My Hot take on how Saban leaving affects UT

[rgvol]

Their fans seem to think so since he will have an office on campus and be at practices

That's not gonna work. Bet.

 

[rickyyrs]

Saban got beat by TX this year and was afraid to have to play them every other year

Texas got beat by Washington. Now Washington coach is Alabama's coach. By what your saying Texas will be afraid to play Bama now.

 

[HalfullVol]

I may be wrong but I don't think they will be able to continue getting all those 4-5 stars they have 3-deep. Will be interesting to see where they are in 2-3 yrs. A couple of years with 8-4 records the gumps will come unglued. The SEC is just getting tougher.

Solid, relatable coaching personnel, winning records and big NIL bags dictate where the Jimmy's and Joe's will go and

I sense UTK will have the right combination for the foreable future.

Enjoy the ride

 

[chuck0303]

Saban retired because of the NIL, the playing field is a lot more equal now, he hated the NIL.

He sure was whining at the top of his lungs when TX A&M got a top recruiting class,a year or two ago. Couldn't match their $$$$$$$. A&M has mega $$$$$$ to spend, hence the Jimbo buyout. Like most big schools, win or get canned in this immediate gratification world.

 

[Bluetickdevildog1076]

I'm sure when Bear Bryant retired in 1982 everyone thought no one else would win 6 national championships at Alabama. The years between Bear and Saban seem mediocre, only winning 1 under Gene Stallings 1992. He went 60-11-5. Alabama's football program is like a horror movie, everyone thinks the monster is dead. But a few (Tennessee fans) know it's just a matter of time before it rises out of the ashes bigger and meaner than before. I hope I'm wrong!

 

[LAVol1]

... but they will be a perennial Top 15 team for the foreseeable future with the moves they made. Deboer is a good enough coach to pull that off.

Probably, but the issue will be can Deboer withstand the SEVERE criticism that the delusional Bama fanbase heaps upon him for not winning the NC every 2-3 years? I say NO. He won't last 4 years.

 

[LAVol1]

I'm sure when Bear Bryant retired in 1982 everyone thought no one else would win 6 national championships at Alabama. The years between Bear and Saban seem mediocre, only winning 1 under Gene Stallings 1992. He went 60-11-5. Alabama's football program is like a horror movie, everyone thinks the monster is dead. But a few (Tennessee fans) know it's just a matter of time before it rises out of the ashes bigger and meaner than before. I hope I'm wrong!

History says they'll have to go thru at least 3-4 coaches before the Tide gets back to a perennial top 10 program again.

 

[Bluetickdevildog1076]

History says they'll have to go thru at least 3-4 coaches before the Tide gets back to a perennial top 10 program again.

Hope you are right, but with NIL and transfer portal we are in uncharted territory.

 

[Elhanan]

He’s not gonna be as good as Saban.

If Bama fans act like they normally do then even a two loss season is going to be too much for them. They’ll call for his head in two seasons sewing more chaos.

He’s gonna fail for no fault of his own. He’s following a legend and has to deal with spoiled impatient fans.

 

[TennMan101]

Interesting take for sure. I don’t agree with OP’s opinions on current youth or cities. The ones that play D1 & D2 have likely worked year round since they were 5 years old. I think he is a little out of touch with competitive youth sports today and the amount of commitment and dedication it takes to even get an NAIA scholarship. He may be thinking about recreational leagues.

No one chooses a football program because of the city it resides in. Location is important, relative to the players home and family, but not the makeup of the city. No offense, Knoxville is not anything special.

As far as Saban, the guy has been doing it at a high level for a long time, maybe it’s just that time for him. He has always adapted well to change and maintained success. I do think the era of dynasties is over. College football is now about building that one special team for that one special season.

If it was "That time for him" I don't believe he'd be a few doors down (probably) calling most of the shots.

 

[Ratvol]

W

What’s wrong with Johnson City?

Back in the early 70s we used to hang out at the Red Pig BBQ and the Tu La Fa…..
Nothing wrong with Johnson City…

 

[cgrish]

Saban retiring changes college football and that's not me trying to exaggerate. Alabama cannot maintain the way things have been. I do believe the impact is seen this year but they likely have a couple of decent years and then run him out of town because he couldn't meet expectations. It will only get worse from there.

I give him 3 years at Bama, not because he is not a good coach, I believe he is, but with the nil/tp what Saban has done cannot be duplicated again imo. And the expectations at Bama or nc every few years or coach fired.

 

[Hyperion]

The people down there will eat the new hire alive. Saban was the program. It had nothing intrinsically to do with Alabama.

 

[cgrish]

I may be wrong but I don't think they will be able to continue getting all those 4-5 stars they have 3-deep. Will be interesting to see where they are in 2-3 yrs. A couple of years with 8-4 records the gumps will come unglued. The SEC is just getting tougher.

I agree, I think the biggest challenge for Bama is being able to stack 4 and 5 stars 3 deep. I don't think Bama or any other school will be able to do that in the future. They don't play, they transfer. and even if they so some will transfer for more money.

 

[TennMan101]

With the expansion, I believe a 2 loss SEC team gets in every year.

 

[pimo1]

I agree with a lot of what you’re saying. Sabin definitely knew going forward he would have less and less of a roster/talent advantage each season. But, it seems as though you are saying that’s a bad thing. They would stomp us by 40+ every year before the transfer portal and immediate eligibility (along with NIL opportunities). Did you forget about that? These new rules have allowed teams like Tennessee with a lot of resources, but behind our major competitors in total roster talent, the opportunity to catch up quickly. How could any of our fans not realize these changes have been a godsend for programs like us?

I atotally disagree that those things are bad for college football. It’s also such a stupid statement when people say things like this generation of kids are coddled and just get participation trophies for nothing etc. As a dad of a son who did travel baseball for years… I can tell you firsthand Sports today are 1000 times more competitive and intense than 30 years earlier when I was playing youth sports. Kids start specializing in a particular sport by age 10 and often will play incredibly long and grueling season. Kids arrive at college more ready to play today than ever before. That’s why you see so many underclassmen starring on championship winning teams.

I do not think that NIL or the portal are necessarily bad for college sports. In fact, I'd be more on the side that they are positive. However, at the same time, its true we just don't build em the way we used to. People are more whiny and weak in general than in the past. Everyone is all in their feelings way too much. there is a such thing as too much of a good thing. It's great people can express themselves more, speak out, and such. But at the same time, people have to realize we are all part of a society and we have to work within that society's confines. That is the whole point of team sports. It's about a group of people coming together for a common cause. If you look at the best teams it's about sacrificing some of your individuality to get the whole group to a goal. Have you noticed that in most sports the top people on the individual stats are very rarely on the best team? That's why awards like MVP and Heisman are targeted the way they are. they normally get awarded to best player on a top team.. whereas the Best QB often goes to a different guy because he put up stats. The portal and NIL are a double-edged sword....they give more power to athletes which is great.. but they also give more power to 17-19-year-olds which is crazy....

Bru Mccoy is a good example of what I mean he is a throwback... as a WR he does not put up the best stats but he contributes more to winning games than guys out there getting 100 yards a game because he runs every route and blocks on every run. Whether the ball is going to him or not his defender is going through hell. Most of these big-name top nil earner WR's. are taking plays off all in their feeling if the ball does not go to them every play...if its a run they just let their guy run by and get the tackle. Ball gets picked they are gonna sit on the ground and watch him run it back. T

 

[VOLtaism]

Saban's saw the writing. Its no longer possible to compile a 3 deep lineup of star football players simply because of NIL. Every player must be re-recruited every year, the top players re-recruited several times each year as offers come in. NIL money is available and the players are going to spread out to get that money. It must be daily chaos to try and hold a team together.

 

[pimo1]

I don't agree with this premise. Doesn't seem to be much of a correlation between the city the university is in and NIL.

And Lexington would probably qualify as more of a "destination" city than Knoxville, what with Keeneland and all the bourbon trail stuff. It's a little bigger, too.

The average American knows Knoxville is in TN...if you were to ask a random person in say NYC or LA where Knoxville is they'd know... ask them about Lexington they would not know unless they were seriously into horses or bourbon. lexington also has the issue that's its right next to Louisville and Cincinnati so it's the little sister. Knoxville is far enough away from other major cites that it is its own thing. There is also the idea of the metro area... Knoxville metro (850k) is nearly twice the size of Lexington (500k) and contains cities that on their own have clout.. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Oak Ridge. Lexington is smaller than Chattanooga metro...

and yes metro matters.. If you meet someone from Atlanta the chances they actually live in the city of Atlanta are slim.... they are from places like Marietta, East Point, College Park, Jonesboro, and Kenwood.

 

[tennesseeduke]

It pains me to say it, but the Gumps will still be very good. They made a good hire. I still hate them!

They got the 1 COACH that I didn’t want them to get.

 

[Flipdaddy]

A lot of people think that Saban leaving means all of a sudden Alabama is immediately gonna suck. I posit that is the furthest thing from the truth. I think that him leaving saved Alabama from a bigger collapse. DO I think Deboer will have the same Dynasty? Heck no. But Saban saw the writing on the wall. He wanted nothing to do with NIL/PORTAL and he has been witnessing the pussification of modern sports that's been happening for the last 20 years. It was bad enough before NIL/PORTAL. Kids are softer, they cant take hard coaching. They don't want to wait their turn. This is a generation fully immersed in the participation award era. Why is he getting this I'm not, even though he is working and producing and I'm not. This is the world we live in. Had Saban Stayed within a couple years there would have been a big downturn. Deboer gives a chance to mitigate that.

Will Deboer be the next Saban? Not likely we wont see another coach like that for a long time if ever. The dynasty he built can't be replicated as things stand now especially not at Alabama. They do not and won't have a collective to compete toe to toe with the big dogs. Tuscaloosa is not a place people want to go to. When is the last time someone was like 'hey lets hop in the car and go to Tuscaloosa' for anything but a football game or elope with their 3rd cousin? The interesting story is NIL/PORTAL era favors the UT's and LSU more than any other SEC schools because comparatively, they are the only schools not in drive-through towns. Vandy is in Nashville but does not count. Ole Miss is an outlier because they got money anyway. There is a reason Spyre is one of the top collectives. If UT was located in Johnson City it would be a completely different story. Knoxville, Nashville, Austin, Baton Rouge are destination cities comparatively to other SEC cities.

ATHENS, GA
AUBURN, AL
BATON ROUGE, LA <--LSU
BRYAN, TX
COLLEGE STATION, TX
COLUMBIA, MO
COLUMBIA, SC
FAYETTEVILLE, AR
GAINESVILLE, FL
LEXINGTON, KY
NASHVILLE, TN<-- Vandy
OXFORD, MS
STARKVILLE, MS
TUSCALOOSA, AL
KNOXVILLE, TN <--UT

I think Saban leaving ends a dynasty but Alabama will still be a top SEC team for a long time coming. I think UT is in a position to rise to the top because of Spyre and the city of Knoxville. It's a good location, geographically. Has a decent culture. Mild weather year-round comparatively. it is a big enough place that there is access to everything one could want. It is small enough that you're not worrying about getting mugged every time you leave home. No, I am not from Knoxville, I am a proud Chattanoogan. I remember as a youngster in the 80's and 90's I was not interested on any level in going to Knoxville because there was a stigma about that part of the state. Things have changed a lot and Knoxville in the late 90's and 2000's changed a lot (for the better imo).. like the rest of the world.

There are a lot of things we can't affect as fans but one thing we can affect directly is the cities we live in. All you guys up in Knoxville keep doing what you're doing and those of us who can, support Spyre, and good things will happen.

What was the “stigma” in Knoxville and I guess you’re referring to East Tennessee?

 

[Swiftybaby]

I wouldn’t call Baton Rouge a destination city and honestly the vols are about the only thing knoxville has goin for it.

 

[strkr]

I think he sees the writing on the wall also, that says now everyone can pay players, not just the gumps,and they just don’t have enough money

I agree with ^^^ and Saban is a control freak and he realized his control and his recruiting ploy of getting ya to the nfl was not going to work with the portal/NIL because the NIL is like the NFL as a college athlete. I am glad he is gone. Go enjoy your money dude.

 

[strkr]

You realize the 2000 years ago Plato wrote a paper about these damn kids today? Any time i see the kids of today pointed out as weak/lazy/lesser, i remember my dad saying exactly the same thing.

If the kids are soft its because the parents failed.


With regard to Nick; i agree, had he stayed they were going to begin slippimg because NIL evened the playing field.

It is why he pitched his fit in Birmingham regarding Jimbo Fisher and what A&M did in buying players. Ohio State and Ole Piss have done it this year with the portal. Jimbo of course got axed but he at least called out ole Nick and pretty much told ya the dirt at bammer. Players being bought under the table. With NIL it is all above board and the AFLAC man realized it.

 

[Ned Ray McWorkher]

Probably, but the issue will be can Deboer withstand the SEVERE criticism that the delusional Bama fanbase heaps upon him for not winning the NC every 2-3 years? I say NO. He won't last 4 years.

Recruiting the South full time is different too. And he will still have to maintain a national presence.

It's unlikely for him to be great down there. That monster is too big to take over and keep moving the same direction. There will be tentacles that appear from everywhere that Saban was keeping at bay by sheer dominance. This new guy will be tested left and right. A chance exists that he may realize this sooner than later and just walk before year four.

 

[TruthIsOutThere]

A lot of people think that Saban leaving means all of a sudden Alabama is immediately gonna suck. I posit that is the furthest thing from the truth. I think that him leaving saved Alabama from a bigger collapse. DO I think Deboer will have the same Dynasty? Heck no. But Saban saw the writing on the wall. He wanted nothing to do with NIL/PORTAL and he has been witnessing the pussification of modern sports that's been happening for the last 20 years. It was bad enough before NIL/PORTAL. Kids are softer, they cant take hard coaching. They don't want to wait their turn. This is a generation fully immersed in the participation award era. Why is he getting this I'm not, even though he is working and producing and I'm not. This is the world we live in. Had Saban Stayed within a couple years there would have been a big downturn. Deboer gives a chance to mitigate that.

Will Deboer be the next Saban? Not likely we wont see another coach like that for a long time if ever. The dynasty he built can't be replicated as things stand now especially not at Alabama. They do not and won't have a collective to compete toe to toe with the big dogs. Tuscaloosa is not a place people want to go to. When is the last time someone was like 'hey lets hop in the car and go to Tuscaloosa' for anything but a football game or elope with their 3rd cousin? The interesting story is NIL/PORTAL era favors the UT's and LSU more than any other SEC schools because comparatively, they are the only schools not in drive-through towns. Vandy is in Nashville but does not count. Ole Miss is an outlier because they got money anyway. There is a reason Spyre is one of the top collectives. If UT was located in Johnson City it would be a completely different story. Knoxville, Nashville, Austin, Baton Rouge are destination cities comparatively to other SEC cities.

ATHENS, GA
AUBURN, AL
BATON ROUGE, LA <--LSU
BRYAN, TX
COLLEGE STATION, TX
COLUMBIA, MO
COLUMBIA, SC
FAYETTEVILLE, AR
GAINESVILLE, FL
LEXINGTON, KY
NASHVILLE, TN<-- Vandy
OXFORD, MS
STARKVILLE, MS
TUSCALOOSA, AL
KNOXVILLE, TN <--UT

I think Saban leaving ends a dynasty but Alabama will still be a top SEC team for a long time coming. I think UT is in a position to rise to the top because of Spyre and the city of Knoxville. It's a good location, geographically. Has a decent culture. Mild weather year-round comparatively. it is a big enough place that there is access to everything one could want. It is small enough that you're not worrying about getting mugged every time you leave home. No, I am not from Knoxville, I am a proud Chattanoogan. I remember as a youngster in the 80's and 90's I was not interested on any level in going to Knoxville because there was a stigma about that part of the state. Things have changed a lot and Knoxville in the late 90's and 2000's changed a lot (for the better imo).. like the rest of the world.

There are a lot of things we can't affect as fans but one thing we can affect directly is the cities we live in. All you guys up in Knoxville keep doing what you're doing and those of us who can, support Spyre, and good things will happen.

Interesting take. Time will tell. I do have a question - how is Baton Rouge anything but a drive through dump? I was born and raised there - went to high school there - and was blessed to go to Tennessee for college.

I’m not going to dig on Baton Rouge too hard in public…. But I’ve never considered it a destination and am genuinely curious as to what people think?