To all the recruit-niks out there...(THEORY)

Les Miles taking his time with this staff is not a bad thing for recruiting...

Les Miles taking over as head coach is not a bad thing for recruiting...

This entire situation is not a bad thing for recruiting...

The reason is that this is a lean year for LSU, as we only have a limited number of scholarships available...16-18 I think...

My theory is that Saban-oddly enough-knew that he'd be shoving off for the greener pa$ture$ of the NFL, and he stocked us up ahead of time so we could weather the storm of a coaching change...

I mean, think about it...It's come out that had Terri not put her foot down, he was Windy City material...When she did...Maybe he realized that if another one came along, he wasn't taking no for an answer, and yet cared enough about LSU-and even his own successor-that he overstocked LSU to help ease the burden off of their recruiting job this year?

Is that why he stayed on RP so hot and heavy, even though some said he was negotiating with the Fins hot and heavy?

Was this man that damn smart? Was he that damn far-sighted? This theory is a little out of left field...But the pieces of this puzzle I've placed together seem to fit pretty damn well....

 

I like your thinking but you may be giving Saban too much credit for altruism. Most coaches would recruit as much top talent as possible. Nevertheless, I don't think anything Miles is doing (including being hired) is hurting recruiting. The limited number of h.s. players quoted have loved the guy.

Interesting theory, nonetheless!

 

Not to mention the fact that we have no idea what Miles and his staff are really doing.

 

T.E. you make a good point. I think Saban was looking into the future for himself AND LSU. I think he was working his ass off up until after the bowl game. Even then he made three pages of notes for Miles on the plane ride back from Orlando.

Alot of people have given Saban crap for leaving. Feeling like jilted lovers.
That's understandable to a degree but Saban cares about LSU. LSU and his coaching got him where he is today. He did LSU a favor and LSU did him a favor. I think highly of the guy and I'm sure he thinks highly of LSU.

 

Was Saban "that smart" to stock up with "us" in mind for when he leaves? I'd like to think as much, but it's not likely..... Instead, I think Saban was professional enough to think ahead, and plan for whatever happened--in the event that he was interviewed, but not offered, or didn't get the right deal, on the NFL level so that he would still have a good thing going on here.

 

The main point was to question whether or not he was that far sighted and that smart to realize that in Louisiana, in 2005, both the talent would be lean and the football program at LSU would be in flux, one way, or the other...

I think so...

 

Your linear thinking zeroes in before realizing that I wasn't being specific...

This theory doesn't apply to JUST the Dolphins job...This theory applies to ANY job...Saban was ready to make the jump, and knew that had he turned down the Siren Song of the NFL yet again, he may not get many more invites after that...as he could only turn down so many before they stopped turning up in the first place...

He knew that he was going to make the jump...he tidied the place up as much as possible before he left...

 

Guess he was in too much a hurry to tidy the men's basketball team up as well??

For all of Saban's perceived "faults" (i.e. "the timing" or "he wasn't 100% honest"), I must say that at least he didn't leave us in absolute shambles! Or left us with a program scared by scandal. He left us with quite a stock-pile of high-level talent both in physical skills and in character. Our players seem to be very level-headed.....all of them.

 

That was a huge thing for LSU...incidents like the recent ones involving Terrell McGill, the ugly Melvin Oliver stuff in the offseason, as well as past situations involving Bradie James at Club Upscale & Eric Edwards caving a dude's face in after hours at Bogies never made the light of day...and that's HUGELY important...

Miles' will have to establish that ability to batten down the hatches, even when things DO come up...I think retaining assistants, ESPECIALLY Moffitt (The players know Moffitt and the S&C staff better than any of the football staff, simply because they seem them on almost every single day of the year) really helps in this area...