Nick Saban

[McDad]

It's ok to assail his character, he's the enemy.

I save assailing for my friends.

 

[hog88]

I save assailing for my friends.

Poor Louder.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

After that Jermain Burton incident, I have no respect for the guy regardless where he coaches.

That’s an A list b*tch move on his part.

Oh he is definitely a POS. But as a coach? College football has never seen a better one.

 

[MEDVOL]

Problem should be with SEC office/Sankey/NCAA powers. Saban coaches his team to win and advocates for them. Just like Heupel would do for us. Its just annoying cause his team is in a position for him to do it every damn year. The problem should be with those who listen and give into him when they shouldn't.

 

[OrangeInKy]

He’s nothing but a damn crybaby. This isn’t the first year he’s begged and pleaded to the committee, he did it last year as well.

I can’t stand him either, but if UT was in that position, I’d want my coach out there politicking for it too.

 

[OrangeInKy]

Oh he is definitely a POS. But as a coach? College football has never seen a better one.

You’re gonna overlook Gerry Dinardo?

 

[Volizona]

Most successful people, and certainly the all time best in any vocation, are hated more than they are loved.
Hating him doesn't harm him. It only harms those who hate him.

I respect what he has accomplished. He seems to have done it with very high integrity. And he has kept his family in tact to boot. Rare combinations these days.

True, but it also rare to find a likeable person with character and integrity who wins a lot. I can’t think of one so called GOAT that is actually likeable as a human being. Do you have to be a complete jerk to win or is it possible to be a decent human being too? I guess Wooden and Pat were decent human beings. Not sure if I agree with you that Saban has upheld the highest level of integrity.

 

[Volizona]

Does it make sense that Jeremy Pruitt was abiding by NCAA rules while at Alabama .... but he and his wife were handing out McDonald's bags stuffed with cash at Tennessee? Or is it more likely that he was doing much the same thing while a DC at Alabama?

Don’t always agree with you in the Political threads, but 100% agree with you hear. I’m guessing a lot of Sabans shady stuff has fallen under the radar.

 

[Gandalf]

Agreed. Saban is the greatest collegiate head coach in the history of the game. Much like Pat Summit, John Wooden and others in their respective sports, what he has done and is doing at Alabama is unlike anything I've seen. It's simply incredible. And this season might be his best coaching year...considering how Bama started compared to how they ended the season.

I am not sure you can call him the GOAT of ALL football eras. They are simply not equivalent things.

I think you have maybe at least 3 eras.

Classic - What General Neyland did has never been replicated (or even close). Maybe the only comparison in his era is Knute Rockne
Midcentury - Bear Bryant is probably the run away here but Joe Paterno and Tom Osborne are up there close
Modern - in the modern era, nobody even comes close to Saban yet - thats not to say Kirby isnt trying but there is a long way to go.

You just really cant compare these guys from each bracket. The game of football was not even completely the same.

 

[thehardknoxlife]

Oh he is definitely a POS. But as a coach? College football has never seen a better one.

Eh. I think he benefited from the power of social media recruiting and ESPN bias telling all the kids he's the best. Great coach, sure but c'mon. They had 5* players at all key positions throughout the guys reign at Bama. Is it really that hard to be good when you have the best players?

 

[volbound1700]

You can say whatever you like.

I say Saban is the , and you’re more than welcome to disagree.

Statistically, I would say he is the greatest but he reeks of a situation like Mark Mcgwire with Baseball. I just don't think Saban is 100% clean. Jeremy Pruitt is a big part of it as he had to learn cheating from somewhere and it seemed all tied to Kirby Smart and back to Saban.

This is why I have trouble calling him the GOAT, I think he has gotten media favoritism that no other coach has had, had recruiting infractions covered up that gave him recruiting classes far superior to his opponents (hence my 10 extra armies in Risk comment), and has maybe even got officiating bias.

You take a 7-6 program that lost to UL Monroe and all of a sudden get the best recruiting class in college football history at that time, comeon. Alabama has a long reputation of not playing fair, why do we think they have changed now?

We literally had a conference founding member citing recruiting behavior of Alabama as a reason for leaving the league (Georgia Tech).

Now if he is CLEAN, I agree with you, he is the GOAT. I am just not sure he is CLEAN.

 

[Boston Vol]

Statistically, I would say he is the greatest but he reeks of a situation like Mark Mcgwire with Baseball. I just don't think Saban is 100% clean. Jeremy Pruitt is a big part of it as he had to learn cheating from somewhere and it seemed all tied to Kirby Smart and back to Saban.

This is why I have trouble calling him the GOAT, I think he has gotten media favoritism that no other coach has had, had recruiting infractions covered up that gave him recruiting classes far superior to his opponents (hence my 10 extra armies in Risk comment), and has maybe even got officiating bias.

You take a 7-6 program that lost to UL Monroe and all of a sudden get the best recruiting class in college football history at that time, comeon. Alabama has a long reputation of not playing fair, why do we think they have changed now?

We literally had a conference founding member citing recruiting behavior of Alabama as a reason for leaving the league (Georgia Tech).

Now if he is CLEAN, I agree with you, he is the GOAT. I am just not sure he is CLEAN.

No highly successful college football or basketball coach is 100% clean.

 

[Lawrence Wright]

No highly successful college football or basketball coach is 100% clean.

That part.

And the notion that proof is needed of Saban’s cleanliness before proclaiming him the GOAT is laughable too, because you can’t prove it. If results on the field aren’t proof enough, you just don’t want to be convinced.

Meyer wasn’t clean, Osborne and Switzer weren’t clean.

Spurrier and Bowden both had street agents dropping bags on campus in the 90s.

Miami had the Pell Grant scandal.

Paterno…oof…

There are no clean programs.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

That part.

And the notion that proof is needed of Saban’s cleanliness before proclaiming him the GOAT is laughable too, because you can’t prove it. If results on the field aren’t proof enough, you just don’t want to be convinced.

Meyer wasn’t clean, Osborne and Switzer weren’t clean.

Spurrier and Bowden both had street agents dropping bags on campus in the 90s.

Miami had the Pell Grant scandal.

Paterno…oof…

There are no clean programs.

But, but..... But give me the good ol' days when players weren't about money and were there for the school and the education.....

 

[volbound1700]

That part.

And the notion that proof is needed of Saban’s cleanliness before proclaiming him the GOAT is laughable too, because you can’t prove it. If results on the field aren’t proof enough, you just don’t want to be convinced.

Meyer wasn’t clean, Osborne and Switzer weren’t clean.

Spurrier and Bowden both had street agents dropping bags on campus in the 90s.

Miami had the Pell Grant scandal.

Paterno…oof…

There are no clean programs.

Bill Synder and Kansas State ...

 

[Lawrence Wright]

But, but..... But give me the good ol' days when players weren't about money and were there for the school and the education.....

Yes, the players are the problem.

 

[adam.vol]

As a Gator fan I can say this and I think 99.9% of Tennessee fans would agree I wish he was our coach. You guys are looking at it from the perspective of being a permanent rival and that’s understandable. But what if…….what if he had been your coach? Don’t hate him for being the coach he is…..just hate the fact he’s not your coach.
And always remember this at least you don’t have Napier. Him and his child defensive coordinator were supposed to visit a recruit this week with their “new” defensive backs coach. Now they have to go it alone. Wouldn’t you like to be a fly on the wall in that meeting.

If he was our coach, he would have fewer championship titles. Knoxville police won’t carry a football player home and call the coach. They carry the kid to jail and call the news.