Questionable who the idiot is here. Of course the Sabanistas don't think LSU even fielded a team until the fall of 2000. Had LSU won the title in 2005, more of the continued worship of "Saban's players" would have more validity. Considering Miles won the National Title in his third season, he won it with his own players. From the OP's logic, Saban won the 2009 NC with Shula's players considering it was also Saban's third season at UAT. And I guess Saban won the 2001 SEC title at LSU with DiNardo's players.
Wasn't there quite a list of stellar players that Saban inherited from DiNardo? The assertion that Saban built the LSU program from nothing is nothing short of a myth.
Are you suggesting that Saban is not the best coach of all time in any sport?? Are you suggesting that a football program WAS at LSU prior to his arrival here?? Are you suggesting that said football program could possibly survive the Glorious One after he left?? It can't be! It just makes too much sense and is backed up by factual data!!
There has always been good talent, that was not the problem. There were other issues Saban had to fix, but talent wasn't one of them. Remember DiNardo's last year with the Josh Booty, Craig Nall, Rohan Davey fiasco at QB? That and the other huge problem Saban inheritied was an incredible lack of team discipline. Talent alone does not win NC's.....Hell, even Curly Hallman had some great recruiting classes, we were "Running Back-U" when he was the coach.
I did the research a long time ago, and while I can't remember the exact number, I want to say that there were 17 players on the LSU roster when Saban took over that went on to make NFL rosters.
I know that was total sarcasm, and me likey..... but to anyone that doesn't agree, let me ask you this. If we hadn't beat Saban's ass 45-26 in the Independence Bowl, would you have even known who he was before he came to LSU? So once again I ask you, who made who?
Just quickly going down the list Ryan Clark Mark Roman Rohan Davey Rondell Mealey Bradie James Craig Nall Josh Booty Josh Reed Dominick Davis Trev Faulk Norman LeJeune LaBrandon Toefield Kenderick Allen Jarvis Green Howard Green Donnie Jones Robert Royal Those are just the guys I know for SURE made rosters. Edit - Just added Howard Green. Can't believe I forgot about him, but he is listed as Jason Green on lsusports.net.
Check your facts, I'm not mistaken about Hallman, around his second or third season he had something like 13 running backs on the roster...look it up, I don't have time. And many of those were highly recruited backs out of Texas. The reason you don't remember them is because Hallman was a terrible coach and with that many backs nobody had a chance to break out. DiNardo did have some nice recruits at RB, but that is the point.....takes more than talent to win the NC.
