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Good morning! Any other legends want to leave their jobs this week?
GOATs: Nick Saban’s shocking goodbye
It is not hyperbole to say yesterday was one of the most consequential days in the history of football. Two coaches who combined for nine college football national title claims, 21 conference titles and one Super Bowl win left their posts. A wild, wild day, with major repercussions yet to come.
We have to start with Nick Saban, who retired yesterday:
- The 72-year-old is the best coach college football has ever seen. Seven national titles, 11 SEC championships and 123 players drafted into the NFL. The sport will never see a coach like him, a man obsessed with process and scheme to the point of sheer domination. He changed the sport, and then changed with it as tactics shifted. Alabama under Saban was not perfect, but from about 2012 to 2020, no one was touching the Tide. In an age when every GOAT discussion sparks raging debate, there is none here. Saban lives in his own air.
- Yes, we are already talking replacement candidates, which feels … rushed, but that’s the world we live in. Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and Florida State’s Mike Norvell would be my first three calls. According to 247, Alabama hopes to have Saban’s replacement in place by the end of the weekend. How does anyone even attempt to follow his footsteps? There are impossible tasks, and then there’s trying to dutifully follow the best to ever do it. Alabama needs to move quickly though, as uncertainty has already descended on the program. A five-star wide receiver decommitted last night. Crimson Tide players now have a fresh 30-day period to enter the transfer portal, too.
- A little more than 12 hours after the news broke, it still feels so sudden. That’s because Saban went out on his own terms, as Stewart Mandel wrote last night. The coach had just completed one of his best performances to date with a surprise Playoff appearance. He was reportedly back at work shortly after losing to Michigan in the semifinal. Now he’s gone. Maybe we find out more on his reasoning in the coming days, but you can’t say he was forced into this.
This LSU fan has mixed emotions about it all. Before Saban turned rival Alabama into a machine, he took LSU from has-been to national title winner in four years. I grew up watching LSU in the 1990s. It was … dark.
We will have plenty more tomorrow on this seismic day, but don’t miss Nicole Auerbach and Chris Vannini reacting to the news on their emergency podcast yesterday. Also, subscribe to Until Saturday for more coverage later this morning.
Let’s go to that other big coaching change:
NFL Coaching Carousel: Pete Carroll is (sort of) out
Pete Carroll will no longer serve as Seahawks head coach, the team announced yesterday. The winningest coach in franchise history will now move into an “adviser” role within the franchise. Two thoughts:
- Carroll, also 72, deserved a full day of coverage on his own. The man resurrected a moribund USC program and turned it into a 2000s dynasty, claiming two national titles. He then spent 14 years as one of the best coaches in the NFL, winning one Super Bowl and nearly another. He’s not Saban, but he’s one of the most impressive multi-level coaches ever.
- A key difference: Carroll did not sound like a man ready to retire yesterday. While Saban rides off into the distance, Carroll made it clear that he wanted to remain the team’s head coach and that this transition was not his preference. Does another team come after him? Odds point to yes.
Carroll and Saban had some fun crossroads, too. They both claimed the national title in 2003, when the AP crowned Caroll’s USC after the Trojans had been left out of the BCS national title game, which Saban’s LSU won (it was the season’s only bowl with the word “championship” in its name, Geaux Tigers). I also loved the fact that Saban replaced Carroll as Ohio State’s DBs coach in 1980.
And who’s replacing Carroll in Seattle? Dan Quinn and Jim Harbaugh look like early frontrunners. Make sure to read Michael Shawn-Dugar’s in-depth report on why many felt it was time for Seattle to move on.
News to Know
Kawhi signs
The Clippers and Kawhi Leonard agreed to a three-year, $152 million extension yesterday, giving the franchise some superstar security before it moves into a new arena next season. The Clippers have been one of the best teams in the NBA over the last two months, and Leonard has played brilliantly, but the futures of Leonard, Paul George and James Harden have loomed large. Now, the latter two have to figure out their futures.
Wemby notches a first
Victor Wembanyama recorded his first NBA triple-double in the Spurs’ 130-108 win over the Pistons last night, finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in 21 minutes of play. Just imagine when this dude gets off his minutes restriction. It was an especially painful night for 3-35 Detroit, who’d had lottery dreams of adding Wembanyama.
More news
- The Giants and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale finally parted ways yesterday. It’s been a dramatic week in New York.
- Former Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier — traded to the Ducks earlier this week — said yesterday he received death threats after declining to play in Philadelphia.
- Former Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry is eligible to return to the NHL after meeting with commissioner Gary Bettman. Perry’s Blackhawks contract was terminated in November for “inappropriate” conduct.
Draft Intrigue: As always, it’s the QBs
I want to circle back to Nick Baumgardner’s NFL mock draft from yesterday, which really sets the table for how impactful this draft can be. Consider:
- Nick has Chicago doing essentially the same thing it did last year. A proposed trade with QB-starved Atlanta makes a ton of sense. USC’s Caleb Williams lands on a Falcons roster with weapons galore, while the Bears land two early 2024 picks and a 2025 first-rounder to get Justin Fields more help. It feels seismic, but it makes a ton of sense, especially now that Chicago coach Matt Eberflus is officially staying.
- North Carolina’s Drake Maye goes No. 2 to Washington, which started fellow Tar Heel Sam Howell this season. Awkward. Pulse homer pick Jayden Daniels could go as high as No. 3 to New England, but is more of a fit at No. 11 to Minnesota. Imagine my reaction seeing Daniels throwing to Justin Jefferson, another former Tiger.
One other QB in first-round consideration: Michael Penix Jr. to the Bucs at No. 20, though Nick has them selecting LSU wideout Brian Thomas Jr. instead. Maybe that depends on how Baker Mayfield plays against Philly on Monday.
See the full first-round mock for more, including what could be a star-studded run on wideouts.
Watch This Game
NBA: Celtics at Bucks
7:30 p.m. ET on TNT
The easy sell here is the top two teams in the East playing each other, but there’s different intrigue afoot: Milwaukee has cratered the last couple of weeks, even hearing boos at home.
NHL: Maple Leafs at Islanders
7 p.m. on ESPN
Toronto is cruising, while New York faces uncertainty in goal. Both of these teams are in line for playoff spots.
Pulse Picks
Has F1 fandom in America peaked? There are signs, writes Luke Smith. I thought this was a really smart deep dive.
Our baseball staffers explained their Hall of Fame ballots yesterday. We could have a huge class this year.
Jim Bowden empties his notebook on everything he’s hearing about MLB free agents still out there. Spring training is closer than you think.
Have you checked on the San Jose Sharks lately? It’s not going well. Chris Johnston details the franchise’s all-time low.
Dianna Russini and Joe Rexrode wrote the definitive account of why the Titans fired Mike Vrabel. Miscommunications and perceived slights ruined the relationship, which — after reading this — probably needed to end.
Chris Vannini has a final ranking of all 133 FBS teams. Congrats to UMass for avoiding that last spot.
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(Photo: Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
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