📡 Nick Saban pays off bet with Dabo Swinney

[18Champs]

University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney have had friendly wagers the past two seasons, with Swinney paying up after Alabama defeated Clemson in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Saban has now returned the favor after Clemson defeated the Crimson Tide 35-31 in the 2017 College Football Playoff title game.

"Absolutely. He paid up on my spring break," Swinney told Mark Packer on College Sports Today Friday. "His spring break was the week before mine. He got me a really nice dinner certificate to a place called Temptation down in Florida. We had a great - probably the best meal I’ve ever had. It was awesome. We had appetizers and dessert to go with it. It was great. I did have to dip into my pocket for 50 bucks, though, but it was all good."

Swinney said Saban has been "gracious" since the game in January.

"He was very gracious in that regard. With our fundraiser we’re having tonight, he actually signed a couple of helmets for me," Swinney said of his All In Ball. "I really appreciate the graciousness of Coach Saban. I’ve seen him a couple of times and will be with him later on in May. He’s been nothing but very gracious. It was a heck of a football game. It was just like last year. A couple of plays like it was last year. Let’s do it again next year. Rubber match, let’s go."

http://www.tigernet.com/update/coach/Nick-Saban-pays-bet-Dabo-Swinney-26541

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

Cool story, but it kinda sounds a little like Dabo is politicing for the nod when Saban hangs up the whistle.

I know they're friends and all, but still. We're gonna want a proven winner, and he's done it with about half the budget we have. He's a "Bama man". He knows all this spells an eventual interview.

Not advocating, coz I'm not too sure I actually like his style. Just stating what's obvious to me.

 

[sean]

the one thing i personally look for in a coach, not that it matters one bit since i'm not on the board at The University or spend enough money there to make a difference...but still, is their ability to "build" a program.

anyone can win with a program that was already built for it and with great players. but i want a coach that has built that type of program at another school and has had success along the way and has had continued success. any coach can take the players that are at BAMA now and win at least 9-10 games a season. but can they do that on their own with players that aren't considered top-tier? can they build a program from obscurity to a winner? can they consistently recruit top-tier players, teach them their system, and lead them to a winning program or a championship? if they can, then that's they type of coach you want. it's the type every program should want. because that's the type of coach that knows what it takes to win and can do it without having to use the best players from someone else's program that someone else built.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

the one thing i personally look for in a coach, not that it matters one bit since i'm not on the board at The University or spend enough money there to make a difference...but still, is their ability to "build" a program.

anyone can win with a program that was already built for it and with great players. but i want a coach that has built that type of program at another school and has had success along the way and has had continued success. any coach can take the players that are at BAMA now and win at least 9-10 games a season. but can they do that on their own with players that aren't considered top-tier? can they build a program from obscurity to a winner? can they consistently recruit top-tier players, teach them their system, and lead them to a winning program or a championship? if they can, then that's they type of coach you want. it's the type every program should want. because that's the type of coach that knows what it takes to win and can do it without having to use the best players from someone else's program that someone else built.

Much like he did at LSU, Saban has rebuilt Bama into a well-oiled powerhouse that can virtually recruit itself for years to come. What we will eventually need to keep from rocking the boat and stifling that pipeline is someone who is cut from similar cloth that has a proven record of success.

While Dabo has a considerable amount of success in his own rite, I'm not sure that he wouldn't rock the the boat of the culture Saban has built.

The fact that Les Miles could still pull elite talent doesn't speak well of his recruiting prowess. He proved the ability to do less with more. Again, Saban turned that program into a self-recruiting machine. This is evidenced by Miles' inability to win another championship after all Saban's leftovers had graduated. And Miles still backed his way into that championship with 2 losses.

Now, Dabo fits the bill of someone that has done "more with less" (less rabid fan support, budget, and overall recruiting rankings). He's just too "rah-rah" and a bit goofy and magoo. Not sure how well that would translate into the continuum of year-to-year winning that we've grown accustomed to under Saban.

 

[rammerjammer]

I'm a fan of Dabo. I know he would be different from Saban and his machine like methodology and approach to everything.......but there is more than one way to skin a cat.

Dabo came into a "good" situation at Clemson that was a decent program with a modicum of success. He took them to the next level and has competed consistently in his conference and obviously on the national stage.

Now for the hard part, can you maintain the intensity and drive to stay hungry enough to make it to the play off every 2-3 years.

 

[TerryP]

I'm not sure that he wouldn't rock the the boat of the culture Saban has built.

. I know he would be different from Saban and his machine like methodology and approach to everything.......but there is more than one way to skin a cat.

Is there? It takes a certain "cat" to be able to handle the Bama job—a culture built long before Saban. Dabo still comes across like the parent who wants to be the friend versus the teacher.

Think about this ...

Can you picture a slide in the Moore building?

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

Is there? It takes a certain "cat" to be able to handle the Bama job—a culture built long before Saban. Dabo still comes across like the parent who wants to be the friend versus the teacher.

Think about this ...

Can you picture a slide in the Moore building?

This.

 

[TerryP]

"He was very gracious in that regard. With our fundraiser we’re having tonight, he actually signed a couple of helmets for me," Swinney said of his All In Ball.

This is what caught my eye out of the article. Helmets from where? IF I were a Clemson fan having a Clemson helmet signed by Dabo and Saban would be a VERY unique piece of memorabilia.

 

[TUSKtimes]

Head coaches often have a short shelf life for lots of reasons, but Dabo is getting to the point in his career where sustainability is starting to pay major benefits. The skinny on Dabo is pretty impressive:

Swinney is 87-28 overall, a figure that is solid, but better when you consider that more than half of those losses (15) came in his first three years at the school. Since 2010 however, he has gone 68-13, and is a staggering 27-2 in the last two seasons. Overall, Swinney has won 10 or more games six years in a row. His records during that stretch read: 10-4, 11-2, 11-2, 10-3, 14-1 and 13-1 this year.

I thought Dabo was struggling for a while trying to get past what Fisher had built at FSU. He continued to make critical changes to his program and was willing to fire and hire new DCs and got the right OC for what he wanted to do. His program is running ahead of Jimbo's at this point. He's certainly proven to be a great recruiter and the bump he gets from winning the natty will push his program even higher. I think he's definitely better than Stoops and likes the big moment on the biggest stage. If our next HC doesn't have that type of brashness and confidence in himself he will more than likely be taking the next flight out to Lexington or College Station anyway.

 

[#80]

Cool story, but it kinda sounds a little like Dabo is politicing for the nod when Saban hangs up the whistle.

I know they're friends and all, but still. We're gonna want a proven winner, and he's done it with about half the budget we have. He's a "Bama man". He knows all this spells an eventual interview.

Not advocating, coz I'm not too sure I actually like his style. Just stating what's obvious to me.

I agree. I don't care for his style too much like a cheerleader.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

I agree. I don't care for his style too much like a cheerleader.

I quoted this, but I agree with the reservations in prior posts as well. He'd never been a head coach before Clemson, never had a chance to develop as a head coach out of the spotlight. I'm not writing him off as a future Bama coach. Perhaps he'll mature. I'll say that the more time he spends with Saban will only help his chances to follow him.

RTR,

Tim