Is Nick Saban a good coach?

[Nashville Lion]

Nick Saban is the greatest college football coach ever. Bottom line. Not sure there is any comparison. To do what he is doing in this time period...with all the social media, limits on scholarships, etc....amazing what he has done.
With that said, I also think Joe Paterno is on the Mount Rushmore. I think the four best coaches ever would have to be Bear Bryant, Joe Paterno, Nick Saban and Bobby Bowden.

 

[IANit]

I remember years ago when Nick Saban was still at MSU, there as a poster on this board (Manassas Lion?) that would insist PSU should try to get Saban to replace JoePa. Everyone on the board thought this suggestion was ridiculous...

And, yes, he is an excellent coach (of course). As is Meyer.

I don't think he could've done much better than either coach we've had since Joe under the circumstances.

 

[okinburg1]

Yes

 

[nitlion6]

Nick Saban is a freaking great college football coach. Greatest of the current crop.
However, greatest of all time?
Joe Paterno
Tom Osborne
Bear Bryant
Knute Rockne
Frank Leahy
Bob Devaney
Bud Wilkinson
Woody Hayes
Bobby Bowden
Eddie Robinson
Nick Saban

Nick is properly listed with the others as most of the greatest college football coaches ever, but to claim Nick superior to any is subjective as hell. He is great at what he does, but so were the others on the list.

 

[michnittlion]

In 1999, Nick Saban coached Michigan State and under his leadership, they beat ALL of these teams:

1. Notre Dame
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State
4. Penn State

That's four blue-bloods! In one year! At Michigan State, which was as mediocre as could be right before Saban took the job!

MSU also beat Florida in their Bowl game. Bobby Williams coached that one, as Saban had already taken the LSU job.

Saban is a damn good coach. That's a fact.

 

[LundyPSU]

In 1999, Nick Saban coached Michigan State and under his leadership, they beat ALL of these teams:

1. Notre Dame
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State
4. Penn State

That's four blue-bloods! In one year! At Michigan State, which was as mediocre as could be right before Saban took the job!

MSU also beat Florida in their Bowl game. Bobby Williams coached that one, as Saban had already taken the LSU job.

Saban is a damn good coach. That's a fact.

Notre Dame was 5-7, Ohio State was 6-6, and Penn State collapsed after that Minnesota loss

 

[Art]

I don't put much stock in US News rankings, but do you really have any doubt that PSU is significantly better academically than UA?

And Stanford is vastly better than PSU. Did you ever happen to notice that most of their football players concentrate in certain majors, as do PSU's, as do Bama's. They're hardly representative of the student body, for a reason.

 

[michnittlion]

Notre Dame was 5-7, Ohio State was 6-6, and Penn State collapsed after that Minnesota loss

True.

But it's sort of like CJF's last year at Vanderbilt. He beat all of Georgia, Tennessee and Florida. Yes, one can point out that those teams were down a bit in 2013. But he still led Vanderbilt to wins over all 3 of them! One doesn't luck into that sort of thing.

 

[KnightWhoSaysNit]

In 1999, Nick Saban coached Michigan State and under his leadership, they beat ALL of these teams:

1. Notre Dame
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State
4. Penn State

That's four blue-bloods! In one year! At Michigan State, which was as mediocre as could be right before Saban took the job!

MSU also beat Florida in their Bowl game. Bobby Williams coached that one, as Saban had already taken the LSU job.

Saban is a damn good coach. That's a fact.

Seems like the purpose of the original post sailed over a lot of heads.

Of course Saban is a good coach. It was a rhetorical question aimed at getting people to think about what he said to the press.

Saban could be up 35-0 at the half, and when interviewed going to the locker room he'll focus nearly all of his comments on what they could have done better. His expressions of concern appear genuine. The opponent is of no consequence.

At first I thought what Saban said to the media was funny and worth posting, but then it led me to think about what happens on this message board. If he was a BWI poster who expressly cared about his team one of the best coaches in history would be considered a troll.

 

[rohrmd9]

Don’t know if he’s the best coach but he gets the best talent. So it’s hard to fail with all those 5-stars on the roster.

 

[Nitt1300]

Seems like the purpose of the original post sailed over a lot of heads.

Of course Saban is a good coach. It was a rhetorical question aimed at getting people to think about what he said to the press.

Saban could be up 35-0 at the half, and when interviewed going to the locker room he'll focus nearly all of his comments on what they could have done better. His expressions of concern appear genuine. The opponent is of no consequence.

At first I thought what Saban said to the media was funny and worth posting, but then it led me to think about what happens on this message board. If he was a BWI poster who expressly cared about his team one of the best coaches in history would be considered a troll.

A coach is a coach. A fan supports the team. Decide which you are, and do that.

 

[DaytonBuck]

Don’t know if he’s the best coach but he gets the best talent. So it’s hard to fail with all those 5-stars on the roster.

It's the Phil Jackson argument. The team with the best talent doesn't always win. And in Saban's case, he's dealing with many more players/personalities.

 

[john4psu]

I know Saban tied Bear Bryant last year winning his sixth national championship, but how many NCAA titles would Bear Bryant have won if he had the college football playoff?

https://johnbaranowski.wordpress.co...e-won-if-he-had-the-college-football-playoff/

 

[john4psu]

Nick Saban is the greatest college football coach ever. Bottom line. Not sure there is any comparison. To do what he is doing in this time period...with all the social media, limits on scholarships, etc....amazing what he has done.
With that said, I also think Joe Paterno is on the Mount Rushmore. I think the four best coaches ever would have to be Bear Bryant, Joe Paterno, Nick Saban and Bobby Bowden.

I'd go Bear, Joe, Saban and Knute. Knute has the highest winning percentage ever. Frank Leahy is second and I haven't checked lately, but before last year Meyer was third all-time in winning percentage.

 

[Marylovesthelions]

You get a reverse Portland Cement award fir the dumbest post ever, ever.

 

[christoph]

And

Really? Alabama's most recent grad rate is seven percentage points lower than PSU's.

Grad rate. Hmm online courses where the test questions might not change at a school with no academic standards. Mirror meet smoke.

 

[KnightWhoSaysNit]

A coach is a coach. A fan supports the team. Decide which you are, and do that.

If views can only be one-sided, then there is no point to having a football discussion board. Might as well just write letters of support addressed to the Lasch and bring pom poms to the games.

 

[KnightWhoSaysNit]

You get a reverse Portland Cement award fir the dumbest post ever, ever.

And it is probably safe to assume that, if you were a fan of Alabama, you would consider Saban's remarks as "dumbest ever." Got it.

 

[Woodpecker]

Nick Saban is a freaking great college football coach. Greatest of the current crop.
However, greatest of all time?
Joe Paterno
Tom Osborne
Bear Bryant
Knute Rockne
Frank Leahy
Bob Devaney
Bud Wilkinson
Woody Hayes
Bobby Bowden
Eddie Robinson
Nick Saban

Nick is properly listed with the others as most of the greatest college football coaches ever, but to claim Nick superior to any is subjective as hell. He is great at what he does, but so were the others on the list.

No love for John Gagliardi?

 

[katchthis]

Well, I value humility, so I guess that is where we differ.

Read the SI story about Saban and his WV roots. It really tells the story of a hard working blue collar guy. Nick is special.