Alabama Football: Nick on Clemson loss and NCAA Early Signing Day
By Ronald Evans
NCAA December 20-22. 2017 Early Signing Period
Even in conversations that begin with a relaxed tone, chatting about golf, Nick can churn up quickly. Saban has been very critical of many recent rules changes driven by the NCAA. Nick lost the debate on high school coaches being allowed to continue to work college player camps.
The camp issue is settled and Dodd did not ask about, but Nick launched into it nonetheless.
"“To me, all this grows out of paranoia in recruiting to think that somebody’s doing something that somebody else is not doing … They make this rule that has all these unintended consequences for the game …We even have a little kids camp, 7-11 years old, 1,200 kids. That’s winning games for Alabama? That’s 1,200 kids that are growing up loving up Alabama. It’s a legacy investment. I know I’m crazy. You can tell everybody I’m crazy.”"
Saban was intensely critical of an early signing period when it was debated as two periods, June and December. He does not seem convinced that the approval of the December period will end a push for a second early date. He is strongly opposed to any signing period before a high school player’s senior season.
"“I don’t see how it helps anything or anybody. Football is a developmental game. To keep trying to push a recruiting calendar, it’s for the benefit of teams in the North because they want guys to visit in the summertime and all that … If character and intelligence and things we’re responsible for … how do we evaluate that stuff if we’re offering guys when they’re sophomores, so they can visit in their junior year, so they can decide before their senior year?”"
Saban has a strong argument. There are coaches that see the rules changes as a way to level the recruiting playing field for all schools. They too have a strong argument.
A few coaches are so jealous of Alabama’s recruiting dominance they see anything that harms Saban, as helping them. Call that the “if you can’t out-recruit” them, “out-rule” them approach.
Next: The Ten Best Tide QB's of All-Time
Power 5 and Group of 5 programs exist in two very different worlds. It is a worthy goal to level the playing field for all. No one has all the answers. Not even Nick. As Saban has often stated, college football needs a commissioner. An individual fully dedicated to managing what has become a big money, high stakes game.
The Presidents and Chancellors of educational institutions will never cede enough control to make a commissioner effective. Debates will not cease. Chats about the pleasantness of golf will continue to unravel as the best college football coach in the land says, “you can tell everybody I am crazy.”
Never change Nick and RTR Forever.