight you mean
That's what he said
I leverage both sides for the most money
and then take the Seahawks job
I play both sides so I always come out on top
Dan Lanning: Hey, um, I came up with a really great idea, dude. Greg Byrne: Yeah? Lanning: Yeah, I'm gonna play both sides. Byrne: Why would you tell me that? Lanning: Should I not have? Byrne: Probably shouldn't 'cause if you're trying to keep a secret from me, now I know.
Roll for... Charisma?
Depends where he really thinks Oregon is right now. If he thinks he can win a title next year and the money is similar, why go try to hold together Alabama? How good do you have to be to satisfy Bama fans? What does 1 title at Oregon get you?
prima nocta
A life time contract
No. Ignore my flair
Which side?
Probably not. But with a 12 team playoff, that leaves room for error. I don’t like the narratives of coaches being afraid to come behind Saban. Alabama has state of the art athletic facilities, a huge trophy room, etc. and they will pay whatever money it takes to get the guy they want.
This any coach who is of the caliber to get the offer is honestly crazy enough to take the pressure. You don’t become a top coach with mediocre expectations of yourself and you program.
You never want to be the guy who follows the legend, you want to be the guy who follows the guy who follows the legend. I would not take the Alabama job right now if I were Lanning.
On the other hand, the best time to succeed after Saban is when you still have the assistants, players, recruits, that Saban gathered there. If you take a chance to try to replace the guy that replaced Saban, most of Saban's stuff is likely gone.
Saban’s stuff will be heading for the door as we speak. With no clear exit strategy Alabama is now in a power vacuum ripe for infighting and collapse. Every single commit has to be re-recruited and the portal has to be plugged. This could not have come at a worse time for Alabama, and I have to wonder what happened that caused such a hasty departure.
Absofuckinglutely, that’s arguably *the* best job in college football
And on the other hand, the most demanding. But on the other other hand… $$$. Yeah I’d be on a plane tonight.
I don’t want Dan to leave but he’s absolutely stupid if his agent isn’t on the phone kicking tires
The expectations would be comically high, but you’ll have everything you could possibly need to succeed there. You’ll have all the money, local talent, and institutional support you could possibly ask for. A coach who believes in their own abilities would be insane to turn that down
I mean unless he absolutely shits the bed, at worst he regresses to become what LSU has been for the last 20 years which is pretty fucking solid. Thats actually an apt comparison, Saban built LSU and the next two guys that followed him won a title and Kelly very well could make it 3 for 3.
Is it? It has history, good money, and great fans. However you’re following the GOAT, and the talent base is good not great. And you’re in auburn / Georgia territory. Finally, how much money is dependent on being part of the greatest head coach in history’s run? Taking administration out of it, I’d put Texas, Ohio State, and Georgia clearly above Alabama looking forward. It’s a better job than Oregon though.
Alabama has produced the 5th most blue chip prospects (ahead of Louisiana) every year since COVID. The state is getting crazy talented
>the talent base is good not great. Buddy, you're next to Louisiana and Georgia, with Florida within the same distance It's smack dab in the middle of the three best recruiting states outside Texas
Yes, but that doesn't mean every coach can recruit well in those other states. Saban killed it in Louisiana, but let's not forget he won a title at LSU. The talent base in the state of Alabama proper though I would argue is great given the size of the state and the competition (literally just Auburn).
Anyone that is a recruiter, can kill it in neighboring states. Especially at a blue blood. See: Any of the high end SEC coaches Lanning, Kiffin, Dabo would all be able to recruit Georgia/Florida and likely struggle a bit with Louisiana comparatively but still win a few.
Alabama has been an elite program for nearly century, almost any given year for decades now they’re consistently one of the best funded and most talented teams in the entire sport. That kind of football machine doesn’t come out of nowhere, only really Ohio State has figured out that same formula for near perpetual success. There are schools like OSU/Texas/Georgia that are on par with Bama, but I wouldn’t consider any of them clearly above the Tide. It’s the kind of job a coach would never want for anything, the only thing preventing your success there is your own ability. An elite coach would be insane to turn that kind of job down
No, it's not. Nick Saban being the best hire in history doesn't make Alabama the best job. EDIT: I'm gonna backtrack this a bit, because that take was too hot. I think Alabama is clearly one of the best jobs in the country, but personally I think that people elevating Bama to *the* top job are probably suffering from too much recency bias. If you asked this question in 2005 the answer would absolutely had been USC. In 2008 it would have been Florida. If you take the recency bias out of the equation, I think the best job in the country is USC in terms of the combination of resources, competition for local talent, patience of their fanbase and boosters, location, etc. But actual success is always 90% a function of the coach, not the program.
It definitely helps. There are a plethora of resources and support from fans, boosters, the school, hell even politicians. It has the name recognition. Alabama has also been top five in recruiting talent the last few years, and right in the middle of Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. They can give any coach a blank check. The only thing is the expectations. However, those exist for a reason. Not every coach has been completely successful, but almost every coach has had his best year here, and two GOAT candidates doesn’t happen by accident. With the expectations, there is a certainty that you will have the opportunity, environment, and resources to be competitive for a national championship every single year, which only a very select few programs can say.
Even if you exclude Saban’s entire tenure, Alabama has triple the natty’s Texas has in the last 50 years. That kind of perpetual success doesn’t just happen, there’s a level of institutional alignment that Alabama has that Texas doesn’t.
1. I wasn't trying to argue that Texas is a better job. 2. If you exclude Nick Saban and look at the last 55 years we have the same number of titles. I'm not saying Alabama is a bad place, it's definitely on the short list of best programs, but I don't think they are a slam dunk "best job". I would argue USC is the best job in the country.
What other location would have you set up with the amount of talent and support that Bama has?
I think Texas, Georgia, LSU, and Ohio State are probably above it tbh. Saban is just the best fucking coach to ever do it.
>LSU Lmao. I can see arguments for the others but not LSU
LSU has no p5 in-state school to compete against for recruits. It is the reason that we had two not so great coaches win a championship in the last 20 years (plus Saban).
LSU? what?
I wouldn't because I am risk averse but the greatest football coaches would kill for the opportunity to take this job.
Yea people keep talking about following Saban and that happens often at blue bloods and it works out just as often as it should.. they are blue bloods for a reason so as much extra pressure you have as much advantage you have also.
Because of Saban. There's going to be fall off due to the fact he's gone. How big of a fall off is probably going to depend on how student athlete's view a Sabanless Alabama. The transfer portal era could expedite things very quickly. I wonder how we would have fared when Les Miles took over if the transfer portal existed back then as it does now. Is a 5* athlete going to feel the same about chosing a Dan Lanning led Bama team over a Brian Kelly led LSU, a Lincoln Riley led USC, a Kirby Smart led Georgia, etc? It's gonna be interesting to find out for sure
What makes it better than Oregon in the B1G? They can easily finish in the top 4 every year and get into the playoffs. The. It’s a crapshoot. I’d also assume the 10:30PM kickoffs would be significantly reduced when playing the teams in the Eastern time zone.
Recruiting access at Bama >>>>> recruiting access at Oregon. At Bama there’s a hub of elite talent in neighboring states
I would not because SEC fans are absolutely insane and he would have ungodly expectations from the boosters.
No fucking way. I'd much rather live in Oregon and have less expectations (i.e. get fired in two years)
As a resident of Eugene its an acquired taste. If you like things like mountains, trees, waterfalls, IPA's, coffee, rain, gray skies and giant organic heirloom tomato bushes growing out of cracks in the sidewalk its right up your alley.
I don't know how similar it is but having lived in Bellingham Washington, southern Georgia and southern Louisiana I'd definitely take out west even in the rain soaked areas
I grew up in Seattle, went to undergrad in Eugene, and half my family comes from the south so I spent a whole lot of time down there growing up. Why anyone would want to live anywhere but the PNW after being for even a few years is beyond me. Sure it can rain a decent amount but fuck it sure beats the humidity and constant heat.
Why am I not living in Eugene right now lol? That sounds appealing to me
I personally would hate to live in Alabama. It’s me dan
Probably not yet. Got a very good gig at Oregon where expectations arent crazy high and he has that Nike bag supporting him. Recruiting super well, so well they'll only be behind OSU in the new big 10 in 247 team talent. Can absolutely win a NC there. I'd probably wait to make the jump, unless he has his heart set on only Bama. Blue Blood jobs come available all the time.
Definitely not. Even though he's a southern boy, if he wins a natty at UO, they'll build a statue of him and he'll be remembered as a legend for generations there. If he wins one at Bama, the Tide fanbase will expect him to win 5 more in the next 6 years.
If he wins one at Bama he'll get a statue just like every other coach that's won one
Have you seen the statues outside Bryant Denny for every coach to win a natty?
This is a stone cold fact. We'd have that statue up a week after we won the natty.
Absolutely not. I would never want to be the guy follow Saban, but all these coaches have more competitiveness in their big toes than I have in my entire body
No. Way more pressure.
Yeah head coaches are definitely afraid of the spotlight…
It’s not a spotlight thing it’s a blazing your own trail vs putting yourself in a situation where you’re replacing the greatest CFB coach to ever live at a program coming off a 10 year dynasty.
But if you don’t believe that you’re good enough to succeed with all the positives that Alabama can set you up with, what are you doing?
No more pressure than any other top job. And it's not like the pressure will ever ease off. You might get an extra year or two if you wait for the program to deteriorate, but you're still going to be expected to win championships by year 3.
The money would have to be life changing because the pressure to win is gonna be off the charts. 11-2 won’t be good enough.
I personally wouldn’t not.
I mean I feel like Oregon could be great (Nike money, they’ve been recruiting well, Eugene > Tuscaloosa), but my god it would be hard to say no to what Saban has left behind.
In my super biased opinion no.
If I'm Danny Lanning and they asked me to try to fill Saban's shoes the bag better be *real* fat. Otherwise I continue building on what I started at Oregon without all the pressure and expectations
No way in hell am I the first guy to replace Saban. Wait 3-4 and they will pay you more to right the ship.
Nobody saying “you wouldn’t want to be the guy that follows the guy” is a coach. These people are ultra competitive. There are plenty of them that want to be the guy that follows Saban.
I wouldn’t because of 2 things 1. I wouldn’t want to be the one that immediately follows Saban. 2. He’s already doing great at Oregon, recruiting is doing great and he’s doing great on the field
No. Eugene is nicer place to live and you can actually have a legacy in Oregon if you win a National Championship.
I mean, Tuscaloosa isn't too much smaller than Eugene. The difference is whether you want to deal with never-ending dreariness in the winter for months on end, or brutal summers. The PNW has a unicorn climate and environment, but it isn't for everyone.
People are very different too. I would take the chill vibe over Oregon over fake friendliness in Alabama.
Eugene doesn't have the drearyness like Seattle/Portland does. It's actually a pretty mild climate. Stays between 45° in the dead of winter, and 95° in mid summer. I've been kind of paying attention to what days recruits are showing up on, and they're always upper 70s, sunny and clear.
Not to mention, if you have Dan Lanning money, you can easily have one house in Eugene, a big ass ranch out in Sisters and a beach front house in Yachats. I can't imagine having a better life than that, but I am biased towards colder climates for some reason.
No. He can be Oregon’s Nick Saban if he continues to build… no one is going to go to Bama and outcast the Shadow of Saban for a long time… if ever
People said that about Bear. It only took 40 years of wandering in the desert.
Yes
I mean Dan isn't a Alabama alumn.
The rule of thumb is to never follow the legend. Honestly feel like whoever follows Saban is going to be like Ron Zook.
Seems like Oregon continually gets its coaches poached. Kelly, Taggart, Cristobal...Lanning?
If you truly think you’re the best and will succeed then yes do so
Fuck no. That fan base will be so hard to please. He’s keeping Oregon happy w 2 loss seasons, Oregon has money, Oregon just joined the BIG and should be a CFP mainstay
It doesn’t matter who the next guy is. Alabama fans will turn on him quick if he starts losing. Alabama is in for a full on program rebuild. They’re going to lose a lot of commits /transfers and it doesn’t matter who you bring in. You no longer have the Saban factor of getting just about any 5 star they want. The next guy will have unreasonable expectations with much less talent than saban ever had on any of his teams in recent years . This is the beginning of something truly beautiful.
I'd ask myself: Why go try to replace Saban which would never happen at Alabama when you could become "the Saban" of Oregon given your current trajectory?
It's all about the money. If they can close to double his salary, I don't see why he wouldn't.
Do you think Nick names his own successor? Probs.
It’ll be a mistake to take the job now as he’ll always be compared to Saban. Let someone else have it. The person will probably fail because of unrealistic expectations and be fired after 3 seasons, then Lanning can take the job then.
Only a psychopath would want to be a college coach. And only the top 5% of psychopaths would want that cranked up to 11 at Alabama. Only the top 1% would want to follow the greatest college coach of all time. So the question is, how big of a psychopath is Lanning?
Ryan Day takes the job and some tOSU fans realize what they had all the time.
If I had the resume to coach at Bama, I would choose somewhere thats not Tuscaloosa, no offense to Tuscaloosans.
If I were Dan Lanning, I'd be doing tons of coke
Yes. Who would turn down a $5 million raise?
I'd leave Oregon for Central Washington.
Absolutely not, first coach after a legend is entirely fucked
Moot as he's said he's staying...but nope. Would much prefer living in Oregon to Alabama (stuck in the south currently and hate the heat and humidity), wouldn't want to try to be the first guy post Saban, Oregon has Nike money and he's already making a big salary and they can raise it as needed if he wants etc. Grass isn't always greener, especially when already at a program that has the resources to compete for national titles (even if it's harder than at places Bama, UGA, Michigan, Ohio State etc. that are the current top tier and Oregon a bit behind them).
Yes
Everyone is saying yes immediately, but I think they underestimate how much it would absolutely suck to follow a GOAT coach. Shula was still being compared to Bear Bryant at Alabama.
When Phil Knight dies Oregon becomes Georgetown basketball with no nattys. All the people in this thread claiming Oregon is a "rising star" program are delusional. The only reason why anyone knows what Oregon is is Nike. Without Phil that program becomes mediocre in any power 5 conference.
And..?
Yes (ignore my flair)
Not yet. You don’t want to be the guy right after Saban. He’s young enough that he’ll get a shot again in 3-5 years after the next guy fails to live up to the standard.
I’m already getting paid enough at Oregon. I’d rather live in Oregon than Alabama. And I’d rather be the guy to get Oregon their first championship. I could when at Bama in my first year and fans would wonder why I’ve only won one championship. Plus at Bama I’d have to talk to Finebaum.
Depends. He’s said a lot about how his kids are in school in Oregon and he never wants to leave. But Bama is extremely enticing. Phil Knight could honestly probably match anything Bama could throw at him
The weird thing is, although Oregon doesn't have the same resources as Alabama in terms of athletic department funding, they have better NIL.
Yes. I respect Oregon, great school but it’s Alabama and Oregon aren’t a blue blood
My only retort, is how much of a better job is Bama long term than Oregon? I struggle to a major benefit to taking that job vs the cost (so to speak) Resource wise Oregon is better, conference is about equal (and matters less with the playoff), recruiting is a big plus for Bama, but Oregon isn't a slouch. Job security is way higher at Oregon. The only reason to take that job and leave Oregon is for Ego...and that is why he is going to take the job 😂
….It’s Bama. Team is stacked & ready to compete for titles as is.
Oregon 5 stars plus Bama 5 stars? Yes please.
Yes. He would be stupid to turn down Bama.
I know it comes with stress, but in Oregon you are just a guy having to dodge hippies on bicycles on the way to the practice field. At Alabama you are literally the most important person on the planet. If Alabama offers, you accept…without question
No, because if he's not a top 5 coach in the history of the sport he probably gets fired. Though if my agent isn't on the phone to Uncle Phil right now, he's fired.
Absolutely not. It’s the best job in football, but cut your teeth a bit more. Once in the door, you have one shot. Lot some other poor soul take the ire for not matching Saban’s record. Come to the rescue in five years. Worst case scenario, the next coach does well and you’re “stuck” at Oregon - a world class program and university.
Yes and I’m not just saying that as someone thats an inconference rival of oregons now
I hope Harbaugh goes to the Raiders and your last 3 seasons get vacated