http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach...ear.php?coachid=2055

At least Alabama hasnt been blown out by anyone. At LSWHO, Saban in year 1, was blown out 41-9 by Florida, 34-17 by Aubarn, and 14-3 by Arkansas, not to mention the embarassment of the ages loss to UAB! And why was that? He had LITTLE if ANY talent to work with. Next season I expect 10+ wins from there on out.

W
09-02-2000
58
Western Carolina (NC)
0
Baton Rouge, LA


W
09-09-2000
28
Houston (TX)
13
Baton Rouge, LA


L
09-16-2000
17
Auburn (AL)
34
Auburn, AL


L
09-23-2000
10
Alabama-Birmingham
13
Baton Rouge, LA


W
09-30-2000
38
Tennessee
31
Baton Rouge, LA


L
10-07-2000
9
Florida
41
Gainesville, FL


W
10-14-2000
34
Kentucky
0
Baton Rouge, LA


W
10-21-2000
45
Mississippi St.
38
Baton Rouge, LA


W
11-04-2000
30
Alabama
28
Baton Rouge, LA


W
11-11-2000
20
Mississippi
9
Oxford, MS


L
11-24-2000
3
Arkansas
14
Little Rock, AR


W
12-29-2000
28
Georgia Tech
14
Atlanta, GA

quote:

Originally posted by voltrontide:
http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach...ear.php?coachid=2055

At least Alabama hasnt been blown out by anyone. At LSWHO, Saban in year 1, was blown out 41-9 by Florida, 34-17 by Aubarn, and 14-3 by Arkansas, not to mention the embarassment of the ages loss to UAB! And why was that? He had LITTLE if ANY talent to work with. Next season I expect 10+ wins from there on out.

W
09-02-2000
58
Western Carolina (NC)
0
Baton Rouge, LA


W
09-09-2000
28
Houston (TX)
13
Baton Rouge, LA


L
09-16-2000
17
Auburn (AL)
34
Auburn, AL


L
09-23-2000
10
Alabama-Birmingham
13
Baton Rouge, LA


W
09-30-2000
38
Tennessee
31
Baton Rouge, LA


L
10-07-2000
9
Florida
41
Gainesville, FL


W
10-14-2000
34
Kentucky
0
Baton Rouge, LA


W
10-21-2000
45
Mississippi St.
38
Baton Rouge, LA


W
11-04-2000
30
Alabama
28
Baton Rouge, LA


W
11-11-2000
20
Mississippi
9
Oxford, MS


L
11-24-2000
3
Arkansas
14
Little Rock, AR


W
12-29-2000
28
Georgia Tech
14
Atlanta, GA

i don't feel good about you living in alabama, dummy.

quote:

Originally posted by voltrontide:
http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach...ear.php?coachid=2055

At least Alabama hasnt been blown out by anyone. At LSWHO, Saban in year 1, was blown out 41-9 by Florida, 34-17 by Aubarn, and 14-3 by Arkansas, not to mention the embarassment of the ages loss to UAB! And why was that? He had LITTLE if ANY talent to work with.

That's completely false:

These are the players that were already on the roster when Nick Saban arrived on campus at LSU:

(freshmen)
Eric Alexander, LB, New England Patriots
Eric Edwards, TE, Washington Redskins
Randall Gay Jr., CB, New England Patriots
Devery Henderson, WR, New Orleans Saints
Jack Hunt, S, Miami Dolphins
Donnie Jones, P, Miami Dolphins
Chad Lavalais, DT, Atlanta Falcons
Adrian Mayes, S, New York Giants
Stephen Peterman, OG, Detroit Lions
Corey Webster, CB, New York Giants

(upperclassmen)
Trev Faulk, LB, St. Louis Rams
Bradie James, LB, Dallas Cowboys
LaBrandon Toefield, RB, Miami Dolphins
Josh Reed, WR, Buffalo Bills
Domanick Davis, RB, Houston Texans
Norman LeJeune, CB, Indianapolis Colts
Kenderick Allen, DE, Green Bay Packers
Lionel Turner, LB, Miami Dolphins
Jarvis Green, DT, New England Patriots
Brandon Winey, OT, Carolina Panthers
Nate Livings, OG, Cincinnati Bengals
Robert Royal, TE, Buffalo Bills
Howard Green, DT, Miami Dolphins

That's a pretty good start talent-wise, especially the freshmen. With 2 cover corners, a monster DT and a solid WR, S and OG, that's a good start. The upperclassmen were good too. LSU has never lacked for talent - when they were not a winning program, they lacked the coaching to keep them in the right direction and under control for an entire season. This year seems similar, it's just that LSU has so much talent that this coaching staff may not be able to screw it up (see 1999 Crimson Tide - Alexander, Samuels, Griffin, etc.).

DiNardo did a far better job recruiting than many people are willing to credit to him (I believe at least two of his classes were ranked in the top 5 nationally).

DiNardo was pulling in top players from the state of Louisiana and some from Texas and Florida.

Kevin Faulk was a killer DiNardo recruit and started the ball rolling big time.

Saban came in and raised the recruiting even higher, so LSU is now a juggernaut built off of that momentum.

Bama in 2007 is quite a bit behind in terms of talent as compared to that 2000 LSU team.

But Saban can and will correct this.


RTR

Not only are you so far off base on the talent level Saban inherited when he walked on at LSU I'm embarrassed for you, most importantly --

Saban never lost to Mississippi State.

"That's completely false:

These are the players that were already on the roster when Nick Saban arrived on campus at LSU:"

There's a difference between 'recruited' talent and 'coached' talent.

I believe the best Dinardo did was the 1998 class, which was I think #11. His 1997 class might have been Top 25, but I believe that was it.

Dinardo didn't recruit great players, Saban took fair to average players that Dinardo signed, and coached them up to being great.

He's doing the same thing at Bama. Look at Darren Mustin and Rashad Johnson, a pair of WALKONS under Shula. What about Zeke Knight, who was a WR/DE under Shula.

No, I am almost certain that DiNardo had at least one top 5 class.

Lots of bluechip talent was recruited there by him.

The recruiting at Alabama is nowhere near the level that LSU had.

Saban will correct Alabama's woes through recruiting.

I will try to find the info on DiNardo's classes.


RTR

Nutty,

Not to say a coach can't coach talent up, but then in this case you make out you will also need to explain all the Saban's recruits at LSU that were flat out busts?

It's a very long list.

Bottom line there is simply a WEALTH of NFL caliber talent in Louisiana year in and year out.

Most of em plenty happy to stay at home and play in TigerStadium, it only takes a decent quality coach to keep em coming.

Saban didn't make LSU.

If he did, then he destroyed the Fins right?

Okay finally found one for DiNardo's 1998 class which ranked #8 in the nation.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n7_v222/ai_20302265/pg_1


"Putting it in writing - college football recruiting"
Sporting News, The, Feb 16, 1998 by Kevin Haskin, Suzanne Halliburton, Andy Boogaard, Neal Farmer, Tom Dienhart, Mike Huguenin, Bob Clark, Mike Strange, Jeff Wood, Michael Vega, Doug Doughty

A look at how the majors fared in this year's recruiting battles

How did your school do on National Signing Day? Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but here's how our national panel of experts (Bill Buchalter, Bobby Burton, Phil Grosz, Rick Kimbrel and Tom Lemming) rated the classes: 1. Michigan; 2. UCLA; 3. Notre Dame; 4. Georgia; 5. Florida State; 6. Alabama; 7 Florida; 8. LSU; 9. Tennessee; 10. North Carolina."


RTR

Mr Tiger G Turd...what was LSU before Saban got there? An SEC doormat...he made your team what is today

DiNardo's 1997 class at LSU ranked #7 nationally,

"7. Louisiana State - 164 points

A year after landing the best class in school history, LSU Coach Gerry Dinardo managed to keep the recruiting wolves at bay long enough to land another top group of recruits. Although the state's top two players did not sign with LSU (DL Thomas Pittman to Auburn and RB Travis Minor to FSU), Dinardo seems to have halted the once free-flow of Louisiana talent to other states. Some in-state stars who will have an immediate impact on the Bayou Bengals are DB Fred Booker, WR Robert Davis, WR Abram Booty, TE Joe Domingeaux, WR Mike Hayes and DL Jarvis Green. The three wideouts are especially noteworthy because they will be the primary targets of the future for LSU's biggest catch, Parade All-America QB Rohan Davey. Florida's top QB ended months of speculation when he chose LSU over a host of other suitors. The loss of Thomas Pittman to Auburn was tempered by the signing of Mississippi's top defensive lineman, Muskingum Barnes."


RTR

DiNardo's 1996 class also ranked in the top 10. Here are parts of an article critical of the idea of recruiting in general and mentions Saban's recruiting as well,

"A signing day story: On the first Wednesday of February 1996, I spent the day on the LSU campus. At the time, signing day was attended by a full-on, day-long party in a field house, with hundreds of fans in attendance. The cavernous room was decorated in blue and yellow balloons and streamers, as if somebody's senior prom was taking place. Late in the afternoon, coach Gerry DiNardo took hold of a microphone and read biographies of the 25 Tigers recruits, each to thunderous applause. There had been many LSU football games in the previous decade -- and would be many more in the ensuing four years, it turns out -- that produced less excitement. Did the people in that building really believe that LSU had won something simply by convincing some supposedly good players to attend their school? Oh, you bet they did.

Back on that February day in '96, most experts agreed that DiNardo had landed one of the best classes in the country, making inroads into parts of the South that LSU hadn't touched in years. Turns out it was a good enough class to get DiNardo fired (with plenty of help from DiNardo himself). Now, word is that new LSU coach Nick Saban is about to sign a great class.

Talk to me in four years. Until then, I don't want to hear about it."



I am guessing this CNN/SI writer was proven wrong when Saban won 2 SEC championships and 1 national championship with such players.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/tim_layden...2/06/layden_insider/

RTR

SuperPrep ranked the 1999 DiNardo LSU Class #9 nationally.



RTR

Just for those that may have missed the other thread:


DiNardo\LSU

1996 top 10 (can't find specific rank right now)
1997 #7
1998 #8
1999 #9

Shula\Alabama

2003 #49 (rivals) #45 (scout)
2004 #15 (rivals) #19 (scout)
2005 #18 (rivals) #16 (scout)
2006 #11 (rivals) #18 (scout)


Saban's first class at

LSU
2000 #26


Alabama
2007 #10 (rivals) #22 (scout)


Saban's first true class at LSU (2001) was ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd by every ranking system I can find.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/sfc/recruiting/2001-02-08-lsu.htm

His first true class at Alabama (2008) is currently #3 by rivals and #12 with scout.



RTR