Daunting shadow aside, pieces in place to sustain what Saban built

There are two ways to look at the daunting task of succeeding the greatest college football coach of all-time.

First, who wouldn’t want to inherit the fruits of Nick Saban’s 17 years on the job at Alabama? After all, this isn’t a program in decline. Pending upcoming roster and recruit decisions, the Crimson Tide will be College Football Playoff ready in 2024.

If it’s “juice” you’re looking for, UA has more than Jamba.

Then there is the angle of never being able to live up to what Saban built in Tuscaloosa. In this job, good enough won’t be enough unless great is where good enough starts. Not just once every couple of seasons, either. 

Really, it’s why landing on the right guy might have more to do with intangibles than even football acumen. As for tangibles needed to keep the train rolling down the tracks, there is no shortage.  

With those in mind, if a checklist for a prospective coach existed, I imagine it looking something like this:

— Unmatched support from the administration, athletic department and fanbase

I mean, it’s Alabama, so this goes without saying. You want support staff? Alabama has one large enough to pack out a Buc-ee’s.

Also, Saban has expressed a willingness to help in any way he can moving forward. Don’t expect that to be in a way that makes things even more awkward and cumbersome for his successor.

In other words, the succession plan may or may not involve a Steve-Spurrier-with-an-office-in-the-department-at-UF kind of situation. Still, Saban could serve as one helluva resource if/when called upon. 

— Facilities that rank among the very best in the sport

From Day 1 until 4 p.m. yesterday, no one got a break where maintaining and raising the standard for the program was concerned. That included constant enhancement in the way of facilities. Not just in terms of football-related activities, either. 

While most of his tenure spanned the pre-NIL era, there was never a question about how much UA reinvested into its student-athletes. With that, the next guy will walk into a setup that is the football equivalent of one of Saban’s luxury automobile dealerships.  

— Quarterback situation

We can talk about the roster as a whole but for coaches considering a move, it starts with the most important position on the field. As it stands, one would be hard pressed to find more quality options in a pipeline than what Alabama is home to right now. 

A counter to that, of course, is the readily available options a coach in need can pull from via the transfer portal these days. Think Dillon Gabriel to Oregon and DJ Uiagalelei to Florida State in the latest cycle. In terms of quality depth, though, those places can’t stack up to what currently exists at UA.

— History

Is it realistic to think the next guy will accomplish what Saban and Paul “Bear” Bryant did before him? Of course not. The thing about following a legend, though, is that the trophies and wall(s) of NFL Draft picks stays behind. From that standpoint, Saban’s successor will have plenty of recent success to sell where roster acquisitions are concerned. 

As for the weight of expectations the next guy will assume, it won’t be for the feint of heart. Again, though, this is a program still very much relevant to the national championship discussion. For the immediate future, anyway, expectations won’t grossly outweigh what UA teams should be capable of achieving.   

— NIL readiness

While Saban wasn’t overly receptive to the concept, that doesn’t mean Alabama isn’t ready to do business where NIL is concerned. Understanding that the great equalizer has left the building, supporters might be more enthusiastic about building a significant war chest than they were prior to Wednesday. 

All of those things can go a long way in sustaining at least a semblance of the success Saban achieved during his time at the helm. Now it’s a matter of settling on the candidate most likely to maximize the built-in advantages that will come with the job.

As we know, the checklist works both ways. While it’s a job just about any coach would love to have, that doesn’t mean the job will love just any coach back.