re: Nick Saban (2008-2014) vs Kirby Smart (2017-2023)

quote:

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Dooley stayed in Athens. Goff stayed in Athens. Donnan stayed in Athens. Richt stayed in Athens. Where do you think Smart will live when he retires?

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Who gives a shite where coaches retire?

While they are coaching, coaches follow money and opportunity. They don’t give a shite about their alma mater. They don’t give a shite about the restaurant scene in Athens or Austin or Baton Rouge or Oxford.

Fans and coaches are a lot alike. Is it a sweet story that Kirby is an alumnus? Yes. But if Kirby were an A- coach in 2016 and you could have had an A+ coach from Oregon, you would take the A+ coach. If you could have a 4 star QB from Rome who grew up with Georgia posters all over his wall and attended every home game and every camp or a can’t miss 5 star from LA who’s never heard of Herschel Walker, you would take the 5 star.

Winning. That’s all fans and coaches give a shite about. Who is doing the winning doesn’t really matter. The marriage between coach and program is a balance of results, expectations, and options.

If a coach meets or exceeds expectations and there are better options, he’s leaving. If a coach fails to live up to expectations, he’s getting fired. If the coach and program are both top notch (like Smart/Georgia, Saban/Bama) there will likely be a long tenure.

Hell, rivalries don’t get more intense than Alabama and Auburn and plenty of players and coaches have jumped on both sides of that fence for another dollar.

Money, winning, opportunity. That’s all the players and coaches you cheer for really care about.