They did him a big favor doing it now instead of waiting. Gives him the opportunity to get the Florida job. I hope he gets it; with Saban, Spurrier, and Davis in the SEC, we could possibly jump the PAC 10 as "media darlings". It could really help out in the polls in the coming years.
Already are... To be expected every single NFL job except for the Cardinals was going to get Saban. So far the list is Indy, Chi, NY, Tampa, Dallas, ATL... etc etc The funny thing is, if Saban turned down the Bears, which is in Chicago, where the GM is his close friend, why does ANYONE think going to Cleveland appeals to Nick Saban. I was worried about the Bears. Cleveland... Not even a little bit...
Len P made the announcement live on Atlanta sports talk radio and I've already heard Saban's name mentioned several times, although he didn't mention anyone when he made the announcement, which surprised the heck out of me. We will all hear Nick's name brought up at least a couple of hundred times in the next 2 months, so we need to just let it go. If he goes he goes, but no sense worrying about every darn rumor.
The Cleveland rumor might get traction solely due to Nick's past experiences in Ohio. I'm not worried about it either though, I think he'll be here a while.
Hey, don't forget Mark Richt, a fine coach in his own right. Hmm, methinks it would be a good time for Phat Phil to make the jump to the pros right about, oh, now, 'cause his stock will only go down in the years to come. The NFL doesn't get too geeked over a coach who never finishes higher than fourth. Not in the conference, but in his own division.
No way Phat Phil goes pro. Only reason to semi-worry about Saban to Cleveland is because of his Ohio roots. According to ESPN, the leading candidates to replace Davis are Terry Robiskie and Dave Campo. I assume this is only on an interim basis, but it was not specifically stated.
One thing that's really, really strange about the "well, he once coached in Cleveland and he played college ball in Ohio, so he must be interested" rumors is they never seem to take into account the fact that his friend and coaching confidant, Bill Bellicheck, was treated like scum by the same Cleveland fans and media that supposedly would welcome Nick with open arms today. Nick was there, he saw what happened, and seeing Bellicheck run out of town on a rail a year after Saban left that staff surely made an impression on Nick. Look, Saban absolutely will make the jump someday, but it'll be on his terms (and why not, since he'll likely be a top pro coach prospect for years to come). Cleveland gave the keys to the car, so to speak, to Davis on personnel decisions and the like, and he failed. Saban would want similar control, short of working with a GM whose personnel-evaluation skills he trusted emphatically (he had that opportunity with Jerry Angelo and passed). Anyways, this is just speculation. He's not going anywhere for a while at least. I say he's here at least 3-4 more years and plays in at least one more national championship game (getting there is not the same as winning it, of course) before he rides off into the sunset. He does want to coach in the NFL, and I'm sure he wants to get started before he's 60 (he's currently 53). That's fine by me, since an LSU football program with multiple conference (and possibly national) titles, a renovated stadium, various facility enhancements, etc., won't have a problem attracting an excellent coach to follow in Nick's footsteps...hell, it may be someone currently on staff right now.
If he goes to Florida, the SEC East will be unreal. Spurrier, Richt, Davis, Fulmer (even tho I hate him). Vandy and Kentucky should just disband their football program.
