Poor Nick :bncry: The loss of Coach Lance left Saban: "very surprised" "upset" o: "frustrated" :angryfire http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2009/01/trent_richardson_on_lance_thom.html
I especially love the comments about Saban having assistant coaches working until 10:30pm on Christmas Eve.
:geaux: The current recession is obviously not affecting Tennessee. :hihi: They seem to have bottemless pockets and are willing to pay more than top dollar to assemble this staff. Programs around the country are probably already hating the Vols because the going price for football coaches, whether head coaches/coordinators/assistants, just went way up! The budget folks at all the big time programs just went on red alert. :LSU231:
Seems like all teams lose asst. coaches, they move to improve their resumes and make more money. I don't think this impacts Bama long term. As long as Saban has the money, he can make quality hires.
tennessee just offered me 150k a year to be a fan. i turned them down. i'm looking for more, looks like hiring jimmy sexton was the right move.
Tenn may seem like they have a bottomless supply of money but Saban and Miles each make more than both Kiffins and Orgeron put together. The assistants big pay scale increases are relatively new. They have been moving up but this year they have gone through the roof. You may start seeing buyouts for position coaches and Im not kidding. I think Alabama started the ball rolling but this year LSU and Tenn have pushed it along further. Total staff payrolls are reaching the 6 mil plus range! A few years ago that was unheard of and given Presidents and Athletic Directors a heart attack. Many assistants in the SEC are now making more than NFL money which will also drive up those salaries. Bottom line, they all chase the money and you cant blame them. Few assistants take jobs for resume building and prestige. Its all about the greenbacks.
Since Tennessee won the first BCS title, they've watched LSU and Florida each win twice...saw Alabama go undefeated in regular season...noticed that Georgia was ranked #1 (by some) going into last season...witnessed the emergence of Ole Miss...took notice of Vandy making a bowl...and realized that Arkansas hired a high profile coach. I think they realized they need to get in gear quick or risk being a bottom dweller in the SEC. They have tremendous resources and are starting to use them. Fulmer was there for 15+ years so they haven't had to make these decisions in a long time. I guess they're trying (hoping) to get it right.
:geaux: Escalating salaries for coaches seem to be the latest reflection of the arms race in college football. It ain't just facilites anymore. Tennessee is, as stated above, just trying to keep up with the Jones'. If you don't, you can get left behind very quickly. Far behind. :LSU231:
