I agree it would be a lateral move, and the first response I would have to such a Richt to LSU move would be he's running from the fight.

With Spurrier a Gamecock and Urban Meyer better poised to revive Florida than Ron Zook ever was, the SEC East looks a lot tougher now than it did 3 years ago.

Richt going to LSU would be, in my mind, an admission that (as far as the national title is concerned) it's easier to get out of the SEC coming from the West than the East.

Surely there's a nursing home somewhere that needs a new coach... :grin:

True, but at least you have a chance of avoiding the best in the East until the SEC CG, depending on schedules.

What's Georgia's "natural" recruiting base? In-state, naturally, and I'd think South Carolina and Florida. Recruiting in both of those states just got a lot harder (well, maybe not with Florida since Zook can recruit), and recruiting at LSU is "easier" in a sense due to the excellent homegrown talent from which an LSU coach can choose.

Anyway, I agree it'd be a lateral move and, therefore, unlikely...but the thought is interesting.

I still think it'll be someone like Mike Leach who thinks (knows-?) he can win at a big-time program and doesn't want to be stuck in what may be the toughest division (BIG XII South) in the country year in, year out.

As a loyal Hawk fan, let me first say that our program is not at your level YET... (this is so I don't get chased away again)

Ferentz would not be an option for you and it's not because your program could be a step up.

Ferentz has made repeated comments about his delight in building a BCS contender, not managing one. He would have MUCH interest in rebuilding Penn State, for example, as he grew up there. This, quite frankly, is our biggest worry.
As far as the pros, he has said, "...the only reason to go to the pros is money. A pro job is a good place to end a career, not start one".
He is a different guy than Saban. He has what will be his first top ten recruiting class coming in. I don't think, nor do most close followers, that money or fame are his "drivers". There are now some rumors that he has made certain commitments to our incoming class. He has also said he will be in Iowa City until his kids are out of school (some 6 years). As you know, KF has spent more than half is coaching career in Iowa City.

So, you have a great program and many attractive candidates. Our take on Saban is he should go. As the country classic goes, "I've been a long time leavin', but I'll be a long time gone".

Even if he decides to stay, the dye is now forever caste.

After first reading that, I thought he meant that come recruiting time, LSU can recruit just about anyone in the country and get them.. with the exception of a handful of guys.

After re-reading it, I see his comment the same way. Not sure how you got coaches out of that instead of recruits. Do you have the rest of the comments/article?


As for the topic of the thread that you got started though... I truly feel that LSU could lure a coach away from just about any college program around the country, with the exception of an obvious few such as Oklahoma, USC, Florida State, etc etc etc...

LSU expects to pick from best
If Saban leaves, elite coaches may line up
Monday, December 20, 2004
By Mike Triplett
Staff writer

BATON ROUGE -- If Nick Saban leaves LSU, athletic director Skip Bertman said he thinks the school will attract the top coaching candidates in the country.

Bertman said Sunday he expects LSU would hire a "current sitting head coach" rather than promote someone within the staff, such as offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher.
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"I don't have anybody in mind, but I'm thinking we could attract most people who are top-notch football coaches," Bertman said. "I doubt it will be a coach that nobody's ever heard of. I don't think that's going to have to happen."

Bertman said he does not want to sound premature Saban has not indicated to him that he has made up his mind whether to stay at LSU or leave to coach the Miami Dolphins. But Bertman said the school must be prepared to act quickly if Saban leaves.

The Dolphins are expected to offer Saban a contract as early as Tuesday. And all signs point to Saban being interested in the job.

The Miami Herald is reporting LSU assistant head coach Derek Dooley placed a call Friday to Dolphins defensive coach Bill Lewis to inquire about the job and the Dolphins' personnel. The Herald cited two sources, who also indicated Lewis was not happy about the call.

Dooley, through an LSU spokesman, said there is no truth to the report.

The Dolphins, who host New England in tonight's Monday Night Football game, are planning to interview former Raiders coach Art Shell today and current interim head coach Jim Bates on Tuesday.

Shell, an African American, fulfills the NFL's requirement that teams interview at least one minority candidate for their head coaching vacancies.

Bertman said he understands Saban must wait for the Dolphins to go through their process and that it is "OK" for Saban to pursue the opportunity.

"But if something doesn't happen through Nick or his agent in the next three days, I'd say, then I would try and move it along, try and get more information, speed it up," Bertman said. "I know where it's at right now. They're writing up contracts. They still have that minority interview to do, which is getting to the point where it's absurd. But I know they're moving."

Bertman emphasized this is not about Saban trying to leverage LSU for more money or a better deal. LSU made Saban the highest-paid coach in the country earlier this year with a seven-year, $18.45 million contract, plus incentives.

"Nothing in Nick's contract is going to change should he stay here. We already did that," Bertman said. "Nick is deciding whether he wants to be a coach in the National Football League or a college coach."

Saban, who coached in the NFL as an assistant for six years, said Saturday there is nothing more LSU could do for him, and his current job is so ideal that it is making his decision very difficult.

Since Saban arrived in 2000, the school has built a student-athlete academic center, has begun renovations on Tiger Stadium, has increased ticket revenue by millions per year and is building a football operations center.

Saban also led the school to its first national championship since 1958. And he put a stranglehold on the state of Louisiana in recruiting, which has helped him twice finish with the top-ranked recruiting class in the nation.

"There's been a tremendous investment to having success here. And I think all those factors have contributed to making this the kind of job that it is now," Saban said. "So I just had a great opportunity to drive the bus through part of that, and hopefully that will continue in the future."

Those things make LSU a stronger program than when Saban arrived from Michigan State five years ago. They also could help LSU attract almost any coach in the country, as Bertman suggests.

Gil Brandt, the former longtime Dallas Cowboys vice president of player personnel, concurs. Brandt, who has spent much of his post-Cowboys career helping college teams in coaching searches, said this is "one of the best, if not the best job in the country."

"This is a job where you don't have to recruit. You select," Brandt said. "When Nick came here, they had to recruit. Now, with the exception of maybe four or five guys, they could get about anyone in the country."

Bertman said he has been receiving several phone calls, e-mails and letters from agents and other people letting him know that certain coaches are interested in the position.

If Saban leaves, he said, LSU will enlist a "headhunter search firm, like most schools do" to gather names and make discreet inquiries to gauge their interest.

"They would let us know the availability of all the names people have been throwing around out there," Bertman said.

Some of those names that have been "thrown around" include former University of Miami and Cleveland Browns coach Butch Davis, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, Louisville coach Bobby Petrino and Browns interim coach Terry Robiskie, who played at LSU, among others.

None has stated publicly that they are interested in the job. Tuberville's current contract includes a $3 million buyout clause.

Bertman explained that a potential coaching hire would be incredibly important and an "urgent" decision for the university second only to the job of chancellor and other high-ranking positions in the university.

"It's more important than me," said Bertman, who called the football team the "engine that pulls the train" in the athletic department. "It's also a tremendous economic boom for the greater Baton Rouge area, not to mention the state of Louisiana, when the football team wins. So yeah, it would be an important hire."

A little bit of bleach will help him deal with changing the permanent nature of his social class. :grin:

Yeah I thought they were talking about recruiting players as well. I agree that the coaches at Oklahoma, USC and Florida State are unatainable because we are all on the same level as them nationally (although most media outlets would suggest otherwise). Instead of putting on red shirt first thing in the morning they'd put on a purple one. Not much difference between the level of programs.