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re: How Many Great Coordinators Were Actually Great Head Coaches?
Posted on 2/21/26 at 11:22 am to SoFla Tideroller
Posted on 2/21/26 at 11:22 am to SoFla Tideroller
quote:
What?
As a defensive coordinator Saban was pretty good. But nobody was talking about him as one of the best. The results on the field:
As a college DC his defense was ranked 5th, 3rd, 4th, 3rd - an average of 4th out of 10 teams.
As a NFL DC his defense was ranked 14th, 10th, 17th, 1st - an average rank of 10th out of 32 teams.
Above average no doubt. But people don’t remember him like they do Buddy Ryan and Monte Kiffin.
Nick Saban was not the best X’s and O’s coach in football. Alabama fans and opponents agreed on that. He was the best however at running a program. And in his prime it wasn’t close.
Again, the skills required to make someone a great coordinator differ slightly from what makes someone a great head coach. Very few can do both at an elite level, because the mindset that makes someone a great coordinator can derail them as a head coach.
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Posted on 2/21/26 at 11:26 am to Darindawg
quote:
Ryan Day, Dan Lanning and Marcus Freeman
Do you consider them, based on what they have done so far, great coaches?
I don’t think many people do. Day has the best argument. Freeman and Lanning do not.
If they quit tomorrow would they make the cut to be inducted into the college football hall of fame? No, none of them even meet the minimum criteria to be considered.
Posted on 2/21/26 at 12:14 pm to captdalton
quote:
He absolutely was a defensive coordinator - under Kiffin at USC. When Kiffin was fired Orgeron was named interim head coach.
Considering how often you call others dumb, you sure are wrong a LOT.
He was the defensive coordinator in name only.
Monte Kiffin was actually running the unit as "assistant head coach of the defense" from 2010-12 and Clancy Pendergast was hired to run the defense in 2013 when Monte left for the Cowboys.
Posted on 2/21/26 at 12:20 pm to SidewalkTiger
quote:
He was the defensive coordinator in name only.
So he was the USC defensive coordinator.
It will be fun to see how you
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Posted on 2/21/26 at 12:25 pm to captdalton
quote:
So he was the USC defensive coordinator.
Sure, semantics aside, he did hold that title.
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