NCAA Worried About Coaching Arms Race

The NCAA is worried about the arms race over coaching salaries, reports AJC’s Mike Knobler.

NCAA president Myles Brand set out two years ago to rein in the runaway growth in college athletics spending. Last week, Alabama hired football coach Nick Saban for $32 million over eight years. So delegates listening to Brand’s annual speech this weekend at the NCAA Convention didn’t have to look far for an example of the limits of Brand’s power or the limits of the NCAA’s.

Many of Brand’s top priorities can’t be handled the way the NCAA traditionally handles its biggest issues, by adding another rule to a 460-page rulebook. Legislation produced real change in college athletics: Athlete graduation rates are climbing; athletes enroll as freshmen better-prepared than their predecessors; they get at least one day a week when they don’t have a practice or a game, and their games and practices are limited to 20 hours a week.

But rules can’t solve everything.

The NCAA can’t legislate a cap on the amount of money an athletics department spends. It can’t force universities to hire more women and minorities as athletics directors and coaches. It can’t write a sportsmanship rule that prevents Miami and Florida International from turning a football game into a helmet-swinging, punch-throwing, radio-analyst-trash-talking black eye for college athletics.

Brand said he will keep pushing for solutions to those problems, some of which he has been working on for years with limited, if any, results. “There is some frustration, but I have to tell you, as a university president, I have known frustration, too,” said Brand, former President of Indiana University. “The main role of a university president is as a consensus builder and persuader. You can’t go marching up the hill on campus by yourself, and you certainly can’t do it in the NCAA. Sure, I’d like to be the czar of college sports, but I’m not.”

Brand’s position gives him a bully pulpit, but fewer and fewer people come to listen. Only two Division I-A commissioners attended this weekend’s convention, where Brand gave his State of the Association address. Only a few Division I-A presidents and athletics directors attended.

College sports, at its highest level, is run by small committees rather than by one-school-one-vote elections. Many of the people Brand is trying to reach no longer take part. “We’re disconnected,” said Missouri Valley Conference senior associate commissioner Patty Viverito.

[...]

Brand desperately wants to connect with the people who run universities and athletics departments. He hopes selling schools on “best practices” in hiring will improve diversity in administration and coaching; only seven of 119 Division I-A football coaches are minorities. He also hopes he can give university presidents the tools they need to get athletics expenditures under control.

The NCAA once tried to legislate its way to athletics department cost savings by creating a restricted-earnings assistant basketball coach. The coaches took the NCAA to court and won a $54.5 million settlement in 1999. So when Brand set about trying to tackle out-of-control athletics spending, he formed a task force of university presidents to explore solutions. Their main recommendation: Standardize accounting procedures so we can get a grip on the problem. Meanwhile, more than half of Division I-A athletics programs require annual subsidies of more than five percent, Brand said. Presidents struggle to control expenses in the face of competitive pressures and the demands of their boards of trustees. And Brand struggles to solve problems for which legislation isn’t the answer.

The problem is that college football is a huge moneymaker for a tiny handful of schools and all the other schools are willing to go into debt in the (mostly elusive) hope of catching up. The Alabamas, Notre Dames, Michigans, USCs, and Texases of the world have a huge leg up, though, and the Troys and UABs are unlikely to ever be in their league.

Hat tip: The Big Lead

Jason Garrett Alabama’s New Offensive Coordinator?

“New Alabama football coach Nick Saban has offered Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach Jason Garrett a job as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator, a source with knowledge of the process said Wednesday,” reports Ian Rapoport of the Birmingham News.

An interesting move and one that makes sense. Garrett is a very smart guy (a Princeton grad) and brings instant credibility after a long career as an NFL backup quarterback, mostly with the Dallas Cowboys. And he obviously has a good working relationship with Saban, if he’s bringing him on from his staff at Miami. The move might not happen, though, as “Garrett may be a candidate for the Cleveland Browns’ offensive coordinator position, though the Dolphins have yet to grant the Browns permission to interview him.”

Rapoport notes other staff moves as well:

• Former Houston Texans coaches Joe Pendry and Steve Marshall have been hired. “Pendry has been a coordinator for three NFL teams, but his position at UA was not clear. He could be offensive co-coordinator with Garrett, or he could coach quarterbacks. Marshall, a former offensive coordinator at Texas A&M and North Carolina, will coach the offensive line.”
• Current Tampa Bay assistant, former Auburn star, and 10-year NFL vet Ron Middleton has been offered the job of tight ends/special teams coach

This in addition to previously announced moves: “Kevin Steele, Kirby Smart, and Lance Thompson. None of their positions was identified, but Steele is believed to be the defensive coordinator, Smart will coach defensive backs, and Thompson’s position was unclear.”

And, quite interesting non-moves: “Two Miami Dolphins coaches who received job offers from Saban – running backs coach Bobby Williams and outside linebackers coach Travis Jones – have turned Saban down, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Wednesday.”

College Coaching vs. NFL Coaching

Rick Gosselin, the Dallas Morning News’ Hall of Fame sportswriter, explains why it’s so much better to be a coach in a big-time college program than in the NFL:

I think Nick Saban suffered from Steve Spurrier Syndrome. Winning in the NFL isn’t as easy as a great college coach may think, so it’s back to campus life where you can coast at 9-2 in an off year. For that reason, Pete Carroll and Charlie Weis should never leave the college game. They have better jobs right now at Southern Cal and Notre Dame, respectively, than what they can find in the NFL.

Michigan, Ohio State and Texas are also better head-coaching positions than any you’d find in the NFL. The Cowboys are about as marquee a franchise as there is in the NFL – and they’ve run through four coaches since winning their last Super Bowl in 1995. And a fifth coach could be on the way. Green Bay? Four since their last Super Bowl in 1996. New York Giants? Four since their last Super Bowl in 1990. Washington? Six since winning their last Super Bowl in 1991. Oakland? The Raiders are soon to be on their fourth coach since appearing in their last Super Bowl in 2002.

Stability wins in coaching. You can find it in college. You rarely find it in the NFL.

Indeed. The Raiders’ stat is the scariest: They went to the Super Bowl in five years ago. That coach was fired the very next year. Then his successor got fired. Then his. Then his. That’s just staggering.

Saban’s Future

I have some musings on the topic at PoliBlog’s Deportes.

Nick Saban’s Salary

My latest for TCS Daily, “Crimson with Envy: Why Nick Saban Makes More Than Your Kid’s Teacher,” is posted. It was sparked by the USA Today headline “Alabama: 45th in helping kids, No. 1 in paying coach” and other criticisms of the eight year, $32 million salary my alma mater paid to lure Saban away from the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

While the juxtaposition of low performance in education with enormous spending on athletics at institutions of higher learning makes for great headlines, it is a ridiculous apples to oranges comparison. The money comes from different sources, based on entirely different market forces that are hardly zero sum.

Saban’s salary simply has no bearing whatever on what college presidents or CEOs are paid, much less how education is funded. His paycheck will come entirely from the University’s $68.6 million athletic budget, which is derived from ticket sales and licensing agreements rather than taxes.

If Saban is able to return the Crimson Tide to its former glory, he’ll more than pay for himself. Between July 1, 2005, and June 30, 2006, the football team alone brought in more than $44 million. Indeed, football at successful programs like Alabama’s not only pays for itself, it helps pay for all the other sports programs on campus and pours millions into the school’s academic scholarship funds.

More at the link.

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Jimbo Fisher FSU’s New Offensive Coordinator

Much-sought-after LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher has finally signed with Florida State.

Less than 48 hours after ending negotiations with Louisiana State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden changed his mind Monday and, apparently, Fisher’s too.

Bowden named Fisher, 41, as his offensive coordinator at Florida State, which had suffered decreasing production on offense in recent years under the directions of Bowden’s youngest son, Jeff Bowden.

“His ability to put in an offense and adjust as the season goes along is second to none,” Bobby Bowden said about Fisher. “He brings the experience and attitude that I was looking for in a coordinator.”

ESPN’s Jim Donnan first reported the hiring earlier Monday.

A West Virginia native, Fisher spent the past seven seasons at LSU, where the offense set 13 school records under his direction. He will also take over as quarterback coach for Daryl Dickey, whose contract was not renewed.

“The opportunity to coach at Florida State and to grow as a coach under coach Bowden was one that I could not pass up,” said Fisher, who signed a three-year agreement with a starting base salary of $215,000.

However, on Saturday it appeared Florida State had given up on landing Fisher, a protege of Bowden’s son, Terry Bowden. “Florida State will move forward to pursue other options among a number of outstanding coaches who want to share in FSU’s traditions and values,” coach Bobby Bowden said, adding that Fisher would “be a benefit to whatever organization he ends up with.”

What’s interesting is that there are indeed going to be several head coach openings as the end-of-season NFL-college carousel continues to turn. While the presumption is that Fisher will ultimately succeed Bobby Bowden once he finally retires, you’d think he’d want to keep his options open.

Saban Continues Building Staff: Fisher Out, Applewhite In?

Nick Saban is working the phones to put together his staff, which will likely not include LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher.

Thomas Murphy of the Mobile Press-Register reports that “Saban has so far hired Kevin Steele, likely as defensive coordinator, Lance Thompson and Kirby Smart, who will probably handle defensive backs” as well as “Todd Alles, a former program assistant for Ohio State, to be the director of football operations, one source said. Randy Ross, a 17-year veteran on the UA staff, had previously held the post, though a school is not limited to one coach in such an off-the-field position.”

Offensive coordinator is, of course, the most pressing need and there appear to be multiple irons in the fire. “Saban has approached his former assistant at LSU, Jimbo Fisher, as well as Rice offensive coordinator Major Applewhite, Southern California offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin and possibly others to gauge their interest in joining his first Crimson Tide staff.” Applewhite is especially intriguing, as he “is seen as one of the brightest young offensive minds in the game. The former Texas quarterback and Baton Rouge, La., native, helped lead Rice to its first bowl berth in 45 years this season.”

There is a growing consensus that Fisher won’t take the job. He’s hemmed and hawed around long enough that Florida State has withdrawn its offer. Ian Rapoport reports that the biggest obstacle is the desire by both Alabama and FSU to sign him to a contract with a buyout clause, whereas he wants to keep his options open in case the NFL carousel creates an opening at Georgia Tech, in addition to the already-open Louisville job.

Paul Gattis mentions some other candidates for staff openings: “Steve Marshall, who most recently coached the offensive line with the NFL’s Houston Texans. And Mississippi State assistant Shane Beamer, son of Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, has interviewed with Saban.”

Saban and Bryant

Todd has an interesting post on the parallels between the Bear Bryant and Nick Saban hires at Alabama.

The proud program was humbled and humiliated, clinging to fond memories of Rose Bowls and national championships past and tossing around names like Wallace Wade and Frank Thomas. Understanding the importance of Alabama football to both the university itself and the state as a whole, Dr. Frank Rose insisted that Alabama hire a coach with “a remarkable record in his profession…a good recruiter, who knows the South. A nationally recognized man.” Their primary target was former Alabama player and (then) current head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies, Paul Bryant. Bryant was considered one of the best coaches in the country already, having won everywhere he went and having been wooed by plenty of other college programs and even the pro ranks (Preston Marshall, owner of the Washington Redskins, had tried to hire Bryant during his stay at Kentucky). Unfortunately for Alabama, Coach Bryant had other ideas. His loyalty was to the Aggies, as he had never quit a job simply because there was another offer on the table. His tenure at Maryland lasted one season because of administrative meddling in athletic affairs, and he left Kentucky after eight winning seasons and an SEC title because of the long shadow of Kentucky basketball. He recommended Jim Tatum, his successor at Maryland and then head coach of North Carolina, for the job, and politely declined. But the end of the 1957 season saw Bryant change his mind. His Aggies had lost two games and the conference title by three points, and his team had dropped from a #1 ranking earlier in the season to #10 as he watched Rice and Texas accept bids to the Cotton and Sugar Bowls, while he was headed to Jacksonville for the Gator Bowl. Though he was unprepared to confirm that he was headed for Alabama, he stretched the language as far as he could, saying things like he would have liked to have thought he hadn’t considered the job and that his only focus was the upcoming match with the Longhorns. Bryant felt he owed it to his players to make the trip to Jacksonville with them, their first since coming off probation, and delayed any confirmation that he wanted and had accepted the Alabama job until after the last game.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Much more at the link.

Jimbo Fisher to Join Saban at Alabama?

Kevin Scarbinsky reports that Nick Saban will try to lure LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher to take the same position with Alabama, although Fisher seems to be leaning toward rejoining Bobby Bowden at Florida State.

There is a lot of speculation about other positions on the staff, too:

Joe Kines would be a popular choice among Alabama fans to remain as defensive coordinator. Another potential assistant who could be hired to run Saban’s defense is Florida State linebackers coach Kevin Steele, one of Bowden’s top assistants.

Saban met briefly with the current Alabama assistants Wednesday, one of them said, and they expect to meet with the new head coach individually in the next two days to discuss staying in Tuscaloosa and working for him. One Alabama source said the current assistants with the best chance to join Saban’s staff are Kines, running backs coach Sparky Woods and secondary coach Chris Ball.

Someone representing Saban began calling potential assistants to measure their interest in coming to Tuscaloosa even before he accepted the Alabama job.

Other coaches who might become part of Saban’s Alabama staff, according to sources in college and pro football, include:

Bobby Williams, the Miami Dolphins running backs coach. Williams worked for Saban at Michigan State and succeeded him as the head coach there when Saban left for LSU.

Stacy Searels, the LSU offensive line coach. Searels played at Auburn, and he worked for Saban at LSU in 2003 and 2004.

Tracy Rocker, the Arkansas defensive line coach. Rocker also played at Auburn, and he’s been a college assistant in this state at Troy and West Alabama.

Todd Stroud, the former North Carolina State defensive line coach under recently fired head coach Chuck Amato. Stroud is a former head coach at West Alabama.

Lance Thompson, the defensive coordinator at Central Florida. Thompson worked at Alabama as an assistant under Mike DuBose and spent two years on Saban’s LSU staff.

Rick Trickett, offensive line coach at West Virginia, was considered a possible Saban hire but joined Bowden’s staff at Florida State late Wednesday.

A source close to Saban said last weekend that if he took the Alabama job, he would have a staff in place in 24 to 48 hours.

It shouldn’t be too hard for Saban to assemble a staff. Until the debacle at the Independence Bowl, retaining Kines was indeed the logical move; I’m less sure now. Plus, since Saban’s background is on that side of the ball, I’m not sure how well the two will mesh scheme-wise.

A Fisher hire would indeed be interesting, not only because of his success, but because of the intrigue surrounding his non-hire for the UAB job. The conspiracy theorists would certainly come out of the woodwork if he got hired in Tuscaloosa.