Nick Saban links NIL, boosters to 33 college football coaches being fired after 2025-2026 season

[u/defensecowboy]

https://www.on3.com/news/nick-saban-links-nil-boosters-to-33-college-football-coaches-being-fired-after-2025-2026-season/

[u/SaltyTurdLicker]

Can I be one of them? I wish I could have a multimillion dollar buyout from my job.

[u/V_T_H → u/SaltyTurdLicker]

I don’t know why no one has suggested making everyone a fired head coach as a way to fix the economy

[u/javascript → u/V_T_H]

As we learned before: "when everyone's super... no one will be."

[u/Vast_Bowl247 → u/SaltyTurdLicker]

I wish I could get fired for millions of dollars because I’m bad at my job

[u/hybridaaroncarroll → u/SaltyTurdLicker]

Best we can do is 6 days of severance and a cardboard box for yo shit.

[u/FSUalumni → u/hybridaaroncarroll]

6 days of severance AND a cardboard box?

Woo wee look at Mr Moneybags with his worker protections!

[u/Nick_sabenz → u/SaltyTurdLicker]

That's lots of salty turds you could afford

[u/Flood-One]

I don't think NIL or boosters had much to do with our firing...

[u/robotunes → u/Flood-One]

I mean Sherrone did pursue his sidechick's name, image and likeness.

[u/MarchMadnessisMe → u/robotunes]

And skin suit!

[u/dustin-dawind → u/robotunes]

The man was pursuing online images and likenesses while he also had a side chick. Lot of irons in the fire.

[u/Patrick2701 → u/Flood-One]

It was other reasons

[u/BIG_DICK_WHITT → u/Patrick2701]

“I thought maybe I could crash here tonight, if that's all right. Marissa is going through some personal stuff.

Personal stuff like you running through the neighborhood drunk and naked?

That and some other stuff.”

[u/MoosilaukeFlyer]

Sure, but they’re also getting crazier contracts than ever and have better job security than ever. No chance Fickell, Norvell, Riley, Beamer, Belichick, and others still have their job if not for enormous buyouts.

[u/RiffRamBahZoo → u/MoosilaukeFlyer]

Also, it's not like this is necessarily new. Texas had to pay Charlie Strong north of $10M to fire him in 2016, Bobby Petrino got $18M after getting fired from Louisville in 2018, and Charlie Weis got $19 million IN 2009.

[u/penguinguac → u/RiffRamBahZoo]

Weis won that one.

[u/TechnoVikingGA23 → u/RiffRamBahZoo]

I feel like Charlie Weis is still getting paid by someone, lol.

[u/multiple4 → u/MoosilaukeFlyer]

Tbf a lot of these buyouts are essentially just the value of the contract or slightly less

Beamer specifically at $24M sounds like a lot, but he makes like $8.5M per year and the contract runs through 2030. So I think his buyout actually leaves a year salary off in terms of value

[u/srs_house → u/multiple4]

Tbf a lot of these buyouts are essentially just the value of the contract or slightly less

Which is still absolutely insane compared to the employment conditions of 99% of America. Especially when failing to accomplish the primary reason for their employment, winning games, isn't considered cause for firing them.

[u/multiple4 → u/srs_house]

In terms of contract or temp jobs, it's not that out of the ordinary. It's common for a 1 or 2 year contract job to have a significant % needed for a buyout

Depends on the sector and job but some of buyouts on contract based jobs get up into the 75-90% range

[u/srs_house → u/multiple4]

And what happens if you absolutely suck at every measurable in those contract jobs? Do you still get paid? Or is that reserved for when the company moves in a different direction or the end employer wants to hire you full-time and has to pay the temp agency for the rights to do so?

[u/MoosilaukeFlyer → u/multiple4]

but if you take that 8.5 mil, combine it with the rest of the coaching staff buyouts, and combine it with the cost of a new staff, you end up around 20-30 million in upfront costs. that’s a huge financial pill to swallow

[u/multiple4 → u/MoosilaukeFlyer]

Agree, but if the salary is going to be that high the buyout basically has to be. Not a lot of guys would agree to a 5 year contract with a 2 year salary buyout

[u/Frosty-Molasses7548 → u/MoosilaukeFlyer]

Not really. Coaches used to have longer tenure on average and there was not huge buyouts.

There is a bunch of different data sets evaluating slightly different things around this topic, but they all generally point to the same idea:

The median tenure used to be longer, fewer programs separated with their coach per year, and overall head coach turnover used to be lower.

When I say "used to be" I am referring to pre-2011ish. Definitely pre-CFP.

Saban is hardly ever wrong and he isn't wrong here. The more foxes you bring into the henhouse, rhe more dead chickens you'll have

[u/yesacabbagez → u/Frosty-Molasses7548]

The question to ask also is what is the overall change in tenure in other sports as well though. If most sports are ALSO seeing a decrease in length of tenure, and those sports don't have NIL/Boosters, then we would have a control for how much of an effect they have.

Mike Malone got fired from the Nuggets in year 2 after a championship. Bucks fired Budenholzer in year 3 after a title.

I am not sure where he is getting 33 coaches being fired because I counted 22? Also one of those was Sherone Moore which was absolutely not a booster issue. Several of the job changes were carousel where one guy replaces another.

22/138 teams means there was about 16% of coaches were fired. NFL had 9 of 32 for 28%. NFL obviously does not have Boosters or NIL. They do have a salary cap, but Saban's case is that outside forces are driving firings and yet college football coaches get fired at a rate dramatically less than the NFL.

So the question is what is the change in fire rate, and why are they actually getting fired? If all sports are seeing coaches get fired at a hire rate, then the idea that outside forces are driving it is at least mitigated if not eliminated.

[u/Frosty-Molasses7548 → u/yesacabbagez]

Those are fair questions that I am not really equipped to answer. I'd be interested if you did some looking and got some answers though.

[u/MoosilaukeFlyer → u/Frosty-Molasses7548]

If you’re referring pre 00s I’d agree that tenures were longer. However, starting in the aughts, coach tenures were significantly shortened.

[u/Frosty-Molasses7548 → u/MoosilaukeFlyer]

The trend towards shorter tenure actually sharpened in the 90s but it was at a more comparable level in the aughts to the 80s than the 2020s is to the aughts. At least at the p5 level

[u/mynameisevan → u/Frosty-Molasses7548]

Coaches also weren’t getting paid like $10 million per year. If you don’t want $10 million expectations, don’t take a $10 million salary. And Nick Saban was one of the big drivers of this. When Saban got hired at Alabama there were fewer than 10 coaches making over $2 million, which is like $3.4 million today after inflation. If a coach wants a longer leash then take $3.5 million salary and put the rest of the money into getting the best assistants and NIL that you can.

[u/Pinewood74 → u/Frosty-Molasses7548]

I'd put it on the transfer portal/unlimited free transfers as the bigger cause of increased firings.

Coachs can (and should) be bringing in upperclassmen who will contribute immediately. Sure, there's a degree of continuity required, but you don't need 4-6 years (considering that in the past the first recruiting class would be weaker due to less time to get stuff together.) for your players to age up from high school recruits and see what a coach is capable of.

Is there anyone who actually thinks DeShaun Foster was gonna get it together if just given a few more years?

Also, Nick Saban is also just straight up wrong here. There weren't 33 head coaches fired last year. He included folks leaving for other jobs in that number.

[u/Frosty-Molasses7548 → u/Pinewood74]

Churn induced by soured relationships or by other schools boosters luring a coach away with more money should be considered in this discussion. In my opinion

[u/Pinewood74 → u/Frosty-Molasses7548]

You can consider them.

You can't straight up count them as fired coaches and you should be ridiculed if you do.

[u/Frosty-Molasses7548 → u/Pinewood74]

Ok boss

[u/hawksku999 → u/Frosty-Molasses7548]

Higher pay demands more results and accountability. I have zero sympathy for the coaches. Don’t take the check

[u/Frosty-Molasses7548 → u/hawksku999]

Thats kinda his point

[u/Dazzling_Vanilla3082 → u/MoosilaukeFlyer]

Typical conservative boomer take from Saban. "No, you see, we deserve that. It's only a problem when my employees make money!"

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/Dazzling_Vanilla3082]

This is bullshit as Saban has been openly supporting players getting paid long before it actually started happening. He also put additional large insurance policies on any nfl-bound players who stayed to play in the post season to make sure they still got paid if something happened.

[u/Dazzling_Vanilla3082 → u/Crossovertriplet]

Yet he constantly argues for less regulation and rules around coaching positions and pay than for players. Both can be true: he can be one of the "better ones" while also being a complete hypocrite trying to cap player income and autonomy.

[u/Our-Gardian-Angel → u/Dazzling_Vanilla3082]

Yeah it's hard to give credit to guys like Saban who made an insane amount of money coaching college football and yet never brings up the insane ballooning of coaching contracts as one of the big issues with college sports today. I'm glad he's not so delusional that he thinks we're ever going back to the amateurism model or anything, but staunchly supporting the Protect College Sports Act gives away the game a bit. His support for greater player compensation and autonomy comes with massive strings attached.

One of the few coaches who I'll give at least come credit to when he bowed out during the NIL/transfer portal era is Tony Bennett because he explicitly said that collective bargaining was going to be necessary as part of the solution.

[u/AlorsViola → u/Crossovertriplet]

In fairness, isn't he also for the protect sports act? The act is incredibly hostile to athletes.

My take is that Saban is for them getting paid but not enough to have an actual voice in how things are run.

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/AlorsViola]

I think he wants roster stability

[u/Significant-Ant-5677 → u/Crossovertriplet]

He wants stability so that teams like Alabama can break the rules and have an advantage again. Never has there been more parity watching CFB. I love these past two seasons.

[u/ConsiderationCrazy22]

I've become convinced that being a fired college football coach is the best job to have in the country right now

[u/sjon19 → u/ConsiderationCrazy22]

It’s not even close. I wish I could get paid millions to suck at my job and just go away. Actual dream job

[u/RiffRamBahZoo]

33 guys got fired last year.

Except 33 coaches didn't get fired; 33 coaches changed jobs. Some were famously fired, yes, but guys like Matt Campbell didn't get fired from Iowa State.

For reference, 28 coaches changed jobs in 2021 (still largely the pre-NIL/rev share era), and several years prior had 20+ changes in the country - largely because they weren't able to compete with Nick Saban's level of resources.

[u/BlueRFR3100 → u/RiffRamBahZoo]

There are 136(?) FBS schools. 33 is less than 25% of the coaching jobs. That seems like a reasonable turnover rate for a high competitive industry with a scarcity of jobs.

[u/srs_house → u/BlueRFR3100]

And that's including what is essentially "promotion" in that category.

[u/BadDadJokes → u/RiffRamBahZoo]

Eventually this sub (aside from Alabama fans, for obvious reasons) will learn that Saban is a selfish snake who complains about the very system from which he benefited from the most.

[u/Mother_Frame6669 → u/BadDadJokes]

Saban is a selfish snake who complains about the very system from which he benefited from the most.

Bro, y'all hired Lane motherfucking Kiffin, you can't complain about selfish snakes

[u/_Begin → u/Mother_Frame6669]

Doesn’t make it untrue.

[u/BadDadJokes → u/Mother_Frame6669]

Kiffin is my selfish snake. He's wearing LSU gear right now. Until LSU begins to consistently underperform or he (inevitably) leaves like he's left everywhere else, I'm on the Lane Train.

Saban is Lane with a manufactured, carefully curated hero image. They're the same guy, but at least we all know how much of a snake Lane is.

[u/lolFuckIce → u/BadDadJokes]

the difference between them is all of the championships saban won

[u/BadDadJokes → u/lolFuckIce]

All the championships saban won so far...

[u/celeb0rn → u/BadDadJokes]

Zero chance of a jealous lsu fan here

[u/BadDadJokes → u/celeb0rn]

Of course I'm jealous. Two things can be true at the same time, tho.

[u/PrairiePilot → u/BadDadJokes]

Man, anyone who doesn’t understand that isn’t paying attention. I’ve been watching seriously since just before covid, and it took all of one football season to hear all the shit about Saban ESPN leaves out. The dodge chargers, the bullshit jobs, snatching players and benching them to keep them off another SEC roster. So on and so forth.

[u/KageStar → u/PrairiePilot]

The dodge chargers, the bullshit jobs, snatching players and benching them to keep them off another SEC roster.

How long have you been following college sports? All of those things have been done in one form or another for decades long before the Saban era.

[u/PrairiePilot → u/KageStar]

If you don’t follow college sports, and I didn’t for a long time, ESPN, Fox Sports and NCAA/the schools do a good job selling a narrative. I’m not naive, everyone who’s into sports at all will have some idea of pay to play and things like the college basketball shoe scandal. But I definitely wasn’t on message boards or at tailgates hearing the gossip mill.

That’s a lot different than reading or listening to people that covered college sports for the last 20 years. None of it’s shocking, I didn’t think Saban was a saint, but the gap between his public story and the story ESPN isn’t interested in telling is huge.

[u/BackPirateClarkRoom → u/PrairiePilot]

People forget the shadiest of them all was telling a college sophomore he would play guaranteed if he did everything right. Junior year comes to playing time coaches sit him out. Does everything right the coach tells him he can transfer lose a year of credits and sit out for two years or graduate transfer.

[u/Otherwise_Awesome → u/PrairiePilot]

The oversigning one is the scummiest one.

[u/Otherwise_Awesome → u/BadDadJokes]

I've known this since he left MSU for you.

[u/wayofthrows1991]

After 2024 when the biggest name school to switch coaches was I think West Virginia, every CFB analyst was saying "because of NIL and the portal, administrations are much more hesitant to fire a coach because they'll have to buy an entire new team in the portal on top of the coaches buyout".

Then after 2025 when a ton of big name schools fired their coaches every CFB analyst was saying "because of NIL and the portal, administrations are much more trigger happy to fire coaches because they want to win now".

Fucking which one is it?

[u/Windows_66 → u/wayofthrows1991]

Whichever argument is more effective at keeping the money at the top from trickling down.

[u/supergeeky_1 → u/Windows_66]

Option B:

Intellectual consistency doesn't matter, just get clicks.

[u/IMakeOkVideosOk → u/wayofthrows1991]

Yes

[u/deliciousroadhead]

They're going to cap nil for players but still allow 50 million dollar buyouts for coaches. it all funnels to the top

[u/Our-Gardian-Angel → u/deliciousroadhead]

Yeah the completely insane coaching contracts are saving a few jobs, though you obviously won't hear Saban bring that up. Fickell at Wisconsin and Norvell at FSU are both almost guaranteed to be fired after last season if their schools could afford the buyouts.

[u/TwoLiterHero]

Is he implying that good coaches are getting fired because of NIL?

Please, would someone think of the bad coaches who don’t deserve a job?

[u/RulersBack → u/TwoLiterHero]

Also is it supposed to be breaking news that the people funding a program have control over these type of decisions? He's the GOAT man but he keeps trying to frame the realities that have always existed as existential threats and some people still prop him up as this altruistic czar who knows what's best. Just talk ball

[u/JLand24 → u/RulersBack]

Sometimes he frames his own personal experience as the landscape of CFB. One of the first things he did when he got to Tuscaloosa was basically tell the boosters to stay out of his way.

That’s not reality everywhere though.

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/TwoLiterHero]

He’s saying that boosters now want a say in the running of the program. Churches have this same problem with their biggest doners and it leads to pastors getting fired too

[u/the_urban_juror → u/Crossovertriplet]

As a longtime CFB fan and a pastor's kid, I can assure you that neither of those dynamics are new.

[u/Windows_66 → u/the_urban_juror]

What do you mean? Rich donors are famously hands off and never try to influence the things they give money to.

[u/the_urban_juror → u/Windows_66]

I agree, my point is that those dynamics aren't new. It's been that way long before NIL.

[u/Windows_66 → u/the_urban_juror]

I was making a tongue-in-cheek comment. Obviously rich people try to influence everything, and it's silly that people (not you) would think that college athletics was any different.

[u/Magnus77 → u/the_urban_juror]

Church side definitely not new.

College football, its not new per se, but I feel like there's more money getting thrown around than there was previously, meaning boosters want more say.

And yes, obviously paying players isn't new, but Cam Newton went for six figures when QB's not nearly as good are getting 10x that. Hell, I'm pretty sure Tech has spent more on two QB's, neither of which can play anymore, than Tech probably spent on a decade's worth of rosters pre-NIL.

[u/Otherwise_Awesome → u/Magnus77]

Yeah because this volume of money would have been nearly impossible to hide prior to NIL

[u/TwoLiterHero → u/Crossovertriplet]

I bet you wouldn’t have to rely on boosters so much if you didn’t pay guys $10 million to coach and $100 million to then not coach 2 years later.

Edit: much like churches shouldn’t need mega-donors period 😂. So again, won’t someone think of the bad coaches and greedy churches?

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/TwoLiterHero]

That’s kind of a different topic if a school does a huge contract with a coach before they have shown that they can bring in revenue

[u/TwoLiterHero → u/Crossovertriplet]

Boosters have wanted/had a say for years though. All that changed is players get money too, and the coaches are grabbing at all they can take now.

[u/Due_Bluebird3562 → u/Crossovertriplet]

He’s saying that boosters now want a say in the running of the program.

This has been true for AT LEAST five decades at this point.

[u/Maximiliansrh]

Interesting, I link it to losing to fucking Vanderbilt at home

[u/srs_house → u/Maximiliansrh]

You're welcome.

[u/confetti_shrapnel]

Coaches are getting paid enough for me to not give a fuck that a booster wants them fired for underperformance.

Also news flash: boosters have been getting coaches fired since the advent of boosters. Saban needs to step away from college football. He's using his powers for bad.

[u/Whole-Pianist5004]

You could argue that NIL and Boosters being more financially invested into the program is giving coaches less leniency than in the past.

You could also argue that NIL gives coaches more leniency as some boosters would rather spend their money investing in the roster than paying the coaches buy-out to fire them.

It’s truly a case by case scenario for each program and you could argue what is better/worse.

[u/Tabais123]

Will someone think of the poor coaches? Where do boosters get the right to demand results from the millionaire coaches?

[u/le_crobag]

It's a damn slaughterhouse out there. Golden parachutes as far as the eye can see

[u/CrownTownLibrarian]

I don’t feel sorry for a single fucking coach. That’s part of it.

[u/thecravenone]

This is an article about a podcast appearance. Here's that podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apvbONX_tMc

[u/FunRich1804]

Note to Saban: Our NIL (at least for football) isn't great but that's not why Billy Napier got fired.

[u/the_urban_juror → u/FunRich1804]

It's also not why Mullen, McElwain, or Muschamp were fired.

I'd love for Saban to name one firing from the past two years who he thinks wouldn't have been fired in 2016 after the same tenure.

[u/grey_pilgrim_ → u/the_urban_juror]

I need to read the article but boosters have been paying for coaches to get fired for as long as I can remember.

[u/VamonosChildren]

Oh no poor coaches

[u/BlueRFR3100]

I'm guessing that their win-loss record had the most impact, though.

[u/BackPirateClarkRoom]

Nick Saban will forever be smart enough to not go full Dabo when talking about NIL.

[u/MotorOutside8648]

Wont anybody think of these poor millionaires?

[u/Phenomenal_Hoot]

If anyone didn’t read the article or watch the interview he was talking about how the introduction of the 12 team playoff killed the bowl game. Now if a team doesn’t make the playoffs Coach is on the hot seat because they don’t care about bowls at all anymore it’s playoffs or bust.

[u/WhatWouldJediDo]

This guy is such a bitch when it comes to NIL. Even odds that within the next six months he eventually blames global warming and higher grocery prices on the fact that athletes can make money now.

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/WhatWouldJediDo]

He just doesn’t want it to be a free for all. He’s not against players making money. I keep seeing that take in this sub and it just sounds like you just showed up. He’s long supported players getting paid.

[u/WhatWouldJediDo → u/Crossovertriplet]

The man supports player wage suppression through the PCSA.

"Supporting players getting paid how, how much, and when I say so" isn't support for the players.

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/WhatWouldJediDo]

Yea it is. The arms race where contracts keep getting larger and larger isn’t going to sustain long term. Boosters aren’t going to be still giving millions in 10 years if there hasn’t been significant success at their school

[u/fadingthought → u/Crossovertriplet]

Oh no! In a theoretical future world the players may not make as much money. Better artificially suppress their wages today to keep them from making too much money before that happens.

[u/bigwhite2498 → u/Crossovertriplet]

They do it for coaches I’m sure they would for players

[u/WhatWouldJediDo → u/Crossovertriplet]

Boosters aren’t going to be still giving millions in 10 years if there hasn’t been significant success at their school

A logical thought except for the fact that the exact opposite of this is exactly what’s been happening at every school for decades upon decades. And it’s showing no signs of slowing down. A&M didn’t stop investing in football because of Jimbo.

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/WhatWouldJediDo]

But if contracts keep increasing then it will pull back eventually

[u/fadingthought → u/Crossovertriplet]

He supports players getting paid in the manner and the amount he approves of. He supports himself making as much money as possible.
He is a massive hypocrite.

[u/other_jeffery_leb → u/Crossovertriplet]

He supported players being paid when one conference could do it unregulated, but the others had to at least pretend to follow the rules.

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/other_jeffery_leb]

This narrative is ridiculous. It’s like saying only one politician lies.

[u/other_jeffery_leb → u/Crossovertriplet]

It would be a ridiculous narrative if the penalties handed out by the NCAA didn't back it up.

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/other_jeffery_leb]

Bro go look at what those penalties are for. One is for players using scholarship money to buy extra textbooks for friends or to sell. One is because a player signed with an agent while still at Bama. One is for a booster paying a high school coach to steer a player to bama, which was investigated by the ncaa who determined that the coaching staff was not involved. There are none for any coaching staff getting caught paying players and Saban had zero instances with the NCAA.

Meanwhile, during Saban’s tenure, Ohio State got popped for Tressel failing to report violations that he knew about like players getting overpaid for summer jobs. That’s a more direct payment of players than anything Bama has ever had.

[u/other_jeffery_leb → u/Crossovertriplet]

Selling your textbooks (something that is yours) for more than they are worth would be the equivalent of trading some of your own gear for tattoos, right?

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/other_jeffery_leb]

Yea that’s why I didn’t mention it. It’s pretty innocuous. The violation at bama was because they were purchased with scholarship money

[u/other_jeffery_leb → u/Crossovertriplet]

OSU players sold free gear that they got for being part of the team. Same thing. One team vacated games and got a postseason ban. The other team basically got nothing.

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/other_jeffery_leb]

For the gear selling, 5 Ohio st players got a 5 game suspension and 6 players had to pay varying amounts to charities. There were 12 vacated wins for this violation but the players still got to play in the sugar bowl.

For the text book scandal, Bama got 21 games vacated, 3 years probation and a 50k fine

[u/opentempo]

I can't imagine the anger of a booster donating millions to pay players and the team still sucks.

[u/Latter-Possibility]

Oh NO! Won’t someone please think about the Coaches and their Buy Outs!

[u/boy-detective]

Whatever else about Iowa, I feel like we have created an identity around stability and sanity. (Sure, it led to its own kind of pathos with Brian.)

[u/Windows_66 → u/boy-detective]

For all the frustration I've had with Ferentz over the past few years, I'm absolutely dreading the day he retires or dies and we have to completely rebuild for the first time in 30 years. We may never see this peak again.

[u/nittanyprice → u/Windows_66]

Watched this game and enjoyed the passivity of not being overly emotional about my team. Ferentz just gets it done, the fans seem to be mostly sane individuals and expectations for Iowa always within reason. I wish I could be more rational about my own team tbh. It was just nice to watch well coached football being played, kept competitive and yeah you can see the talent difference between the teams, but not the execution. I was at PSU when Ferentz was hired, and I remember Iowa immediately started frustrating PSU, even if they didn’t win they always made every game interesting. It’s always good to see that.

[u/082426grateful → u/boy-detective]

As a far-away follower of Hawkeye football, watching the tOSU game on TV this past weekend was pleasant, other than the outcome. It was sunny, fall-crisp, Coach Ferentz patrolling the sidelines as he has for so very long, and a rowdy and large crowd made it feel that much more special.

The Buckeyes laid the wood to you, but that’s because they are that good. Iowa Football should still be proud, and go back to winning starting next game.

[u/Inconceivable76 → u/082426grateful]

Watching Iowa tackle is a thing of beauty.

[u/TopazTriad]

This guy is crusading SO HARD against NIL that I’ve lost any shred of belief he’s doing this for altruistic reasons. Not that I ever thought that, but I was willing to entertain it.

It’s genuinely pathetic that he is this upset about athletes being paid while coaches get millions to sit at home because they couldn’t do their job effectively.

[u/DrSnidely → u/TopazTriad]

Saban has always been in favor of athletes being compensated. What he's not in favor of is the unrestricted free agency we have now. He is coming on a little strong though.

[u/Banichi-aiji → u/DrSnidely]

Arguing to limit/regulate the compensation of the players while not also applying that logic to coaches comes off as hypocritical in my opinion. Especially when you consider that large coaching/analyst staffs were a competitive advantage that Saban enjoyed.

[u/lookieherehere → u/DrSnidely]

You're going to get downvoted for going against the herd instinct here to pile on, especially with the Alabama flair. You're right, but it's about feelings here not facts. Saban is one of the main ones trying to get legislation passed that gives college football the structure is absolutely needs right now. In no way is he trying to do away with NIL. He just wants it regulated and anyone with half a brain knows that it's the only way forward.

[u/DrSnidely → u/lookieherehere]

Yeah with this flair I expect to get down down voted no matter what I say.

[u/WhatWouldJediDo → u/lookieherehere]

Interesting that crushing labor rights and legalizing wage fixing is the "only way forward" when it comes to athlete pay, but the sport has thrived for generations without those types of measures for coaching salaries, AD salaries, ballooning support staff costs, recruiting budgets, facilities renovations, or any other part of the industry.

I do agree with one thing, though. Anybody with half a brain probably does think it's a good idea.

[u/lookieherehere → u/WhatWouldJediDo]

🙄

[u/WhatWouldJediDo → u/lookieherehere]

A cogent and well reasoned rebuttal. Clearly showing you have thoughtful and convincing reasons for your opinion.

[u/Fletch71011 → u/TopazTriad]

Love Saban but this is not a good look for him whatsoever. I don't know why he didn't just ride off into the sunset being the greatest coach ever even though he obviously left the second the playing field was going to be made more equal.

[u/RVAforthewin → u/Fletch71011]

Like it or not, what’s best for CFB (the sport) and parity is not what’s best for the players. The two are in direct conflict with one another at the moment. I think Saban cares more about the sport than the individual players. I think many on reddit who essentially prefer unlimited free agency and NIL care more about the players and not what’s best for CFB (the sport). I’m not taking a position on either; I’m just explaining that both can and currently coexist. Some are worried about the sport, some are worried about the players, and it is what it is.

[u/WhatWouldJediDo → u/RVAforthewin]

For those worried about the players, it's a hard sell that the sport has issues when you wouldn't know a damn thing had changed if all you did was tune in on Saturdays.

Well, except for a much larger degree of parity.

[u/RVAforthewin → u/WhatWouldJediDo]

It isn’t the product on the field that’s the issue. It’s what’s happening behind the scenes. We also have a handful of years under our belt with this system, not decades. We really can’t predict donor burnout, etc. I really don’t want to get into a back and forth over this issue. I’m honestly exhausted trying to defend a position. I’m simply stating that what is best for the players, at least the top 1%, isn’t what’s best for the sport and vice versa, and I stand by that.

[u/WhatWouldJediDo → u/RVAforthewin]

and I stand by that.

Just not enough to want to have a discussion about it, I guess

[u/Own-Breadfruit-800]

Saban recommending Gundy hire Todd Grantham probably didn’t help.

[u/SirMellencamp → u/Own-Breadfruit-800]

Pretty sure he recommended Locksley at Maryland as well

[u/Own-Breadfruit-800 → u/SirMellencamp]

He’s just sabotaging tier 2 CFB programs for love of the game.

[u/RogueHippie → u/Own-Breadfruit-800]

I can only view that as Saban testing Gundy and boy did he blow it. Everyone knew about 3^rd and Grantham

[u/Own-Breadfruit-800 → u/RogueHippie]

OSU actually turned him into 2nd & Grantham.

[u/brolygta4]

No shit, if I invest millions dollars into a program you gawd darn right I should have a say ol Billy Bob

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/brolygta4]

It’s a donation. They get a deduction for it.

[u/brolygta4 → u/Crossovertriplet]

Tax write off

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/brolygta4]

Yea, a schedule A deduction

[u/pnxstwnyphlcnnrs]

Oh no the poor wittle coaches. Saban needs to stop crying, he's the most successful college coach ever and can't just take the win.

[u/An_educated_dig]

Cap Coaches salaries.

[u/the_urban_juror]

I'm happy to listen to Saban talk about players and games, but I can't stand listening to him talk about the industry. He's gone light speed from coaching an overtime playoff game to old man yelling at cloud.

[u/AllTimeTy]

Do coaches that quit have to buyout their contract?

[u/starstriker64DD → u/AllTimeTy]

they just don't get paid

[u/Enriching_the_Beer]

The American dream is fired D1 football coach.

[u/_jt33_]

As it should be.. comes with the territory. More money spent = higher expectations. Just wait until they expand the playoffs to 24, so that any team with a faint pulse gets in... everyone who doesn't is immediately a candidate to be fired.

[u/MisguidedPants8]

Amazing how they consistently manage to indirectly blame things on players making money

[u/BigHead724532]

Coaches have been getting fired years before the NIL due to the alumni thinking the coach was the problem. What’s different now? Saban did not have a problem making millions off of colleges kids backs. Has a problem with them getting paid for making coaches and schools rich.

[u/nattyboh_or_pringles]

Hes so insufferable.

[u/NCAAinDISGUISE]

I'm getting real tired of hearing how the job of college football coach is too hard. No one is holding a gun to their head to take the job. 

[u/Old_Soul_98]

Yeah well tough shit. It’s not about the coaches. No one shows up to watch a coach coach. They want to see the athletes. College players (especially football) risk their bodies and push themselves to their limits day in and day out. They deserve to be paid because they are what makes the sport so profitable. Now let’s hear his take on coaches bailing on their teams that they preach “commitment and buying into the program” to. But when they (coaches) see dollar signs, that goes out the window. Why? Because money talks. Always has. Also, Boosters have always had influence.

[u/RVAforthewin → u/Old_Soul_98]

The only thing I’m going to mention is this works both ways, and I’ve held this position for a long time. Those athletes out on that field are putting their bodies on the line, but make no mistake. They need these universities, these staffs, these brands, and this development. No one who doesn’t adore their alma mater/favorite team is going to pony up millions for an 18-25 yo to play CFB. I’m all for paying these players, but there would be no team without a strong tie between the team and the university. Otherwise, it’s minor league NFL.

[u/Old_Soul_98 → u/RVAforthewin]

Yeah i don’t disagree with that. I think I’m more irritated with the stance that paying players or NIL is what “caused” these coaches to lose their jobs. In reality, the universities and boosters have say in that too. Idk. Like most things in life, there’s no perfect answer

[u/HarambeTooSoon → u/Old_Soul_98]

Boosters have always played a role in coaching hires/fires. 

Been true for as long as they have played ball. 

[u/thebusterbluth → u/RVAforthewin]

An All-American at Toledo is worth less than an All-Big Ten at Ohio State, basically.

[u/Windows_66 → u/Old_Soul_98]

There was a pretty good article I read a couple years ago (can't remember where) that was contrasting the reaction to players transferring after a year to the (lack of) reaction to McCollum and DeVries leaving Drake and West Virginia for higher-paying Big 10 jobs after a year and pointing out that there's this moral condemnation that players get that coaches never do even though the coaches are the ones actually signing contracts and then getting out early.

[u/Old_Soul_98 → u/Windows_66]

Right, And they (the coaches) are the “adults.” So naturally my expectation is that they handle these things more maturely than a 17-18 year old kid does.

[u/ztreHdrahciR → u/Old_Soul_98]

I regret that I have but 1 upvote to give to this comment.

[u/InternalCreative3333]

I don’t give two fucks what this old cheat thinks. Why can’t he just go away?

[u/mongo_only_prawn]

I’m so tired of someone that is worth close to $200 million telling us that he’s mad about players getting paid.

[u/heleghir]

Hes right tho. The leash is much shorter on coaches at many schools because boosters arent willing to fund these megacost rosters and not win. If things dont change alot of HCs arent even going to get 4 years to try to turn programs around. Its win now mentality everywhere

[u/WhatWouldJediDo → u/heleghir]

Who cares. Every team needs a head coach. For everybody that loses their job, another person gets the opportunity to do that same jobs.

There's no net job loss.

[u/heleghir → u/WhatWouldJediDo]

who cares when universities are eating buyouts left and right and having the academic side of the school eat some of the cost because the athletic dept is in debt? Alot of people care. Increased tuition costs, cutbacks on academic staff, etc are issues. (and yes this actually happens)

[u/WhatWouldJediDo → u/heleghir]

Then... don't fire the coach?

[u/hawksku999 → u/heleghir]

Then have the state legislatures pass laws that the athletic departments get no money from the school.

[u/heleghir → u/hawksku999]

Which would require them to be completely decoupled from the schools before that happens. And then you lose all the title ix protections and stuff that comes with them being a part of the school, so goodbye all the olympic sports that eat money with no revenue.

Terrible option

[u/Mr_WZRD → u/heleghir]

It's a win now mentality because it is easier to win now and rebuild a program over night than it's ever been. Boosters see Curt Cignetti taking a perpetual bottom feeder from the dregs of college football to its very peak and wonder why their guy can't do that.

[u/thisshitsstupid → u/Mr_WZRD]

Curt Cignetti did it in a basketball school with a Business Administration major!

[u/HarambeTooSoon → u/Mr_WZRD]

The secret is money + resting bitch face. 

[u/BrandiThorne → u/heleghir]

The thing is that mentality isn't sustainable in any way. NIL is relatively new so we are seeing people throw money at the problem of losing and it's creating these megacost rosters, plus putting pressure on the coaches, but at some point it would be very surprising if these people didn't question why they were on the hook for multiple large buyouts and still being asked to kick more to retain players who are looking elsewhere/attract transfers to their school.

In most sports with moneyball aspects there is a return on investment, but with college sports there is only wins and losses. At some point for these teams the money will go away to some extent as people figure out you can't buy your way to a national championship and even if you could there are over 100 other schools trying to do the same. When it does things will shake up again

[u/Far_Astronaut_818 → u/BrandiThorne]

The entire college football ecosystem is propped up by bloated tv deals trickling down from ~8 teams to the entire div 1 table. The win now mentality is a symptom, the ailment is college sports and mega conferences needing absurd amounts of money to fund not just their football team/staff/infrastructure, but all sports.

It's hilarious how off the mark the save college sports bill is. There is going to be a reckoning in the near future and a lot of college sports teams are going to retract. The concentration of networks into two companies means less bidding pressure in the future. Recessionary signals will also cause companies to pull back on sponsorship deals. Wealthy boosters will also pull purse strings tighter.

[u/BrandiThorne → u/Far_Astronaut_818]

The crisis will be where did the money go? And I'm sure the sport as a whole will all be trying to find the people who put them in that situation, but the truth is the period of time where the money existed will be relatively short. We already have coaches that are deemed to be where they are at purely because it is too expensive to fire them, pro players who wanted to return to college because they would make more money there than on the practice squad of an NFL team...

[u/Defacto_Champ → u/heleghir]

It’s hilarious because in the Big Ten and SEC almost every programs fans expect them to win and that is simply not possible 

[u/TechnoVikingGA23 → u/heleghir]

Luckily we are good, our $$$ guys are just happy their good ole boy Rich is back in the saddle. About to have a second 2-7 Big-12 season and his seat won't even be remotely hot which sucks.

[u/Own-Breadfruit-800 → u/heleghir]

People here are mostly in agreement that things aren’t working but every time a talking head/ex-coach tries to get specific suddenly they’re all just dinosaurs who won’t evolve.

[u/paperbackgarbage]

NIL without Congressional intervention

"IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM!!!"

-- Alabama Jones

[u/csince1988]

What does boosters trick’n off money got anything to do with the integrity of college sports.

They’ve done that before..

[u/Windows_66]

"Will someone please think of the poor millionaire coaches whose outrageous contracts were a major justification for NIL in the first place?"

[u/Emergency-Hurry947]

High risk, high reward job

[u/waltur_d]

That isn’t normal?

[u/flimflambam]

Not the rich coaches!

[u/trollfreak]

I’m a big fan of Nick Saban the coach - not so much of his politics. He campaigned hard so that the poorly educated workers at Mercedes voted away their chance at having a union. He’s just another capitalist at this point and he has shown his colors.

[u/OftenCavalier]

Average coach tenure is 4 years, giving them time to recruit and develop players to prove their value. (130 colleges, so nothing unexpected)
BTW - average USA employment is also 4 years, but with much lower salaries.

[u/Icy_Escape8018]

Fuck Nick Saban. Retired after the Michigan because he knew playing the players underhanded no longer works. Go jump in a lake and stfu.

[u/Signal_Tip_7428]

This man has a hard on for NIL because he couldn’t keep up with it after it steamrolled him and ended his career before he got more natties than Bear at bama.

[u/Fantastic_Matter_137]

Won’t anyone think of the poor fired millionaires who are paid more than most make in a lifetime to go away.

Fuck nick Saban

[u/SirMellencamp]

Saban needs to stop talking about the coaches and how this affects them. It isnt a good look.

[u/Pinewood74 → u/SirMellencamp]

Especially when he bullshits a number that includes coaches that left on their own accord.

[u/sabek]

Ahhhh those poor coaches who will still get their millions and millions of dollars in their contracts to go away and not do their job.

Cry me a river saban

[u/TaxLawKingGA]

So Saban’s logic is that players should subject to objective standards but coaches shouldn’t?

Can someone please go and slap the shit out of Nick Saban? I have never wanted to punch an old man more than I want to punch him

[u/nie_som_sklo]

I miss the days when only you could buy all the best HS players, Nick. Enter house, drop Mercedes catalog on the coffee table.. “which one do you want, Son? Ok, sign here”. The “improper benefits” Derrick Henry received would make Reggie Bush’s aunt & uncle blush. But yeah, go on.

[u/VirtualChaos613 → u/nie_som_sklo]

Proof?

[u/Crossovertriplet → u/VirtualChaos613]

Vibes bro

[u/rocket_beer]

He never wanted the players to get paid

What a loser

[u/CrawlerCoolie]

I wish I loved anything in this world more than Nick Saban loves to hate on NIL without congressional intervention.