I can't believe Kirby Smart is staying at Alabama through the playoffs
December 6th, 2015 at 3:05 PM ^
Not exactly the same scenario, but that's what Herman did with Houston last year.
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December 6th, 2015 at 3:09 PM ^
Sorry, how is the scenario different from Herman to Smart?
I'm unclear
December 6th, 2015 at 3:15 PM ^
He is making the case that this is more egregious because Georgia is in the same conference and by him staying he is helping Alabama. So Herman going from OSU to Houston is not the same scenario.
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December 6th, 2015 at 4:05 PM ^
Also, Smart's won three national titles already as a coordinator, so I don't see the point in his staying at Bama. Herman had never won a title before, so it made a little more sense for him to stick it out last year.
December 6th, 2015 at 4:29 PM ^
employer of many years, not for your personal glory.
December 6th, 2015 at 5:29 PM ^
The Team. He recruited and coach these men. He has preached responsibility to the team above yourself. He has told them that finishing as a team matters. He will never give up on his team. I believe this is a lesson not only to Bama team, but to his Georgia players too.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:44 PM ^
Put it this way, in an alternate universe where Michigan hires Tom Herman last year, would Michigan fans have been pissed if he stayed coaching Ohio State through the national championship and wasn't out recruiting players and a staff?
And in an even more remote universe where Michigan made a bowl last season, wouldn't you also be pissed that your new head coach was still coaching at a rival instead of at his new school coaching bowl practices and getting his team off to a head start?
How many Michigan fans would give a shit that their new coach won a title as an OC but passed up an opportunity to coach and recruit for Michigan to do it?
December 6th, 2015 at 4:31 PM ^
just before the beginning of bowl practices, so that's one extra reason to stay.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:06 PM ^
Ash is staying at OSU too through the bowl. Seems Durkin is one of the few leaving immediately for the new job. Wonder if Michigan had a shot at Rose Bowl if he would have stayed.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:09 PM ^
No shot after they lost to OSU. 4th in the league behind Iowa/OSU/MSU and didn't play well enough to jump the others in the pecking order.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:11 PM ^
That isn't what he is saying even in the slightest. He's saying if we were to be in a position to go to the rose bowl would durkin stay like smart is staying. The answer to that I would guess is no. I bet durkin not staying has more to do with Harbaugh not letting him than the other way around.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:28 PM ^
even in the slightest? Nope, he phrased that poorly. His statement has multiple meanings. So you're wrong.
December 6th, 2015 at 4:01 PM ^
Only a Michigan Man, rabble, rabble, rabble...
December 6th, 2015 at 3:10 PM ^
You do not have to wonder. Michigan would not have had a shot at the Rose Bowl if Durkin would have stayed.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:21 PM ^
Not what I said at all. I was wondering if the Rose Bowl was a possibility or likely for Michigan if Durkin would then have stayed. Not that his staying would have impacted the bowl selection committe.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:42 PM ^
It may not be what you meant to say, but for those of us that don't live in your body it is what was implied.
December 6th, 2015 at 4:08 PM ^
I realized after people had trouble with it that it could be confusing. But it can read both ways, not implied one way or the other.
December 6th, 2015 at 11:40 PM ^
To be exceedingly fair, I agree with the majority here. Your phrasing was poor, which happens sometimes. The thing that makes it comical is you going on the offensive and basically saying other people don't know how to read.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:42 PM ^
To be fair, it was very confusingly phrased. When I read it the first time, I interpreted it the same way the two guys above did.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:11 PM ^
He probably would have stayed if Michigan made the playoff
December 6th, 2015 at 3:06 PM ^
Nauta thing wrong with that from my perspective.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:43 PM ^
You win.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:07 PM ^
Didn't Herman do the same last year with osu? He stayed through the NC game, then left for Houston.
Or is your logic that Houston should just be very happy to get a coach like Herman while UGa should exert their SEC influence and demand Smart join them asap?
December 6th, 2015 at 3:33 PM ^
The issue is that he's been looking for a head job for a long time, finally gets it, and rather than going to the new school to help build his team there, he's sticking with an in-conference team (albeit in a different division) to help them with their season.
Meanwhile, Georgia will have no coach to run their bowl practices, and no coach or permanent staff to go recruit. Little tough to recruit kids if you can't answer "will you be on staff next season?" If Alabama makes it to the national championship game, he'll only fully be in the Georgia job for 22 days before signing day. That's not setting yourself up for success very well.
Like, either you want to be a head coach, or you don't. Its the sitcom equivalent of having two dates with two different women on the same night -- it always ends terrible (but hilarious!).
December 6th, 2015 at 3:39 PM ^
Even if Smart went to Georgia right away, do you think he would coach/run the bowl practices?
December 6th, 2015 at 3:47 PM ^
Why wouldn't he? Richt isn't going to coach the practices, so someone needs to. It would be wierd to have a head coach passing up an opportunity to coach the 10-15 bowl practices you get.
December 6th, 2015 at 4:14 PM ^
I dunno, just feels like it would be a weird situation. Unless Smart's future OC is already on staff, Smart would be coaching/gameplanning with a guy who isn't gonna be there next year. Plus with no Chubb, any gameplan Smart comes up for the Bowl Game gets thrown out the window when he comes back
And I don't think the bowl practices really matter that much, especially for a team like Georgia. It's not like they're a bad team that needs as much extra time with their coach as possible
December 6th, 2015 at 4:21 PM ^
I just feel like any coach given the opportunity to coach and evaluate his players (and some assistants) would do that. Does he have to be super involved? No. But it would be his only chance to work directly with the players until the spring.
Plus, he's a first time head coach. He could probably use all the reps he can get at running a program.
December 6th, 2015 at 4:41 PM ^
Shouldn't he at least be spending the time focusing on pulling his staff together? If I'm Saban, I don't let him spend any time contacting coaches. If he's at my school as the OC, he's going to be spending his time coaching my offense. At this rate, he's going to have 22 days to hire a staff and keep a recruiting class together, while anyone recruiting against Georgia has 37 days to tear his class apart. Not a smart move.
December 6th, 2015 at 7:20 PM ^
He could go the Urban Meyer/OSU route. They got an NCAA waiver that essentially allowed two coaching staffs. Fickell coached the team in the bowl practices and bowl game while Meyer assembled the new staff and recruited.
A little bit different of a situation, but it IS actually rare for a new coach to come in and coach his team through bowl practices and bowl game. It has happened before, but it isn't a common occurrence.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:08 PM ^
they had this agreed upon before he signed on the dotted line.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:33 PM ^
Yes, indeed. I mean National Championships don't come every day. You do not deprive that man the opportunity to win a National Championship. There's nothing to discuss. As long as you're leaving on good terms, and the team still wants you, you stay for that ring. One could argue that it wouldn't be right for him to leave right now, and possibly disrupt those kid's opportunity to win a National Championship.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:08 PM ^
Hopefully he'll sharpen his teeth on dissecting that Spartan offense and go out with a win....
December 6th, 2015 at 3:09 PM ^
Maybe he is trying to show future recruits that he will be loyal to them and the program.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:10 PM ^
I'm happy about it. please kill d'antonio.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:11 PM ^
Ring will do wonders for Smart on the recruiting trail. This isn't for a random bowl game, it's for the National Championship.
December 6th, 2015 at 4:59 PM ^
THIS IS DIVISION ONE FOOTBALL!
/In Dan Hawkins voice
December 6th, 2015 at 3:35 PM ^
Smart already has three national championship rings with Alabama (2009, 2011, 2012), a fourth isn't going to tip the scales that much.
December 6th, 2015 at 4:03 PM ^
And he can still very much want that fourth championship. Many people who have $900 million, still want $100 million more just so they can be called a billionaire. It's not always about tipping the scales. Some things in life, people just want.
December 6th, 2015 at 4:09 PM ^
Sure, but if I were his new employer, set to pay him very large sums of money, I might request him to report to duty sooner rather than later.
December 6th, 2015 at 5:32 PM ^
The new employer agrees to let Kirby stay on for the playoff. That's how they got him
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December 6th, 2015 at 4:22 PM ^
And some people who want to be a head coach and finally get a chance to be a head coach, go...be a head coach.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:14 PM ^
Georgia is fine with their new HC having another NC on his resume. It only increases his notoriety and cache for recruiting.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:14 PM ^
...part of the negotiation. I'm not surprised at all and certainly not emotional about it.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:15 PM ^
Be loyal to the coach you hope will re-hire you when your head coaching stint goes down in flames.
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December 6th, 2015 at 3:16 PM ^
Does anyone know if he is filling out his staff? Maybe he delegated many recruiting duties to them. Still a weird situation since Georgia and Alabama are peers/rivals unlike OSU/Rutgers, OSU/Houston, etc.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:18 PM ^
He'll multi-task. Saban said they won't even begin practice until 8-9 days from now.
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December 6th, 2015 at 3:16 PM ^
I think it's the right thing to do.
December 6th, 2015 at 3:17 PM ^
d/p. Think that's my first ever.