Nick Saban is continuing to meddle in Alabama football after retiring
It's starting to seem like maybe Nick Saban wasn't ready to retire as Alabama's head coach. Or maybe his ego is just too big to let him completely walk away. Whatever the case, the greatest college football head coach of all time just can't stop meddling in Alabama football. The Crimson Tide's new defensive coordinator, […]
It's starting to seem like maybe Nick Saban wasn't ready to retire as Alabama's head coach.
Or maybe his ego is just too big to let him completely walk away.
Whatever the case, the greatest college football head coach of all time just can't stop meddling in Alabama football.
The Crimson Tide's new defensive coordinator, former South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack, revealed this week that he's now met with Saban two times about the defense.
Apparently the goal is to make the defense under new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer the same (or close to the same) as it was under Saban.
This sounds great on paper, but it's a situation that almost never works out in any sport.
Think about it. When has a former coach getting involved with a new coaching staff's preparation/coaching approach actually worked?
I mean, we see it backfire constantly with coaches and their own teams. Ed Orgeron's meddling at Ole Miss cost him his job. He fell into some of those old ways at times at LSU after the Tigers won a national championship in 2019 (and it again cost him his job). Former Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt famously meddled in UT's offense during his three seasons on Rocky Top.
It even happens in the NFL and it almost always leads to poor results (Mike Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans, for example, or Brian Daboll with the New York Giants).
Saban, who still has an office on campus at Alabama, needs to back off and let the new staff do their job.
No one is ever going to do it better than Saban. No one is going to run his system better than him or even as good as him. So why even try? Wommack and DeBoer were hired at Alabama because they're viewed as great coaches — not because they can follow directions from Saban.
If Saban wants Alabama to be successful moving forward, then he'll give the new staff some space. Leave Tuscaloosa for a while, Nick. Give the new guys a chance to install their culture and their system. They deserve to have that chance. After all, they've earned it.
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