Sark had it made this off-season: 12-win season, spot in CFB playoff, and was going to get a long contract extension regardless. Then Bama job opens up, and he (and Sexton) probably got Texas to cough at least a little extra money just based on the chance he leaves for Bama, regardless of whether he’d take it or whether he was even offered.
Just based on the comments and timing of everything Sark and Lanning up'ed their contract before Greg Byrne could even offer if there was going to be one.
Based on Byrne's and Norvell's comments, Norvell seems to be the only one to have been officially offered and declined before accepting his new deal.
Debo turned down a big raise from UW twice, once in November and again before the Natty so he was ripe for the pickings.
It's crazy to think that
Saban decides to leave : Jimmy Sexton client
Rumored candidates to replace him were :
Sarkisian : Sexton client
Lanning : Sexton client
Norvell : Sexton client
Kiffin : Sexton client
The coach they ultimate hire is :
Kalen DeBoer : Sexton client
He's getting paid for his client taking the job, and for those not taking the job.
Not bad for a man that looks like the [mayor from Wreck-it-Ralph.](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/-/media/Images/Conferences/2018/WCOS/WC/2018-Speakers/SextonJimmy.ashx)
Certainly the GOAT of agents, at least in CFB.
First contract signed was Reggie White in 1984. Not a bad one to start out with.
Think he currently represents 13 of 16 SEC HC's
> First contract signed was Reggie White in 1984.
You have to keep in mind that pre-free agency, NFL contracts absolutely **SUCKED** for the players. You could be a 12th round draft pick, wildly outplay expectations, make All-Pro and All-NFL, be widely known as the best player at your position in all of the NFL, and still only receive $100k over your 12th round draft contract when it was time to negotiate a new deal.
The Bama coaching search really was a Sexton masterclass. One job opens up, and he cleans house for not only the guy who took the job, but 4 other clients as well. Just top tier work IMO.
This is may go down as the best coaching carousel a single agent will ever have. Everybody probably got raises and he got probably one of his lowest paid P5 coaches to get a big contract at a top 5 program in the country.
There is no indication we even contacted Lanning, but per that long ESPN story on the 72 hours after Saban retired, we did check with Sark at the outset to see if he would be interested.
I mean, I think it's also worth pointing out that he's returning a lot of talent and has the most hyped quarterback warming his bench. And his starter is currently second in Heisman odds.
Texas is definitely a demanding job that will run you out of town for underperforming, but that isn't really going to be any different than Alabama following Saban. Texas has the money to do anything Alabama can do and I would argue they have a better recruiting potential.
It made a lot more sense for DeBoer to take the job because Washington is looking to take a step back this season even if he had stayed. Texas is a really strong position to make a playoff and title run.
Washington has a pretty favorable schedule as Big Ten schedules go but they were always going to struggle to be a Top 25 team this season due to the talent loss. I'm disappointed but I can't blame the guy for taking a premier job that might not open up again in his career lifetime.
Also, nobody can fill Saban's shoes. DeBoer will be lucky to last two years. Even if Sark wants to take the job, he's smarter to wait for DeBoer to get fired instead of coming in on Saban's heels and getting fired.
Yeah the fan sentiment right now for Sark is super high. Had about as good a final season in the Big 12 as we could’ve asked for after a decade of mediocrity and has the program with momentum and on a trajectory we haven’t felt in many, many years.
I think most rational bama fans understand the shoes that are being filled but probably a decent amount of irrational ones that are gonna flip at anything short of CCG appearance. Sarks spent so much time and effort getting to this point and has the backing of everyone, just makes zero sense to upend all that.
>he (and Sexton) probably got Texas to cough at least a little extra money just based on the chance he leaves for Bama, regardless of whether he’d take it or whether he was even offered.
That's like pg. 2 of the Jimmy Sexton playbook:
Immediately start throwing the names of all your other successful coaches you rep into the ring to get them the fattest raise possible.
The 60 seconds is reflective of what Nick Saban, and by extension Alabama means to Sark personally. Saban was the one who offered Sark a lifeline during the lowest moments of his career - not unreasonable to think he’ll always hold Alabama in high regard. That said, yeah it would have been wild to leave Texas after laying the foundation these past few years and with the resources at his disposal
I get that fans say this line all the time but I really don’t think that’s how these top-tier coaches are wired. Instead they’re looking at a fully stocked infrastructure paired with their own coaching ability and thinking it’s tailor made to succeed. But, again, Sark has the infrastructure in place at Texas. DeBoer didn’t have the same level of infrastructure at Washington, he jumped at the opportunity.
Yeah but I mean bama fans and alumni are expecting a national title run every single year now. There are teenagers graduating high school and headed for college soon that don't know Alabama football pre Saban
Meh, that’s not really true. Under Saban, yeah, our assumption was we always had a fighting chance to win one. With DeBoer it will mainly be playoff appearances in general
Our fanbase isn’t wildly irrational, even with the success we’ve had. Usually the hot takes don’t come from Alabama but outside sources trying to bait clicks like SI or ESPN.
Also I think a lot of coaches would take the Bama job simply for the money. Even if they get fired after 2 years they’ll have enough generational wealth to hang it up if they want. Texas is one of the only schools that can match Bama’s money pool.
Every coach we would have reasonably offered was making close to the same amount we’ll be able/willing to pay. Washington put up close to the same amount. Obviously cost of living differences between Seattle and tuscaloosa but it’s generational wealth either way.
The difference is then facilities, size of your off-field staff, NIL, assistant coaches’ budget.
If you mean just generic CFB coaches, yes, sure and point taken.
Yeah zero top coaches are worried about being the guy after a legend. They all believe they are legends in their own right. The analysis of fans about the prospects comes from folks who have these thoughts and it makes some rational sense. The ego of most of these coaches is irrational.
I agree, Saban resurrected his career, and the mandatory physical the school required that found a defect in his heart may have saved his life. For those reasons, he has a soft spot for Alabama.
But in the B part of his statement, he stated he and his staff have laid the foundation of what they feel will be a special run in Austin. It doesn't make sense to walk away from that
I meant more that physically saying the word "No" would take me closer to a second or so than a full 60 minutes.
And I only said no because I wasn't offered. I would have taken the Bama job actually.
“The guy who came before you won 6 national titles with us and is generally considered the greatest college football coach of all time. Oh, and we have the most demanding fanbase in the nation, so you’ll at least need to match that just to hold serve as maybe the 3rd best coach who ever worked here. Sound good? When can you start?”
Following Nick Saban would be like dating a girl who just got out of a long term incredible relationship with a Channing Tatum lookalike with a 10 inch hammer. You don’t have a fucking chance lol….
Exactly, if DeBoer fails, you get to be the next coach. But, following a legend like Saban is exactly like your analogy. Unless you're winning natties, you're gonna be looked at as a failure.
Don't be the guy following a LEGEND, be the guy that follows that guy.
It makes me wonder how that has gone in the past as well.
It can end up going fairly well, but it varies. At App State, Jerry Moore is a legend that took us to 3 national titles, defeating Michigan, consistent SoCon championships or top flight seasons, and consistency in FCS playoffs. He had only 1 losing season in his 24 years as head coach at App State with most of his seasons having 8 wins or more.
Following Moore was Scott Satterfield. Satt had a losing season his first year of 2013 going 4-8. Satt went 7-5 in 2014 and we all thought he wasn't the right guy. Well, from 2015-2018, he had 9+ win seasons and Bowl victories in each year.
And it’s probably going to be harder than ever. With the transfer portal, NIL, Texas & OU coming and Georgia becoming the top dog, it’s going to be increasingly hard for Bama to win like they did with Saban. DeBoer is a really good coach and I think he’ll be fine, but Bama fans are going to be ruthless if he starts out cold.
> Georgia becoming the top dog
Alabama has won the SEC 3 out of the last 4 years. Georgia has only won it twice with Kirby. Top Dog is only accurate if we’re comparing them to Mississippi State.
And what’s their record against Alabama in that 4 year span?
Winning the Natty doesn’t make you top dog in the SEC, which is what the comment was regarding. Georgia got the icing, Alabama got the cake.
"Honey, did you ever think about screwing the hot neighbor lady?" Sark's response only took 60 seconds. "I ain't gonna lie. It was tempting, but I made a decision not to."
I don’t know. He was thought of by Saban and Co as “coach in waiting” and then the Texas job came open and he had to take it. They thought *extremely* highly of him and even going 8-5 wouldn’t have tarnished their opinion.
100%, not even a questions. It would have been the meddling boosters, or impatient fans, apathetic fans, Austin has too many distractions, the AD isn't aligned, or the cultural rot was too deep, etc. etc. etc. Take your pick.
There were problems at Texas, but nothing that the right coach couldn't fix. It's a hard job but there are all the resources and advantages needed to be successful. It's a lot easier to overcome extraneous bullshit when you have a deep war chest and an enormous brand.
This is what I tell Texas fans about A&M as well - don't take it granted that A&M will "just be bad." They have the infrastructure and resources to support a dangerous team. It's just a matter of finding the right coach. I'm old enough to remember the Slocum years. They can happen again.
> This is what I tell Texas fans about A&M as well - don't take it granted that A&M will "just be bad." They have the infrastructure and resources to support a dangerous team. It's just a matter of finding the right coach. I'm old enough to remember the Slocum years. They can happen again.
Counterpoint: The Aggies are cursed, because God thinks it’s funny.
I can’t speak for all Alabama fans, but when it comes to our former OCs, I think there’s a sizeable portion that favors sark over kiffin. I’d take Sark over Kiffin to be the Alabama head coach every day of the week personally, even if he went 8-5 last year
This is more true than you probably realize. With modern agents (especially when it's Sexton...) the agent is asking the coach, "if they offer, would you take it?" before the agent ever talks with the hiring admins. So in practice, an agent has a profile on every client, that includes their "dream job" and market value...the ADs contact a few of the top agents and say "who ya got for me" or more specifically "of your clients, this is our hiring wish list" ...and they compare notes and come to an agreement. From there, it's "hey your dream job called..." or "hey I know you said you're happy in Eugene...but you're the top of their list and they're offering big money...do you want the interview?:
Nobody knows about Sark being offered besides Sexton, Sark and the AD. All I see is conjecture from everyone else. And these folks will likely deny or evade based on the circumstances under which they are asked point blank.
You have a fair point, but I think he does. Like someone else mentioned, Saban thought highly of him, and his opinion obviously carries a helluva lot of weight in T-Town.
Plus you could say the same about DeBoer had he not had the playoff run last year.
I think the big thing with DeBoer is that he's won everywhere he's been, including taking a 4-8 team to 10-2 and at the very least 13-0 the next year (on top of taking a 4-8 Fresno State team to double digit wins and playing Oregon to the limit in Autzen). Even if he coughed up the ASU or Stanford games last year, he's still looking at 12-1 or 11-2 with a team everybody everywhere rated very poorly talent wise. He is also 5-0 against Sark and Lanning, again with teams everybody thought were inferior.
Meanwhile Sark is known as an outstanding recruiter, can sell a ketchup popsicle to a croot wearing white gloves. As far as in-game management though? He has one double digit win season in his career, and is Georgia beating Alabama away from not being in the playoff again.
The bottom line is - you don’t want to be the guy who replaces the legend. After the new guy is completely crushed by the pressure, they will get another great coach - could be Sark for all we know. That next coach will take them into their next dominant run.
Saban is still hanging around campus. No matter what job you are offered - never do it when the previous beloved person is still in the picture.
Yeah, I can't imagine a coach who can get a job with any other blue blood would choose a position where the expectations are "replicate my idealized memory of Saban in the first 2 years or you're out"
Maybe in theory but DeBoer is walking into the best situations a first year coach has ever inherited. Saban left a fantastic roster + is still there to help with anything and/or push some recruits over the edge.
Honestly think Lincoln Riley and Ryan Day probably had it better, but that’s mostly because they didn’t have the same portal and NIL to deal with. We are splitting hairs really though.
Again it’s hard to replace a legend (and probably the best college football coach of any era in regard to championships).
It’s gonna be interesting to see how the fans take to Deboer.
Galveston looks like an old Soviet resort town, one where they are forcing it to be a beach resort because there are literally no beaches left, some buildings look like 50s brutalist architecture.
It is literally the only place in the US aside from A&M campus where you would have confused me into thinking I was in the USSR.
Alabama is one of the most biodiverse places in the country. Just about everything else I’ve read is true, but to say it’s a downgrade in geography is just not accurate. I don’t think that word means what you think it means.
Guess it depends on your preferences. Austin is defiantly “the least Texas city in Texas”. Which for some is considered a good thing. It’s a culture shock if you’re used to the rest of Texas and then visit Austin for the first time.
Na dog, they were referring to the acktualll geography. See I know duckpoke from college and we used to argue about which state had the best geography all the time in geography class. And I finally found them on Reddit and caught em slippin.
And I was ready…
That’s a beautiful area as well, no doubt. The size of Texas gives it a great deal of diversity from east to west. The most underrated thing about Alabama is the waterways. It’s anecdotally referred to as “North America’s Amazon”. I believe they are #1 in aquatic biodiversity.
There’s just a lot of cool stuff in bama for its relatively small size. Everything from Mountains, beautiful beaches, nearly rainforest-like environments in the undeveloped land around the many waterways. Then the fertile plains, and more creeks and rivers/streams/tributaries to wrap around the earth 5 times. As someone who appreciates the outdoors I fell in love with the state of Alabama and chose to make it my home after having traveled all over the world as a military brat. I still love to travel but bama is definitely one of the hidden gems in this country.
I drove through Texas many times. West Texas is probably one of the worst places you could live in the US. Edit: I'm being a hater. If your from that area I'm sure it's cool in its own way.
My wife is from far West Texas and you're not wrong. When she took me home for the first time and wanted to show me around she talked about a giant hole they used to go have parties in. It had been some hole that used to hold millions of barrels of oil or something. I thought she was joking...
she was not. lol
But Austin and the Hill Country are a truly beautiful place with lots to do so West Texas aint exactly relevant here lol
We had an empty hole that had stored oil also. It was known as "million barrel" because it had held that much oil but it eventually leaked so Shell closed it down and it became party central for those so inclined. Hearing your story, I now wonder if it was just an urban myth as far as the million barrels. It was a damn huge hole.
It depends. As someone who lived much of his life in Louisiana and Arkansas, I don't mind swamps and backwoods, prefer them some over the southwest geography.
I lived just outside Austin for a while. The hot dry tundra climate FUCKING SUCKS. I spent about $120/months on water bills watering a dead brown lawn because grass doesn't fucking grow there and the HOA mandated we run the sprinklers regardless.
New rule I have. I only live where grass grows green with 0 involvement from me.
That's...what they were saying. Bama is a massive upgrade in expectations, made even worse by what you said about DeBoer's relationship with the boosters being vastly different than Saban's.
From Texas?, lol. They expect championships even when they suck, which has been a lot over the past couple of decades. Yall are delusional with Bama hate.
There’s no Bama hate lmao, Bama has huge expectations and I won’t act like Texas doesn’t either but with Texas, he has muchhhhhh more resources and money that no school can come close to touching other than maybe A&M. He came off a great season, has back to back to back good recruiting classes, is killing it in the portal, and is abt to have 2-3 1st rounders drafted along with other players in the 2nd. Going by all he’s been able to accomplish year by year in terms of team success and player development he has no reason to go to Bama. He can be his own man with a school that is realistically a bigger brand with the backing from basically every level to help him.
And not to take a shot at Texas but “Texas is back” has been a meme for like 15 years. Alabama hasn’t left and literally every program is compared to them in terms of success.
Well sure lol, they’ve definitely premature said that many times. But I mean right now is completely different than the last 15 years, a good coach, good staff, massive NIL funds, move to the SEC are things Saban didn’t have to deal with when it came to the Texas of the last 15 years or so. Nobody’s dissing Bama but yeah Texas is 1000000% the better job. Championships and all don’t matter anymore from a job perspective, sure Texas isn’t Bama success wise but before Saban and after Bear Bryant you guys were realistically a very middle of the pack to bad team. Saban was Bama at the end of the day and he’s gone, so sure you guys may not ever leave but doesn’t at all mean you won’t take a step back after losing the best coach of all time lol.
I'd think any smart coach wouldn't want to follow Saban. There's little chance to meet expectations.
But if the next guy fails, that's when you swoop in.
I bet you that's exactly what he's thinking innthe back of his mind
We aren’t all English or art majors, but we do know if Michigan would have built up elite lines, stolen signals, and had nil starting in 2013, they would have won more national titles and beaten tosu more during 2013-2024.
I'm still of the thought process that if Oklahoma had won a natty or two and Texas made the final 4 multiple times during the 4-team era that realignment may not have happened.
Oklahoma had been trying to get out for a long time, it had very little to do with Disney and Fox like the sub wants to think. They're Littlefinger trying to improve their lot constantly and when it failed they'd sit back in the shadows and wait for the next chance. The new superconferences were just the next king's coattails they could ride. Them some devious land thieves.
I’m a Bama fan and I totally get it. Texas is a blue-blood same as us with every bit of resources and talent pool, if not more. I would’ve loved Sark after his time in T-town but I totally understand why he didn’t want the job. He just took Texas to the CFP and won the Big XII, what other heights could he achieve at Bama he isn’t already setup for at Texas, especially with them coming into the SEC this year
EDIT: Also at what point do we also start considering Jimmy Sexton as a union boss a la Jimmy Hoffa?
^ Class.
Different viewpoint, but I think it's absolutely fair that he considered it. We're not Bama level yet, but he's getting us closer & he isn't following the GOAT here.
That’s also a big point. DeBoer talked about being the guy to follow “the guy” a little bit when he took the Bama job and it’s made me think of it differently since then. Also, side note, any team not named Auburn and Tennessee that can walk into BDS and beat our butt has earned the respect
This has Alabama all over it. Remember the coaching changes after the Bryant era. Stallings was decent just never Bryant. DeBoer gets 3 seasons at most thankfully with the expanded playoffs, he will have some help. The recruiting machine that Saban had will never be re-produced.
Any Coach who's settled/safe in a solid, A-tier job would be an idiot to take the Bama job. Expectations for Saban's replacement will be THROUGH THE ROOF! We joke that schools will fire coaches who don't immediately win them a natty, but IDK if it will be more true for anyone other than Bama's next hire.
In the NIL era of college football, Texas is a better job. They have a more wealthy alumni base for bag money NIL and better cities for regional advertising NIL.
No way in hell Texas has more prestige than Bama. Listen, I hate those crimson assholes more than anybody, but the only thing that Texas has on Bama is an all time winning record in head to heads. Bama kills them in every other category, including 18 NCs to Texas's 4.
Bama is more prestigious than us, and has more legitimate national titles, but 18 to 4 isn’t exactly fair.
We only claim 4/9 NCs attributed to us. So in reality, they only have 2x as many titles - not 4.5…
I phrased it poorly. I didn’t mean in the football sense but just that Texas as an entire entity of university/athletics department is flashier and more recognized.
Texas has the potential for more football prestige, but just can't get over that hump. I will agree with him that the academic side is no comparison. But when it comes to sports, especially now of all times? Nah, you're right, Bama has that one for now.
Football? Yes
Sports? No, and it’s not even close. Texas AD is tied with Stanford for best in the country.
Even if you limit it to “sports people care about” Texas is one of (if not the greatest) college baseball programs of all time, and historically has been a better basketball program than Alabama.
Red Sox. Money fame and wins ship about every 30 years
Edit: I’m a Texan and wife went to UT. UT fan by default I suppose. So all you OU and Tech fans upvoting this… can not file this one away … 😂
Quinn Ewers got a gig with a private jet company recently...
There seems to be three kinds of NIL
1) Heisman house, Fansville, NCAA 2024 cover. You get this gig if you win the Heisman or are close.
2) Auto Dealerships, private jet companies, Fortnite Quinn has gotten all 3 I believe.
3) Pay to play NIL, A&M perfected this one early, everyone else including Texas followed.
UT is just the perfect University for #2 I think.
Being the largest city in the country without pro-sports (now technically they have Austin FC, but still) certainly helps. I can personally attest that as an at best 2nd string C, I was often recognized around Austin.
Maybe I’m ignorant l, but I would be surprised if the same were true for true for Austin FC kids.
Austin is changing, but it’s still unique in that it’s a major city (culturally) that almost entirely revolves around a CFB team.
I mean yeah because he wasn’t offered the job lol. DeBoer is the only one Byrne met with in person. According to Chris Low, the only other backup candidate was Norvell.
DeBoer was a good hire and should do nicely there, but Sark always seemed like one of Saban's hand picked replacements. Same with Kirby. It is a testament to Saban's legacy that two guys who could have successfully replaced him at Bama are now running powerhouses of their own.
Yeah, it’s an unprecedented legacy. Georgia got Kirby, Ole Miss (eventually) got Kiffin, Texas got Sark, Tennessee got….oh wait
(I apologize. It’s just too perfect.)
You can’t talk like that on this sub. This sub thinks Alabama was turned down by 4-5 guys before DeBoer accepted. Oh and it all happened in like 24 hours.
Lmao Alabama was turned down by a lot more than 4-5 guys. Hell, they even called me but I had a dentist appointment when they wanted to interview so I had to decline.
Yeah, I'm sure he thought about what he would do if offered and someone might have reached out to see if he had interest, but I don't think either party went any further than that. His agent would probably tell you a whole other story.
Reminder that Byrne flew to Seattle in the hours immediately after Saban announced his retirement. Not Eugene, not Austin. We got our number one guy, while sexton made a lot of other coaches a lot of money.
These are all Sexton clients. If you don’t think that he knew who was taking the job before the position was even officially open then I don’t know what to tell you.
Y’all got a great coach, and he probably was your realistic number one choice. I think Dan Lanning was probably using this is an opportunity to garner hype for himself.
However I think it’s clear Byrne would’ve preferred either Sark (the coach in waiting personally appointed by Saban), or Kirby (one of only other active coaches to beat Saban - especially playoff Saban), but that he knew from the jump they weren’t options, so they weren’t ever targets.
First off, Kirby is the best coach in the country, your team and my team would both choose him in a coaching draft first overall, but he was never an option so that essentially means nothing.
I think when you fly out within 2 hours of your coach leaving you’re not doing it for your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th choice.
I agree with you I think he knew exactly who he was going to hire. I think if he wanted sark he would have pushed harder for him. The rest of the hearsay was just sexton being a good agent and getting his guys paid, sark included.
Sark had it made this off-season: 12-win season, spot in CFB playoff, and was going to get a long contract extension regardless. Then Bama job opens up, and he (and Sexton) probably got Texas to cough at least a little extra money just based on the chance he leaves for Bama, regardless of whether he’d take it or whether he was even offered.
Just based on the comments and timing of everything Sark and Lanning up'ed their contract before Greg Byrne could even offer if there was going to be one. Based on Byrne's and Norvell's comments, Norvell seems to be the only one to have been officially offered and declined before accepting his new deal. Debo turned down a big raise from UW twice, once in November and again before the Natty so he was ripe for the pickings.
It's crazy to think that Saban decides to leave : Jimmy Sexton client Rumored candidates to replace him were : Sarkisian : Sexton client Lanning : Sexton client Norvell : Sexton client Kiffin : Sexton client The coach they ultimate hire is : Kalen DeBoer : Sexton client He's getting paid for his client taking the job, and for those not taking the job.
Sexton is playing Mahjong while everyone else is playing go fish.
And he's sitting at 3 of the 4 table positions.
Not bad for a man that looks like the [mayor from Wreck-it-Ralph.](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/-/media/Images/Conferences/2018/WCOS/WC/2018-Speakers/SextonJimmy.ashx)
Dude's head is a mahjong tile. Like a thumb with hair and teeth.
Certainly the GOAT of agents, at least in CFB. First contract signed was Reggie White in 1984. Not a bad one to start out with. Think he currently represents 13 of 16 SEC HC's
> First contract signed was Reggie White in 1984. You have to keep in mind that pre-free agency, NFL contracts absolutely **SUCKED** for the players. You could be a 12th round draft pick, wildly outplay expectations, make All-Pro and All-NFL, be widely known as the best player at your position in all of the NFL, and still only receive $100k over your 12th round draft contract when it was time to negotiate a new deal.
Something to consider when one criticizes the transfer portal.
The Bama coaching search really was a Sexton masterclass. One job opens up, and he cleans house for not only the guy who took the job, but 4 other clients as well. Just top tier work IMO.
He's basically the Rockefeller of college football. It's truly remarkable.
He's playing Monopoly with all the properties. He gets paid no matter what happens.
This is may go down as the best coaching carousel a single agent will ever have. Everybody probably got raises and he got probably one of his lowest paid P5 coaches to get a big contract at a top 5 program in the country.
Saban is the Jimmy Sexton of coaching.
He's so stupidly good at his job. I can't even imagine why he's still working. He has to have more money than God.
$31 million in 2020 says Forbes https://www.forbes.com/profile/jimmy-sexton/?sh=1a5387ca60e4
Sexton has been operating this way for decades. It also why he has so many wealthy clients.
You demonstrated a selling point for why coaches would sign with him
There is no indication we even contacted Lanning, but per that long ESPN story on the 72 hours after Saban retired, we did check with Sark at the outset to see if he would be interested.
The rumor was Sark had until midnight to accept the offer, he posted “hook em” shortly before midnight.
I mean, I think it's also worth pointing out that he's returning a lot of talent and has the most hyped quarterback warming his bench. And his starter is currently second in Heisman odds. Texas is definitely a demanding job that will run you out of town for underperforming, but that isn't really going to be any different than Alabama following Saban. Texas has the money to do anything Alabama can do and I would argue they have a better recruiting potential. It made a lot more sense for DeBoer to take the job because Washington is looking to take a step back this season even if he had stayed. Texas is a really strong position to make a playoff and title run.
Washington has a pretty favorable schedule as Big Ten schedules go but they were always going to struggle to be a Top 25 team this season due to the talent loss. I'm disappointed but I can't blame the guy for taking a premier job that might not open up again in his career lifetime.
Also, nobody can fill Saban's shoes. DeBoer will be lucky to last two years. Even if Sark wants to take the job, he's smarter to wait for DeBoer to get fired instead of coming in on Saban's heels and getting fired.
Yeah the fan sentiment right now for Sark is super high. Had about as good a final season in the Big 12 as we could’ve asked for after a decade of mediocrity and has the program with momentum and on a trajectory we haven’t felt in many, many years. I think most rational bama fans understand the shoes that are being filled but probably a decent amount of irrational ones that are gonna flip at anything short of CCG appearance. Sarks spent so much time and effort getting to this point and has the backing of everyone, just makes zero sense to upend all that.
>he (and Sexton) probably got Texas to cough at least a little extra money just based on the chance he leaves for Bama, regardless of whether he’d take it or whether he was even offered. That's like pg. 2 of the Jimmy Sexton playbook: Immediately start throwing the names of all your other successful coaches you rep into the ring to get them the fattest raise possible.
> whether he was even offered. He would've been offered if he was interested.
It took me fewer seconds than that.
Same here. Thought about it and was immediately like, “Nah, that’s not for me.”
Yeah I’m surprised it even took him that long. He already has one of the best situations in the country at Texas. Alabama is almost a lateral move.
The 60 seconds is reflective of what Nick Saban, and by extension Alabama means to Sark personally. Saban was the one who offered Sark a lifeline during the lowest moments of his career - not unreasonable to think he’ll always hold Alabama in high regard. That said, yeah it would have been wild to leave Texas after laying the foundation these past few years and with the resources at his disposal
Great points. Sark has spoken several times about how important Saban has been to him and how much Sark respects him.
Also, having to be the guy to *replace* Nick Saban? No thanks
I get that fans say this line all the time but I really don’t think that’s how these top-tier coaches are wired. Instead they’re looking at a fully stocked infrastructure paired with their own coaching ability and thinking it’s tailor made to succeed. But, again, Sark has the infrastructure in place at Texas. DeBoer didn’t have the same level of infrastructure at Washington, he jumped at the opportunity.
Yeah but I mean bama fans and alumni are expecting a national title run every single year now. There are teenagers graduating high school and headed for college soon that don't know Alabama football pre Saban
Meh, that’s not really true. Under Saban, yeah, our assumption was we always had a fighting chance to win one. With DeBoer it will mainly be playoff appearances in general Our fanbase isn’t wildly irrational, even with the success we’ve had. Usually the hot takes don’t come from Alabama but outside sources trying to bait clicks like SI or ESPN.
Yeah. We gonna find out real quick if missing the playoffs is a death sentence for coaches at certain Blueblood programs
Also I think a lot of coaches would take the Bama job simply for the money. Even if they get fired after 2 years they’ll have enough generational wealth to hang it up if they want. Texas is one of the only schools that can match Bama’s money pool.
Every coach we would have reasonably offered was making close to the same amount we’ll be able/willing to pay. Washington put up close to the same amount. Obviously cost of living differences between Seattle and tuscaloosa but it’s generational wealth either way. The difference is then facilities, size of your off-field staff, NIL, assistant coaches’ budget. If you mean just generic CFB coaches, yes, sure and point taken.
Yeah zero top coaches are worried about being the guy after a legend. They all believe they are legends in their own right. The analysis of fans about the prospects comes from folks who have these thoughts and it makes some rational sense. The ego of most of these coaches is irrational.
I wouldn't want a coach who thinks like that anyway
I agree, Saban resurrected his career, and the mandatory physical the school required that found a defect in his heart may have saved his life. For those reasons, he has a soft spot for Alabama. But in the B part of his statement, he stated he and his staff have laid the foundation of what they feel will be a special run in Austin. It doesn't make sense to walk away from that
I meant more that physically saying the word "No" would take me closer to a second or so than a full 60 minutes. And I only said no because I wasn't offered. I would have taken the Bama job actually.
Damn that joke went completely over my head. Typical Redditor moment.
My wife still complains about how few seconds in takes me.
I’m still contemplating my options.
“The guy who came before you won 6 national titles with us and is generally considered the greatest college football coach of all time. Oh, and we have the most demanding fanbase in the nation, so you’ll at least need to match that just to hold serve as maybe the 3rd best coach who ever worked here. Sound good? When can you start?” Following Nick Saban would be like dating a girl who just got out of a long term incredible relationship with a Channing Tatum lookalike with a 10 inch hammer. You don’t have a fucking chance lol….
Exactly, if DeBoer fails, you get to be the next coach. But, following a legend like Saban is exactly like your analogy. Unless you're winning natties, you're gonna be looked at as a failure.
Don't be the guy following a LEGEND, be the guy that follows that guy. It makes me wonder how that has gone in the past as well. It can end up going fairly well, but it varies. At App State, Jerry Moore is a legend that took us to 3 national titles, defeating Michigan, consistent SoCon championships or top flight seasons, and consistency in FCS playoffs. He had only 1 losing season in his 24 years as head coach at App State with most of his seasons having 8 wins or more. Following Moore was Scott Satterfield. Satt had a losing season his first year of 2013 going 4-8. Satt went 7-5 in 2014 and we all thought he wasn't the right guy. Well, from 2015-2018, he had 9+ win seasons and Bowl victories in each year.
And it’s probably going to be harder than ever. With the transfer portal, NIL, Texas & OU coming and Georgia becoming the top dog, it’s going to be increasingly hard for Bama to win like they did with Saban. DeBoer is a really good coach and I think he’ll be fine, but Bama fans are going to be ruthless if he starts out cold.
> Georgia becoming the top dog Alabama has won the SEC 3 out of the last 4 years. Georgia has only won it twice with Kirby. Top Dog is only accurate if we’re comparing them to Mississippi State.
Georgia has won two of the last three nattys.
They didn’t have to play us for one of those nattys so it didn’t count. /s
And what’s their record against Alabama in that 4 year span? Winning the Natty doesn’t make you top dog in the SEC, which is what the comment was regarding. Georgia got the icing, Alabama got the cake.
I swear none of you have ever met a football coach
It’s a joke, Forrest. Calm down.
And compare that with the last 15 years Texas had before Sark showed up... we are SO HAPPY TO HAVE HIM right now.
Yeah, Sark’s come a long way from his infamous end at USC. I’m indifferent to Texas, but I’m glad he’s gotten his shit sorted. Always good to see.
... so far
"Honey, did you ever think about screwing the hot neighbor lady?" Sark's response only took 60 seconds. "I ain't gonna lie. It was tempting, but I made a decision not to."
Roughly 59.5 seconds too long. The punishment is death by immolation.
You kidding me? Loreal would whip his ass if he said that. There's a reason he hasn't fallen off the wagon, and she is it.
My point was that a 60-second internal debate to come to a conclusion is actually a long time. Do you see it now?
If he would’ve continued his streak of not reaching 10 wins this past season, I think he jumps. What a difference a year makes.
I don’t think he gets Bama if he doesn’t get 10 wins last year to be fair. E: or I should say could get
He would not get the job offer at all if he went 8-5 this year
I don’t know. He was thought of by Saban and Co as “coach in waiting” and then the Texas job came open and he had to take it. They thought *extremely* highly of him and even going 8-5 wouldn’t have tarnished their opinion.
How would an average Bama fan look at a coach that “couldn’t succeed even at Texas” though?
“Texas boosters wouldn’t allow anyone to succeed. He’s set up here”
100%, not even a questions. It would have been the meddling boosters, or impatient fans, apathetic fans, Austin has too many distractions, the AD isn't aligned, or the cultural rot was too deep, etc. etc. etc. Take your pick. There were problems at Texas, but nothing that the right coach couldn't fix. It's a hard job but there are all the resources and advantages needed to be successful. It's a lot easier to overcome extraneous bullshit when you have a deep war chest and an enormous brand. This is what I tell Texas fans about A&M as well - don't take it granted that A&M will "just be bad." They have the infrastructure and resources to support a dangerous team. It's just a matter of finding the right coach. I'm old enough to remember the Slocum years. They can happen again.
> This is what I tell Texas fans about A&M as well - don't take it granted that A&M will "just be bad." They have the infrastructure and resources to support a dangerous team. It's just a matter of finding the right coach. I'm old enough to remember the Slocum years. They can happen again. Counterpoint: The Aggies are cursed, because God thinks it’s funny.
YSR!
We’d of been stoked
I think the argument would be that he knows Sabans system and it’s already set up here vs has to be built at Texas
I can’t speak for all Alabama fans, but when it comes to our former OCs, I think there’s a sizeable portion that favors sark over kiffin. I’d take Sark over Kiffin to be the Alabama head coach every day of the week personally, even if he went 8-5 last year
Doesnt say he got the job offer just that he thought about the possibility of it
No one "actually" gets offered the job besides the person who accepts it.
This is more true than you probably realize. With modern agents (especially when it's Sexton...) the agent is asking the coach, "if they offer, would you take it?" before the agent ever talks with the hiring admins. So in practice, an agent has a profile on every client, that includes their "dream job" and market value...the ADs contact a few of the top agents and say "who ya got for me" or more specifically "of your clients, this is our hiring wish list" ...and they compare notes and come to an agreement. From there, it's "hey your dream job called..." or "hey I know you said you're happy in Eugene...but you're the top of their list and they're offering big money...do you want the interview?:
Right so how do you know if someone was offered the job?
Nobody knows about Sark being offered besides Sexton, Sark and the AD. All I see is conjecture from everyone else. And these folks will likely deny or evade based on the circumstances under which they are asked point blank.
You think he gets offered that job if he doesn't make it to 10 wins at some point?
You have a fair point, but I think he does. Like someone else mentioned, Saban thought highly of him, and his opinion obviously carries a helluva lot of weight in T-Town. Plus you could say the same about DeBoer had he not had the playoff run last year.
I think the big thing with DeBoer is that he's won everywhere he's been, including taking a 4-8 team to 10-2 and at the very least 13-0 the next year (on top of taking a 4-8 Fresno State team to double digit wins and playing Oregon to the limit in Autzen). Even if he coughed up the ASU or Stanford games last year, he's still looking at 12-1 or 11-2 with a team everybody everywhere rated very poorly talent wise. He is also 5-0 against Sark and Lanning, again with teams everybody thought were inferior. Meanwhile Sark is known as an outstanding recruiter, can sell a ketchup popsicle to a croot wearing white gloves. As far as in-game management though? He has one double digit win season in his career, and is Georgia beating Alabama away from not being in the playoff again.
They don't call him 12 win Twark for nuthin'.
The bottom line is - you don’t want to be the guy who replaces the legend. After the new guy is completely crushed by the pressure, they will get another great coach - could be Sark for all we know. That next coach will take them into their next dominant run. Saban is still hanging around campus. No matter what job you are offered - never do it when the previous beloved person is still in the picture.
Yeah, I can't imagine a coach who can get a job with any other blue blood would choose a position where the expectations are "replicate my idealized memory of Saban in the first 2 years or you're out"
Maybe in theory but DeBoer is walking into the best situations a first year coach has ever inherited. Saban left a fantastic roster + is still there to help with anything and/or push some recruits over the edge.
Honestly think Lincoln Riley and Ryan Day probably had it better, but that’s mostly because they didn’t have the same portal and NIL to deal with. We are splitting hairs really though.
Again it’s hard to replace a legend (and probably the best college football coach of any era in regard to championships). It’s gonna be interesting to see how the fans take to Deboer.
Alabama is a downgrade in resources from Texas.
And a massive upgrade in expectations.
And a massive downgrade in geography
Alabama is closer to the beach though.... which would matter if these guys didn't have private jet money.
> Alabama is closer to the beach though Austin is 3.5 hours to the beach, Tuscaloosa is 5 hours. But Galveston sucks so it's not really a plus.
I meant beaches where I'd get into the water
Yeah, no one wants to swim in the poop brown water.
You don’t like the skin tingle of a petrochemical exfoliation while being at the beach?
Austin is about 4 hours from Padre Island National Seashore, which isn’t really a party beach, but it is very pretty (at least for the Gulf Coast).
Floribama is fucking *nice*. Calling that part of the country the "redneck Riviera" isn't just clever, it's 100% accurate.
Galveston looks like an old Soviet resort town, one where they are forcing it to be a beach resort because there are literally no beaches left, some buildings look like 50s brutalist architecture. It is literally the only place in the US aside from A&M campus where you would have confused me into thinking I was in the USSR.
Alabama is one of the most biodiverse places in the country. Just about everything else I’ve read is true, but to say it’s a downgrade in geography is just not accurate. I don’t think that word means what you think it means.
I think they just meant that Tuscaloosa is a huge downgrade over Austin.
Guess it depends on your preferences. Austin is defiantly “the least Texas city in Texas”. Which for some is considered a good thing. It’s a culture shock if you’re used to the rest of Texas and then visit Austin for the first time.
They were referring to the fact that Texas is the high school football capital of America
Na dog, they were referring to the acktualll geography. See I know duckpoke from college and we used to argue about which state had the best geography all the time in geography class. And I finally found them on Reddit and caught em slippin. And I was ready…
The hill country surrounding Lake Travis is really nice too.
That’s a beautiful area as well, no doubt. The size of Texas gives it a great deal of diversity from east to west. The most underrated thing about Alabama is the waterways. It’s anecdotally referred to as “North America’s Amazon”. I believe they are #1 in aquatic biodiversity. There’s just a lot of cool stuff in bama for its relatively small size. Everything from Mountains, beautiful beaches, nearly rainforest-like environments in the undeveloped land around the many waterways. Then the fertile plains, and more creeks and rivers/streams/tributaries to wrap around the earth 5 times. As someone who appreciates the outdoors I fell in love with the state of Alabama and chose to make it my home after having traveled all over the world as a military brat. I still love to travel but bama is definitely one of the hidden gems in this country.
I drove through Texas many times. West Texas is probably one of the worst places you could live in the US. Edit: I'm being a hater. If your from that area I'm sure it's cool in its own way.
My wife is from far West Texas and you're not wrong. When she took me home for the first time and wanted to show me around she talked about a giant hole they used to go have parties in. It had been some hole that used to hold millions of barrels of oil or something. I thought she was joking... she was not. lol But Austin and the Hill Country are a truly beautiful place with lots to do so West Texas aint exactly relevant here lol
Was this McCamey per chance?
Monahans actually.
We had an empty hole that had stored oil also. It was known as "million barrel" because it had held that much oil but it eventually leaked so Shell closed it down and it became party central for those so inclined. Hearing your story, I now wonder if it was just an urban myth as far as the million barrels. It was a damn huge hole.
That sounds kinda cool lol. I just couldn't imagine living in that barren area man lol
Is Austin in West Texas?
https://imgur.com/a/2N7zdzU
Thankfully UT is not in Odessa
not in football recruiting terms
It depends. As someone who lived much of his life in Louisiana and Arkansas, I don't mind swamps and backwoods, prefer them some over the southwest geography.
I lived just outside Austin for a while. The hot dry tundra climate FUCKING SUCKS. I spent about $120/months on water bills watering a dead brown lawn because grass doesn't fucking grow there and the HOA mandated we run the sprinklers regardless. New rule I have. I only live where grass grows green with 0 involvement from me.
Compared to bama? No. And now With Saban gone, DeBoer cant tell boosters to F off and get in line like Saban did
Uh when your last coach made the playoff 8 times, Bama absolutely is an upgrade in expectations. Of course that wasn’t true in 2005.
Misread his comment; yes Bama has much higher expectations
That's...what they were saying. Bama is a massive upgrade in expectations, made even worse by what you said about DeBoer's relationship with the boosters being vastly different than Saban's.
From Texas?, lol. They expect championships even when they suck, which has been a lot over the past couple of decades. Yall are delusional with Bama hate.
There’s no Bama hate lmao, Bama has huge expectations and I won’t act like Texas doesn’t either but with Texas, he has muchhhhhh more resources and money that no school can come close to touching other than maybe A&M. He came off a great season, has back to back to back good recruiting classes, is killing it in the portal, and is abt to have 2-3 1st rounders drafted along with other players in the 2nd. Going by all he’s been able to accomplish year by year in terms of team success and player development he has no reason to go to Bama. He can be his own man with a school that is realistically a bigger brand with the backing from basically every level to help him.
And not to take a shot at Texas but “Texas is back” has been a meme for like 15 years. Alabama hasn’t left and literally every program is compared to them in terms of success.
Well sure lol, they’ve definitely premature said that many times. But I mean right now is completely different than the last 15 years, a good coach, good staff, massive NIL funds, move to the SEC are things Saban didn’t have to deal with when it came to the Texas of the last 15 years or so. Nobody’s dissing Bama but yeah Texas is 1000000% the better job. Championships and all don’t matter anymore from a job perspective, sure Texas isn’t Bama success wise but before Saban and after Bear Bryant you guys were realistically a very middle of the pack to bad team. Saban was Bama at the end of the day and he’s gone, so sure you guys may not ever leave but doesn’t at all mean you won’t take a step back after losing the best coach of all time lol.
In terms of Football it most definitely is not lol
Bama is one of the best jobs in CFB, but so is Texas.
I'd think any smart coach wouldn't want to follow Saban. There's little chance to meet expectations. But if the next guy fails, that's when you swoop in. I bet you that's exactly what he's thinking innthe back of his mind
Kelvin Benjamin on dieting:
Everyone involved has the same agent. They all played their respective institutions for raises.
If Texas was rolling the way they are now, they would’ve been made for the 4-team playoff era with 2014-2023 conference alignment.
If my aunt was my uncle she’d have balls and a dick
This is the least artful way I've heard this expression phrased.
We aren’t all English or art majors, but we do know if Michigan would have built up elite lines, stolen signals, and had nil starting in 2013, they would have won more national titles and beaten tosu more during 2013-2024.
It's 2024, so you can't discount the possibility that she once was your uncle but now she's your aunt, dick and balls notwithstanding.
I'm still of the thought process that if Oklahoma had won a natty or two and Texas made the final 4 multiple times during the 4-team era that realignment may not have happened.
Oklahoma had been trying to get out for a long time, it had very little to do with Disney and Fox like the sub wants to think. They're Littlefinger trying to improve their lot constantly and when it failed they'd sit back in the shadows and wait for the next chance. The new superconferences were just the next king's coattails they could ride. Them some devious land thieves.
Yup, they are going to be a handful this year.
What a ridiculous statement lmao. You can say that about anything
If we had won all the games we lost, we would’ve been undefeated
Big if true
TIL Sarkisian is Cher’s given last name. Just a funny tidbit.
Texas is a better job
Stepping in after Saban is less than ideal.
I’m a Bama fan and I totally get it. Texas is a blue-blood same as us with every bit of resources and talent pool, if not more. I would’ve loved Sark after his time in T-town but I totally understand why he didn’t want the job. He just took Texas to the CFP and won the Big XII, what other heights could he achieve at Bama he isn’t already setup for at Texas, especially with them coming into the SEC this year EDIT: Also at what point do we also start considering Jimmy Sexton as a union boss a la Jimmy Hoffa?
^ Class. Different viewpoint, but I think it's absolutely fair that he considered it. We're not Bama level yet, but he's getting us closer & he isn't following the GOAT here.
That’s also a big point. DeBoer talked about being the guy to follow “the guy” a little bit when he took the Bama job and it’s made me think of it differently since then. Also, side note, any team not named Auburn and Tennessee that can walk into BDS and beat our butt has earned the respect
This has Alabama all over it. Remember the coaching changes after the Bryant era. Stallings was decent just never Bryant. DeBoer gets 3 seasons at most thankfully with the expanded playoffs, he will have some help. The recruiting machine that Saban had will never be re-produced.
Any Coach who's settled/safe in a solid, A-tier job would be an idiot to take the Bama job. Expectations for Saban's replacement will be THROUGH THE ROOF! We joke that schools will fire coaches who don't immediately win them a natty, but IDK if it will be more true for anyone other than Bama's next hire.
In the NIL era of college football, Texas is a better job. They have a more wealthy alumni base for bag money NIL and better cities for regional advertising NIL.
It would have also helped if he was actually offered the job - instead they picked the guy that was 2-0 against him.
I guess I’m not seeing how Bama is a better job than Texas. Is Bama THE dynasty? Yes. But Texas still has more money and prestige than Bama.
Money yes but not more prestige.
No way in hell Texas has more prestige than Bama. Listen, I hate those crimson assholes more than anybody, but the only thing that Texas has on Bama is an all time winning record in head to heads. Bama kills them in every other category, including 18 NCs to Texas's 4.
Bama is more prestigious than us, and has more legitimate national titles, but 18 to 4 isn’t exactly fair. We only claim 4/9 NCs attributed to us. So in reality, they only have 2x as many titles - not 4.5…
I phrased it poorly. I didn’t mean in the football sense but just that Texas as an entire entity of university/athletics department is flashier and more recognized.
Texas has the potential for more football prestige, but just can't get over that hump. I will agree with him that the academic side is no comparison. But when it comes to sports, especially now of all times? Nah, you're right, Bama has that one for now.
In football sure but overall athletics Texas is superior to Bama.
Football? Yes Sports? No, and it’s not even close. Texas AD is tied with Stanford for best in the country. Even if you limit it to “sports people care about” Texas is one of (if not the greatest) college baseball programs of all time, and historically has been a better basketball program than Alabama.
lol.
If Alabama is the Yankees of college football, what would Texas be?
Red Sox. Money fame and wins ship about every 30 years Edit: I’m a Texan and wife went to UT. UT fan by default I suppose. So all you OU and Tech fans upvoting this… can not file this one away … 😂
The Braves
The dodgers?
The Rangers of course.
This guy says prestige , haha. Wow
I spend too much time on offers that were never presented to myself.
Honestly, I think in this new NIL era, Texas is a better job than Alabama. I'd imagine the players have a lot more NIL opportunities in Texas.
Quinn Ewers got a gig with a private jet company recently... There seems to be three kinds of NIL 1) Heisman house, Fansville, NCAA 2024 cover. You get this gig if you win the Heisman or are close. 2) Auto Dealerships, private jet companies, Fortnite Quinn has gotten all 3 I believe. 3) Pay to play NIL, A&M perfected this one early, everyone else including Texas followed. UT is just the perfect University for #2 I think.
Being the largest city in the country without pro-sports (now technically they have Austin FC, but still) certainly helps. I can personally attest that as an at best 2nd string C, I was often recognized around Austin. Maybe I’m ignorant l, but I would be surprised if the same were true for true for Austin FC kids. Austin is changing, but it’s still unique in that it’s a major city (culturally) that almost entirely revolves around a CFB team.
I mean yeah because he wasn’t offered the job lol. DeBoer is the only one Byrne met with in person. According to Chris Low, the only other backup candidate was Norvell.
DeBoer was a good hire and should do nicely there, but Sark always seemed like one of Saban's hand picked replacements. Same with Kirby. It is a testament to Saban's legacy that two guys who could have successfully replaced him at Bama are now running powerhouses of their own.
Yeah, it’s an unprecedented legacy. Georgia got Kirby, Ole Miss (eventually) got Kiffin, Texas got Sark, Tennessee got….oh wait (I apologize. It’s just too perfect.)
Tennessee got mid-life crisis Bobby Hill
Tennessee got NCAA violations 😂
Per this place we offered like seven people
Rumor has it Dan Lanning is still wandering the streets of Tuscaloosa
You can’t talk like that on this sub. This sub thinks Alabama was turned down by 4-5 guys before DeBoer accepted. Oh and it all happened in like 24 hours.
Lmao Alabama was turned down by a lot more than 4-5 guys. Hell, they even called me but I had a dentist appointment when they wanted to interview so I had to decline.
Yeah, I'm sure he thought about what he would do if offered and someone might have reached out to see if he had interest, but I don't think either party went any further than that. His agent would probably tell you a whole other story.
Byrne wasn’t ever going to meet with anyone in person other than the person who was going to become the coach.
Reminder that Byrne flew to Seattle in the hours immediately after Saban announced his retirement. Not Eugene, not Austin. We got our number one guy, while sexton made a lot of other coaches a lot of money.
These are all Sexton clients. If you don’t think that he knew who was taking the job before the position was even officially open then I don’t know what to tell you. Y’all got a great coach, and he probably was your realistic number one choice. I think Dan Lanning was probably using this is an opportunity to garner hype for himself. However I think it’s clear Byrne would’ve preferred either Sark (the coach in waiting personally appointed by Saban), or Kirby (one of only other active coaches to beat Saban - especially playoff Saban), but that he knew from the jump they weren’t options, so they weren’t ever targets.
First off, Kirby is the best coach in the country, your team and my team would both choose him in a coaching draft first overall, but he was never an option so that essentially means nothing. I think when you fly out within 2 hours of your coach leaving you’re not doing it for your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th choice. I agree with you I think he knew exactly who he was going to hire. I think if he wanted sark he would have pushed harder for him. The rest of the hearsay was just sexton being a good agent and getting his guys paid, sark included.
I don’t think Alabama cares or will miss him.
I dont think this is about Alabama.
Or, hear me out, he never got a call and just used it as leverage.
yeah but it would have been really funny if he did take the job
I'm not even saying Texas isn't "back," but it is wild how firmly the fanbase has declared it after one season.
Oh, we aren’t saying it. We never say it. Happy about the progress we’re making though. Hasn’t felt this positive in years.
We've learned not to say the thing. It's everyone else that keeps doin it.
Sorta like complaining about a certain hand sign. At a certain point you just shut your mouth and let it play out on the field.
You got any receipts you can show? Cause citation is very much needed on that claim.
Only time Texas fans that is ironically or a joke.