First Down Kentucky: A Nick Saban Sliding Doors Moment

Days after the conclusion of the 2024 college football season, Nick Saban kicked down one of the largest dominos in the sport. As we discussed on Tuesday night’s edition of 11 Personnel, his retirement sent shockwaves from Mobile to Tucson, dramatically shaking up leadership within the sport of college football.

The changes in Mobile and Tucson were almost spared by movement in Tallahassee and Oxford.

ESPN’s Chris Low drafted a thorough feature outlining the decision-making process for Nick Saban and Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne. The transition of power almost passed over Kalen DeBoer. Byrne was also in serious talks with Florida State head coach Mike Norvell.

The parties involved were unwilling to share who was the top candidate for the job and if Norvell received an official offer, but talks went far enough to indicate that Florida State was prepared to go after Lane Kiffin if they needed to fill a coaching vacancy.

Two thoughts come to mind: Is Florida State actually a better job than Ole Miss? And man, that would’ve been nice to get Kiffin off the Kentucky schedule in 2024. The Rebels loaded up in the transfer portal for a big run. It would’ve been nice to deal with a program that’s reeling and rebuilding instead, although I don’t know if Kiffin would’ve made the jump. Florida State is a brand name in a hapless conference. The Seminoles couldn’t even get into the CFB Playoff after an undefeated season. Would someone actually choose to leave the SEC to coach in the ACC? Probably not.

Saban and the NIL, Portal Issue

Many have opined that the transfer portal and NIL have caused coaches to burn out at a much higher rate. While his age was the primary factor, Saban made it clear that the new landscape of college sports played a significant role in his decision to retire.

“I thought we could have a hell of a team next year, and then maybe 70 or 80 percent of the players you talk to, all they want to know is two things: What assurances do I have that I’m going to play because they’re thinking about transferring, and how much are you going to pay me?” Saban recounted. “Our program here was always built on how much value can we create for your future and your personal development, academic success in graduating and developing an NFL career on the field.

“So I’m saying to myself, ‘Maybe this doesn’t work anymore, that the goals and aspirations are just different and that it’s all about how much money can I make as a college player?’ I’m not saying that’s bad. I’m not saying it’s wrong, I’m just saying that’s never been what we were all about, and it’s not why we had success through the years.”

Nick Saban to ESPN’s Chris Low

Kiffin Calls NIL, Portal a Disaster

Lane Kiffin has been referred to as the Portal King. Ole Miss is getting a great return on its NIL investments, but even Kiffin told On3’s Andy Staples that the current system is a mess.

“It just probably sounds strange to a lot of people for me to say the disaster when we’re out there — some would say — maximizing it as well as you can and as well as anybody,” Kiffin said. “But to me, that tells you how much of a disaster it is. Even though it benefits us, I’m still telling you it’s a disaster even though it benefits us at Ole Miss a lot.”

Zach Arnett joins the Dark Side

In case you hadn’t gotten enough of Lane Kiffin today, the Ole Miss head coach made another shocking move. Zach Arnett spent a year as the head coach of Ole Miss’ biggest rival. Next year the former Mississippi State head coach will be an analyst for Kiffin, reports OM Spirit’s Zach Berry.

Arnett was a brilliant defensive coordinator for Mike Leach, but the head coaching thing didn’t work out. Even though his signature 3-3-5 defense is his specialty, he should still provide some wisdom to Kiffin’s defensive staff. Most importantly, it’s one heck of a flex to hire the former head coach of your rival to an off-field role.

New Signing Day Officially Moved

Multiple reporters confirm that the Early Signing Period is getting even earlier. College football commissioners voted to move it up a couple of weeks to the start of December. It will happen just days after the regular season ends but avoids conflicts between high school and transfer portal recruiting. Commissioners tabled discussion until June on a vote to add a third signing day for the summer.