re: Saban recruiting, way back when (per 247)

I can’t speak to the 2002 class, but I know the 2000 class was affected by the coaching change. I don’t remember exactly when Saban was hired, I believe sometime in December

Found it...Dec 1 1999 was his hire date:

quote:

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DEC. 1, 1999

Nick Saban left bowl-bound Michigan State on Tuesday for Louisiana State, a job that will nearly double his salary and make him one of the country’s top-paid coaches. He signed a five-year contract for about $1.2 million annually, joining a select group of millionaire coaches that includes Bobby Bowden of Florida State, Steve Spurrier of Florida and Phillip Fulmer of Tennessee.

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Also just an interesting thing as I was looking at his recruiting class rankings: it only took Saban basically ONE Top5 recruiting class to bring a national title to LSU (the 2001 class)...as his 2000 and 2002 classes were not highly ranked classes. He won the 2003 title after his first three classes at LSU were ranked #21, #2, #21