Bishop Media Sports Network
Farewell
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Legendary Camden County Wildcats Coach Jeff Herron recently announced his retirement.
Throughout the early 2000’s the Camden County Wildcats Football Program was a juggernaut under Jeff Herron. During his first tenure with the Wildcats, he won 12 straight region titles and 3 state championships.
Herron left the Camden County Wildcat football program after the 2012 season to pursue other coaching opportunities.
In 2021, it was announced that Camden was going to welcome Jeff Herron back home and offered him a second stint as Wildcats’ Head Coach, which Herron accepted.
In Herron’s second year he took the Wildcats to the second round of the GHSA playoffs, a feat that had not been accomplished since 2015.
This past season, Herron led the Wildcats to the Final Four of the GHSA playoffs, eventually losing to powerhouse Walton. The Wildcats were the only team from their region to advance that far in the playoffs.
The legendary coach retires with a career record of 335-69.
Before the second go around with Camden, Herron’s last head coaching job was at T.L. Hanna High School in South Carolina and in 2 years there he amassed a 25-2 record. A year before that he won his 5th state championship with Grayson in Atlanta going 14-1.
Herron was the Head Coach at Oconee High School from 1997 to 1999 and won his first state title there. He went 33-6 at Oconee. When Herron took over the Oconee program the school had won a total of 8 games in 4 years.
During Herron’s first stay in Kingsland, he had a record 154-18. At one point the Wildcats won 58 straight regular season games under Herron, which is a Georgia record.
Herron had the Wildcats ranked inside the top 25 nationally six different seasons and the Camden program was named the program of the decade in the state of Georgia in the 2000’s.
The Wildcat program is looking to become a consistent state power once again and have returned to their roots to do so.
When the Camden administration hired Jeff Herron they asked him to get the football program moving in the right direction again. As always, Jeff Herron over-delivered. He amassed a 23-15 record in his second stint as Wildcats coach.
In his illustrious coaching career Herron only suffered one losing season ever, that was 2021, his first season back as head coach. The Wildcats still made the playoffs that season, finishing 4-7.
Herron leaves the program in far better shape than he found it.
Navigating Rough Waters
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The undeniable sting of defeat engulfed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after their 31-23 loss to the Detroit Lions in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
It hung thick in the visitor’s locker room at Ford Field, where players dressed mostly in silence and exchanged hugs with one another and with coaches and other staffers on their way to the buses that would transport them to the airport for a long flight back south.
Moral victories garner nothing in the NFL, so the team members who spoke to the media didn’t hide their disappointment. They had failed in their quest for a Super Bowl victory, a goal they set for themselves back in the dog days of summer.
It was a goal they maintained all year, even amid a bleak 1-6 stretch at midseason, before a hot streak positioned them to finish 9-8 and the NFC South crown. Then they beat the Philadelphia Eagles 32-9 in the Wild Card round.
Real talk: The Buccaneers had no business playing in the divisional round of the playoffs. Not on paper, and definitely not based on how they looked on the field earlier this season.
Many concluded in the preseason that the Buccaneers caught in the awkward spot of rebuilding while trying to cling to a few pieces from their Super Bowl victory three years ago would be one of the worst teams in the league this year.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield might not have agreed with those preseason projections, but he understood them.
Once the former top-pick-turned-journeyman locked in on Bucs coach Todd Bowles’ vision, he shared the belief that he and his teammates were capable of far exceeding outside expectations.
So, the Buccaneers went to work, began building, overcame deficiencies and growing pains, steadily improved and transformed themselves into one of the NFL’s better teams.
Mayfield, signed to a one-year, $4 million contract in March, embraced the massive challenge of succeeding Tom Brady by turning in a career year (4,044 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 64.3 completion percentage). He served as the poster child for this team’s resolve.
This season, Bowles was the catalyst for Tampa Bay’s success. Bowles was much maligned because of a tenuous four seasons with the Jets and the Buccaneers’ 8-9 drop-off last year, Bowles was believed to be lame duck when Tampa Bay officials began preparing for this season.
Purging the roster of aging stars and their bloated salaries would force younger players into duty; often before they were ready. Bowles doubled down and believed growth and a competitive campaign were possible.
He made the tough call to overhaul his coaching staff, parting with some figures who played key roles in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl win. And he entrusted the offense to two discounted figures: Mayfield and offensive coordinator Dave Canales.
Bowles, meanwhile, intensified his efforts as a defensive mastermind. He started his workdays an hour earlier than his first season as head coach and two hours earlier than his days as the defensive coordinator. That meant he was reporting to Bucs headquarters at 3:30 a.m. every day in 2023.
He didn’t, however, change his leadership style, and his stoic and patient approach was exactly what the team needed as it persevered through challenging times.
But players say there are other levels to Bowles’ personality and the way he connects and motivates.
Tampa Bay has 20 pending free agents, including Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans and defensive stars Devin White, Lavonte David, Antoine Winfield. But Bowles, who delivered the best coaching job of his career, firmly believes his team can mount another Super Bowl chase next season.
Time will tell.
Mr. Right?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Falcons are still searching for a head coach to replace Arthur Smith.
It looks like Bill Belichick is the front runner for the position. He is the only candidate so far that has had two interviews with them.
I’m not sure if Atlanta has any other clear plans because they have had so many interviews with other candidates.
The Falcons have interviewed Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and he is scheduled for a second interview. I think this is the best available coach but he is the front-runner for the Chargers opening. That job is more attractive because they already have a franchise quarterback.
The Falcons have completed interviews with the following coaches: Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Ravens assistant head coach/defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, former Patriots coach Bill Belichick (first and second interviews), Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Bills interim offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Joe Brady, Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
On paper Belichick seems like a great fit for the job. He won six Super Bowls with New England and two more as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants. As we know, Tom Brady was his quarterback for the Patriots during that time.
After Brady left New England in 2020, New England had a losing record in 3 of those 4 seasons without him. This past season they were 4-13. They drafted quarterback Mac Jones in the first round of the 2021 draft and they have not been able to help him develop.
This should be looked at because Atlanta might draft a QB in the first round.
It has also been reported that Falcons owner Arthur Blank wants to hire Belichick but
“The Atlanta thing, there’s a lot of buzz going around right now about the Atlanta job, that the executives are there are trying — and I’ve heard this, I’m telling you from so many different people — basically Arthur Blank wants to hire Bill Belichick, and all the front office people in Atlanta don’t want to hire Belichick because it’s like any big company — sport franchises are like microcosms of all big companies,” Bill Simmons said on his podcast.
“You bring in Belichick — you think Belichick’s going to listen to like [John] McKay’s kid … or [general manager Terry] Fontenot. He’s going to be like, ‘I’m going to do my own thing.’ “
I think the best remaining candidates are Slowik and Ben Johnson.
Slowik, 36, is credited with getting rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud ready to play in the NFL this season. Stroud, who was taken with the second overall pick in the draft, helped lead the Texans to the AFC South title. After blowing out the Browns in the wild card round, the Texans lost 34-10 to the Ravens on Saturday.
Johnson, 37, was a walk-on quarterback at North Carolina. He’s been Detroit’s offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. The Lions were ranked third in total offense at 394.8 yards per game, second in passing (258.9) and fifth in rushing (135.9 per game) and fifth in points scored (27.1).
The Portal
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As the Bulldawg nation slides into 2024 there is so much to look forward to.
The past few years have firmly stationed Kirby Smart as one of the best college football coaches in the country. Probably THE BEST with the recent retirement of the GOAT, Nick Saban from Alabama.
And while Kirby prefers to build his Dawgs through the traditional means of recruitment of the best high school players throughout the country, he is also dealing with the here and now, and that means NIL and the Portal.
The Dawgs have used the Portal in the past to great success.
Players such as Derion Kendrick, Lawrence Cager, Tre McKitty, J.T. Daniels, Tykee Smith, Dominic Lovett, and Ra Ra Thomas all found their way to Athens through the Portal.
In 2024 the Bulldogs will welcome several pieces to the puzzle in Trevor Etienne the great RB from the lousy stinking Gators, Colbie Young a 6’5” WR from Miami, and Xzavier McLeod a highly recruited 325 lb defensive lineman from the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Add in London Humphreys, a speedy WR from Vanderbilt, who reminds me of our own great Ladd McConkey, and Jake Pope a former 4-star DB from Alabama and the Dawgs got just what they needed.
And while the portal giveth………. The portal also taketh away. If you put all the former Georgia players who have left the program in the Kirby era on one team, that team would compete for a national championship. Think I’m kidding? Check out this list.
QBs…………………… Justin Fields, JT Daniels, Brock Vandagriff
RBs……………………. Sevaughn Clark
WRs and TEs………. Demetris Robertson, Arik Gilbert, Dom Blaylock, AD Mitchell, Luke Ford, Matt Landers, Jermaine Burton, Justin Robinson. Brett Seither, Mekhi Mews
O-line………………….. Clay Webb, Cade Mays, Jacob Hood, Joshua Miller, Aliou Bah, Austin Blaske
D-line………………….. Bear Alexander, Marvin Jones Jr., Jonathan Jefferson, Brenton Cox, Jermaine Johnson, Bill Norton
LBs…………………….. Trezmen Marshall, C. J. Madden, Darris Smith, Xavian Sorey, Jamon Dumas-Johnson,
DBs…………………….. Latavious Brini, Jalen Kimber, Ameer Speed, Major Burns, Otis Reese, Jaheim Singletary, A.J. Harris, Nyland Green
Heck let’s just throw in a kicker also………… Jared Zirkel
And I won’t even get into the coaches! Fran Brown, Dan Lanning etc etc.
It’s amazing how much talent has gone in and out of Athens in the last few years.
While some will pine for the good old days when high school recruiting was the end all be all, the NIL and portal are here to stay. It will always be fluctuating as players seek greener pastures for numerous reasons whether it be money, playing time, coaching changes, grades, etc etc.
Georgia will win some and lose some just like the Caleb Downs sweepstakes. But through it all, Kirby and the Dawgs will continue their recent run of success.
Why will the Dawgs continue to win? Because they are being built to last. Look at that list above. It’s incredible the amount of talent that has left Athens.
But the kicker is that the Dawgs will bring in the #1 ranked recruiting class in the nation again this year. And with Nick cooling his jets at his new multimillion dollar pad in Florida, the one guy that could recruit with Kirby is now sipping a pina colada.
Its next man up in Athens and the next man might be better than the one he is replacing.
Yes, the Portal and NIL will continue to affect college football in ways we haven’t seen before. The combination of recruiting number one and the portal use as needed is what will keep the Dawgs on top………… You don’t believe me………just watch!
The Collapse
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I’ll be honest; this is not the time of year I expected to be doing a Jacksonville Jaguars “year in review” article. In previous years, sure. Perfect timing.
But after last year’s record-setting come-from-behind playoff win over the Chargers, followed by the closer-than-most-people-expected loss to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Chiefs, I honestly expected to be doing this in late January, maybe -if we dared to dream- mid-February. That’s the kind of expectations Jag Nation had coming into the 2023 season.
Those dreams were still within reach late in the season. After 11 games, the boys in teal were 8-3 overall and in first place in the AFC South with a 4-1 divisional record. Looking pretty strong.
That’s when the wheels came off.
Going into their first Monday Night Football game since 2011, the Jags were ready to fly high. Instead, the inevitable Duval crash occurred.
The Bengals, a week removed from losing superstar QB Joe Burrow for the season, beat Jacksonville 34-30 in overtime. Worse still was the ankle injury suffered by QB Trevor Lawrence that would arguably hinder his performance for the rest of the season.
This would be the first of four straight losses. Defeats at the hands of the Browns, Ravens, and Buccaneers not only had fans questioning their team’s playoff readiness but left the Jags on the brink of missing the playoffs.
The 27-0 thrashing of the hapless Panthers was satisfying, but the final week playoff-denying loss to the hated Tennessee Titans was a true gut punch to the Duval faithful. Almost but not quite as bad as 1999.
With the postseason suddenly no longer on the agenda, GM Trent Baalke wasted no time in firing Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell and his entire staff.
This was an understandable move, considering the defense allowed 28 or more points in four of the five stretch-run losses, wrapping up the season.
On top of the late-season collapse, the end-of-season stats didn’t do Caldwell any favors either. Defensively, the Jags came in 22nd in the league in Total Defense, 26th in yards allowed, 25th in scoring, and 17th in points allowed. Not playoff-worthy numbers, much less for a team that had Lombardi aspirations to start the year.
The defense, although aptly receiving most of the blame, are not by themselves. Trevor Lawrence made some big strides over last season, throwing for 4,000 yards and 21 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he also threw 14 interceptions – nine of which came in his last 5 games, and quite often while playing from behind.
His high ankle sprain and an additional shoulder injury down the stretch were more than likely contributors to that troubling stat.
Calvin Ridley in his first year back from a gambling suspension made his first season with the Jaguars a fairly productive one. He hauled in 8 TDs on 76 receptions and a little over 1,000 yards. Shy of what most were expecting, but nothing to sneeze at either.
TE Evan Engram, although limited to only 4 trips to the end zone, had a massive year with 114 catches and less than 40 yards from a 1,000 season.
Starting RB Travis Etienne was another bright spot, cracking the thousand-yard mark on the final week of the season, adding another 400+ in the passing game.
Offseason concerns include replacing the defensive coaching staff primarily and upgrading the offensive line to cut down on the ridiculous 35 sacks allowed this year.
And, of course, anything to make Trevor’s life (and ours) easier.
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch January 17
Help Wanted
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL regular season is over and we are going into the second round of the playoffs.
Several coaches have been fired or resigned to create coaching vacancies.
Let’s take a look around the league and see what franchises need a new coach and which is the best job.
Los Angeles Chargers: On paper this team should be able to at least advance to the second round of the playoffs. They have a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert but he does have injury issues. They also have Joey Bosa, Keenan Allen, Derwin James, Austin Ekeler, Khalil Mack and Mike Williams.
They did make it to the playoffs in 2022. They played Jacksonville in the Wild Card round and had a 27-0 lead before the Jaguars came back to win. That seemed to linger into this season and they were 5-9 before coach Brandon Staley was fired on December 15. I think this is the best landing spot for a coach that can make a quick turnaround.
Carolina: They fired first year head coach Frank Reich in November after a 1-10 start.
The Panthers have rookie quarterback Bryce Young. Young’s 5.5 yards per pass attempt in 2023 ranked as the fourth-worst in NFL history with a minimum of 500 pass attempts. He also ranked last in the NFL in passer rating (73.7).
Carolina finished the season with the league’s worst record, 2-15, and the league’s worst scoring offense with 13.9 points per game.
Carolina has had four head coaches in their first 23 seasons. Under owner David Tepper they have had 6 different head coaches in 6 seasons. This franchise is a dumpster fire. This is the worst opening so it will be an uphill battle for whoever takes this position.
Las Vegas: They fired Mike McDaniels on Halloween after starting 3-5. He was 9-16 in his two seasons in Vegas.
The Raiders went 5-4 under interim head coach Antonio Pierce and finished the season 8-9. They allowed 15.9 points per game from week 9-18, which was the fewest in the NFL.
They have some good players on both sides of the ball like All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby and running back Josh Jacobs. They need a quarterback though.
Tennessee: Mike Vrabel is gone after 6 seasons in Nashville and a 54-45 record. He had four winning seasons and three playoff appearances. They were 13-21 in the last two seasons.
They traded away star receiver AJ Brown to Philadelphia during the 2022 NFL Draft. I think the GM should be held more accountable for their questionable roster moves than the head coach.
I don’t think running back Derrick Henry will return for the 2024 season. They also have issues at quarterback. They did draft Will Levis in the second round of the 2023 draft and he was 3-6 in his 9 starts.
Atlanta: Arthur Smith was fired after three 7-10 seasons. The offense has tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson.
Smith was resistant to featuring them but they are very talented players. They also need a dependable quarterback.
The Falcons averaged 19.6 ppg, which was the ninth-worst scoring offense.
Washington: Ron Rivera was fired after going 4-13 in 2023. They have the No. 2 pick in the draft so they should get a franchise QB.
Seattle: Pete Carroll has moved to an advisor role after 14 years coaching the Seahawks. They were 9-8 this season and they have a solid team.
Putting Down The Spear
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NCAA Committee on Infractions has levied penalties against Florida State’s football program, an assistant coach, one of its’ collectives and a booster for NIL-related recruiting violations.
The NCAA said the assistant coach facilitated impermissible contact between a transfer prospect and a booster in the spring of 2022, driving the prospect to meet with a booster.
During the meeting, the booster encouraged the prospect to enroll at Florida State and offered him an NIL opportunity with the collective worth approximately $15,000 per month during his first year at the school.
The prospect did not enter into an agreement with the booster or receive any related compensation and returned to his school.
FSU offensive coordinator Alex Atkins and former Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims are the two involved.
Mims recently announced he was forgoing the rest of his college eligibility to enter the NFL Draft after the Bulldogs 63-3 win over the Seminoles in the Orange Bowl.
The FSU collective was identified as Rising Spear. Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell was not named in any findings nor was he penalized.
The school and enforcement staff agreed during the investigation the assistant coach also violated unethical conduct rules when he knowingly provided false or misleading information about these violations.
FSU was fined $5,000 plus one percent of its football budget and placed on two years probation with a reduction of five scholarships over the period.
The assistant was given a two-year show-cause order, including a suspension for the first three games of the 2024 season, a two-week restriction on communication and a restriction from off-campus recruiting during the fall 2023 season.
In addition to penalties related to reductions in official paid visits and in-person recruiting days, FSU must also disassociate itself from the booster for three years, and from the collective for one year.
It’s clear that the NCAA wanted to make a point here. Leaders had been saying for nearly a year that the NCAA’s enforcement staff was working on NIL/recruiting inducement cases, but as we all know, the process moves very slowly.
This negotiated resolution and the subsequent booster and collective disassociation penalties are meant to be a warning to collectives that they can’t operate as if NCAA rules don’t apply to them; they aren’t allowed to meet with prospective players, and they aren’t allowed to sign them to deals before they enroll.
This is the NCAA trying to rein in behavior that is obviously happening all over the country: meetings between players in the transfer portal and collectives of potential landing spots. We’ll see if this public example has a nationwide impact.
The most notable penalty here might be the two-year show-cause for Atkins, who was hit pretty hard with the resolution.
Coincidentally, the NCAA approved this week at its convention more penalties around show-causes, which force schools to make a case to the NCAA before hiring a penalized coach.
In the future, schools themselves could receive penalties, such as recruiting restrictions, for hiring a coach under a show-cause.
This is Exhibit A on how toothless and afraid the NCAA is of NIL!
Fixed Wreck?
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The past calendar year in mid-town Atlanta has been encouraging for Georgia Tech with Coach Brent Key having the interim tag removed and being named the full-time head coach.
He is capping off a 7-6 2024 season with a Gasparilla Bowl championship for the first bowl victory since 2016.
Even with so much positivity including their first winning season since 2018, everyone hopes it’s just the beginning of what is to come for the Ramblin’ Wreck.
Less than a month into the off-season, changes have already been made by Coach Brent Key on the defensive side of the ball, especially. Key announced earlier in the week the additions of former Duke & Miami assistant, Jess Simpson, and former Memphis defensive line coach Kyle Pope to the defensive staff. The Jackets plan to wrap up the additions to the defensive staff by month’s end.
Like everyone in the “new age” of College Football, Georgia Tech has made the most out of the transfer portal. Still 7 months away from the start of the 2024 season, Tech has added 23 new players with 10 of those being transfer portal additions.
Of the 13 high school players added to the White and Gold, the Wreck added one of the highest rated recruits in Tech history in wide receiver Isiah Canion out of Warner Robins.
In addition to the new blood, the Jackets have an impressive core returning, including quarterback Haynes King. King threw for over 2,800 yards and twenty-seven touchdowns while running for over 700 yards and ten more scores.
King transferred to Atlanta from Texas A&M and was a huge addition to the 2023 Jackets club setting the Georgia Tech single season record for touchdowns responsible for (37), which snapped the previous record of 35 set by Joe Hamilton in 1999.
Along with King, GT also will see how Jamal Haynes follows up the 128-yard performance in the Gasparilla Bowl and Gasparilla Bowl MVP in 2024.
The Jackets also return four of the five starting offensive line that helped GT average 204 yards per game on the ground and only allowed fifteen sacks on the 13-game season.
Jordan Williams, Weston Franklin, Ethan Mackenny and Joe Fusile all return to anchor the offensive front for offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner.
While the defensive staff is being re-tooled, Tech will retain their leading tackler from the 2023 campaign as Kyle Efford returns for the 2024 season to anchor the linebacking core.
Ahmari Harvey, Clayton Powell-Lee, and Rodney Shelley all played vital roles in the secondary for Brent Key and return along with veteran safety LaMiles Brooks.
The Jackets will retain the majority of the defensive front as well along with the boost in the return of Sylvain Yondjouen after missing most of the past year with a knee injury.
While the last year and some change since Brent Key took over on the Flats have been an incredible rejuvenation of the Jackets program, I still think the best days are ahead.
Between the emergence of young blood in the program (on and off the field) and the sheer passion that Brent Key exudes for college football and especially Georgia Tech football, the 2023 season was a year of gaining confidence.
Boy, did it grow with each passing game and may have been sparked by a last second touchdown at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami after the Hurricanes didn’t kneel the clock out; Tech forced a fumble and Haynes King drove the length of the field to give the Jackets an unimaginable comeback win.
While Miami Coach Mario Cristobal would like to forget that game, that’s a game that the White and Gold will never forget and showed many people that the Wreck was back on the tracks.
The GOAT
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
People throw around the title of ‘goat’ too often.
In the case of Nick Saban, he really is the greatest of all time for college football coaches. He has decided to retire after 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa.
Saban, 72, has won a total of 7 national championships. One at LSU and 6 with the Crimson Tide.
His reign spans from the BCS into the College Football Playoff era. The Tigers won the national championship in 2003. His Bama teams won in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020.
He has also won 11 SEC Championships. His overall record is 292-71-1.
“The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me,” Saban said in an Alabama statement. “We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it. We always tried to do it the right way. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.”
He’s been at Alabama so long that we don’t often talk about what he did prior to arriving there in 2007.
His first head coaching job was at Toledo in 1990. The Rockets were 6-5 in 1988 and 1989. Under Saban they went 9-2 and were co-champions of the Mid-American Conference. The two losses were by narrow margins: one point to Central Michigan and four points to Navy.
Saban resigned as Toledo’s coach after that season to become the defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns under head coach Bill Belichick. He held that position for four seasons. In 1994 the defense was the best in the NFL in points allowed.
He took over as the head coach at Michigan State prior to the 1995 season. The Spartans had not had a winning season since 1990.
Saban led MSU to bowl games in his first three seasons. His best season was 1999 when they finished 9-2; with wins over Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. He resigned before the Citrus Bowl to accept the head coaching position at LSU.
This is what I think is not emphasized enough. Prior to his arrival in Baton Rouge, the last national championship that the Tigers won was in 1958. He built them into a national power, which is why they are still relevant now. He led them to a BCS Championship Game win over #1 Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl in the 2003 season.
He coached the Miami Dolphins in 2005-06 and had a record of 15-17.
“Simply put, Nick Saban is one of the greatest coaches of all time, in any sport, and The University of Alabama is fortunate to have had him leading our football program for the past 17 seasons,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said. “Throughout his career as a head coach, his teams have won seven national championships, 11 conference championships and 312 games, and he’s developed an NCAA-record 49 NFL first-round draft picks and, most importantly, hundreds of college graduates. He is the consummate coach, mentor and leader, and his impact is felt far beyond the football field.”
