Let's Get Serious About the DC search.

I don't know that he is a great recruiter either. Alabama kind of recruits itself these days. Lance Thompson had a similar reputation to Sal while he was at Bama, but his recruiting since then hasn't been anything to write home about.

I wouldn't exactly be thrilled with Steele, but he at least has some DC experience and has proven he can still be a competent recruiter once he moved on from Saban.

 

Someone is paying attention.....

 

it depends on what you need organized. i'm sure he's a very good manager from the point of team meals, uniforms, etc... but it seems doesn't focus on what needs to be focused on.

I think Dooley is quite aware he needs a great hire this year, but if they don't want to come here, dooley can't help that.

 

Here's why the "Hire-A-Saban-Assistant/Clone" strategy is flawed:

1. Working for Nick Saban is, by all accounts, one of (if not the) the most difficult and demanding job in all of college football.
2. He likes to hire hungry coaches, who he can then basically drive into powder.
3. Eventually, as is to be expected of humans, people simply cannot or will not maintain the pace he wants / demands / requires for a finite amount of time, and they either move on, get lax or get ran off.
4. Saban understands this, and I believe uses it to his advantage. I think that when he senses that a coach is getting to that point, that he wants them to move along, and the best way to do that is to get them a better gig, elsewhere. It increases his own personal coaching tree, and makes him appear to be a head coach who will actively seek to help you advance - and that serves as the biggest draw to other assistant coaches, who will agree to serve 3-5 years in hell as their replacement, if it produces the same result for them, as it did their predecessor.

Case in point: Just a few weeks ago, Saban came out and essentially tried to sell Kirby Smart, saying that he was fully qualified and ready for a HC gig, seemingly, out of the blue. Why would he do that, knowing that it could risk losing him right before the NC game? Because of the above, and secondly, because he doesn't care if he loses him. That's why.

Second Case in Point: If you want to understand Saban, you have to understand Belichik, because he taught him everything he knows, and not just about X's and O's, but about management of staff, personnel and players, to boot. Belichik is an active advocate for his assistants getting HC gigs - but when was the last time that losing one seemed to hurt him / the team? Never. And what happens to those coaches who move on? By and large, they turn out to be failures as HC's: Crennel, Weis leap to mind.

And now, Dooley is doing the same, only he came from Saban, instead of Belichik.

Look at Dooley (serious point here, not just taking a shot at him) - does his time with Saban seem to be doing much good for him / us right now? Does he seem as driven and focused as was required of him while serving on Saban's staff? Why would it be any different with Smart, much less Sunseri? At least history doesn't suggest it.

 

Mark Dantonio and Jimbo are both doing quite well for themselves after parting with Dooley.

 

I agree on Dantonio but Jimbo is average at best.

 

I agree on Dantonio but Jimbo is average at best.

 

Think it's more Saban than anything.

 

I don't think Dooley is a good example. He never reached coordinator level under Saban. He was position coach and travel agent.

I'm not advocating Smart--I don't really know enough about him--but I can understand taking a shot at a guy who was a successful coordinator for a championship program, even if his predecessors have seen mixed results at the next level. Dooley just doesn't fit that bill.