I think he could have. It just would have taken a little longer, and would have been harder getting recruits away from Michigan and OSU. If he had stayed at MSU, Mauck would be there now.
The University of Michigan is the 900-pound gorilla in Michigan. Michigan State will never get the top recruits. That was the main reason Saban gave for leaving MSU.
From what I remember he was getting it done at Mich.ST., do you guys remember who's last team went to a Bowl Game in Florida and beat the tar out of the Gators? He had them guys at 9-10 wins a year coming off probation.......
Not only is Nick one of the best recruiters in college football, but nobody, and I mean nobody, out works this guy. He is prepared for any and every situation that arises. He expects the same from his assistants and accepts only "the best they can do" from his student athletes. He would make a great President.
I say it's recognizing talent and using his players in the position that would best produce results. Additionally, at least on the defensive side of the ball, NO ONE in America plays a complicated brand of defense like LSU does. It's defensive line stunts along with the aggressive blitzing packages mimick that of NFL teams. LSU is far ahead of the curve on defense because Saban is a genius in this area of the game. Additionally, he allows his offensive coordinator to "do his thing" and we are now seeing the fruits of our labor on offense as well. I'll just leave you with this image. Does anybody remember the days of Jerry Dinardo cheering like a madman on the sideline because LSU had gone down the field in a VERY conservative manner and made a field goal against Florida right before halftime? Florida was still leading 21-3 if I am not mistaken, and Dinardo acted like he just won the lottery with that FG. Stick that image in your head. Now imagine Nick Saban in that same situation. Nick Saban would have blasted the offensive player that made the mistake that caused LSU to kick the FG in the first place. Two different mindsets. One played not to lose, the other knows only of winning.
Nick out recruited UM for Tico Duckett, Ryan Van Dyke--both were wanted by UM and he would have had Charles Rogers and Jeff Smoker if he would have stayed. He also got Julian Peterson, Flozell Adams, Derrick Mason, Paul Edinger, who have done well in the NFL. It was never a lack of talent, it was more quantity due to scholarship limitations due to NCAA sanctions. Nick's problem at MSU was not UM. There are a lot of good players in the Midwest in Ohio, MI, IN, IL, and PA. Nick also got players out of Florida for MSU. Mauck is from Indiana.It wasn't going against Michigan. Nick just needed something to say and there were some bitter feelings between Nick and MSU over how he left. He said that "there's no Michigan" comment to get a jab at MSU. Nick did fine with talent at MSU. His main problem at MSU was depth. Remember he was under sanctions from the previous coach. Nick had the facilities at MSU. He had an academic center, a football only building, upgraded weight room, and quality living arrangments for the players. The "there's no Michigan" comment was directed more at the high expectations at MSU due to the success at UM and Notre Dame. That's what Nick really meant, though it was intended as a jab against MSU. If UM goes 10-1 and MSU goes 9-2 it's not a great season at MSU. If you all need a history lesson, MSU was the power in Michigan and a national power from the 50s to 60s. It won a national title in 65 and finished 2nd in 66 and won a title in 52 or 54. The fact that MSU went 8-4 and 5-3 in the big ten after last year's fiasco shows that you can win big at MSU when the conditions are set right. Now Nick didn't get along with the administration at MSU and that's why not much effort was made to get him to stay. If you read the NY Times article you read how he flirted with the Giants and Colts while at MSU. That didnt exactly endear him to the administration. Nick would have won big at MSU. Give him Jeff Smoker, Tico Duckett, and Charles Rogers he would have won big. It's true it would have been harder to recruit against UM, ND, Ohio State, and Penn. State, but he would have gotten talent. Now as far as what he didn't do at MSU, he was still learning and his style didn't mesh well with his assistants and he got distracted before bowl games with his NFL flirtations and he felt that he wasn't appreciated at MSU which distracted him. Nick wasn't also known for getting along that well with Alumni and boosters at functions that may have played a role as well. He's learned from his time at MSU and that's one of the reason's why he's successful at LSU. No one is born a great coach. You learn from previous experiences and Nick learned a lot from his days at MSU.
Sban is sp successful because he gets the best players on the field. How many positions has Stephen Petermen played in his career? Spears was supposed to be the greatest tight end ever. What did Nick do? He moved him to defensive line. He even toyed with putting Michael Clayton in the defensive backfield. He makes hard decisions.
