I was writing on the Maiava flip-flop, as well as another blog about Georgia football history, when Nick Saban called a halt.
When I first saw this, I was in shock. Stunned. I froze, staring at my screen. We all knew this day would come; we did not know when it would happen. Well, on January 10th, 2024, Nick Saban retired. Fun fact: Nick Saban’s last national championship appearance was on January 10th in Indianapolis against Georgia in 2022. Georgia and Kirby Smart did kill the dynasty; I am halfway joking.
So, how does this impact Georgia? First, Georgia is now the best program in college football. That is now without question. The Dawgs have been the best program for three years and could easily slip into the role Alabama played and control the entire CFB world. Even now, when the Dawgs have dominated college football, it was a fair argument that Alabama was the better program because they had Nick Saban. Well, not anymore!
Is this a dream? Is this real? Georgia is now head and shoulders above the rest of college football.
The second way this affects the Dawgs is that now Glenn Schumann and possibly Kirby Smart could be targeted to be the next Alabama head coach. I do not think Kirby Smart will leave Georgia, but I would not be shocked if Alabama kicked the tires to see if they have a shot. Glenn Schumann, however, is a different story.
Schumann’s dad played at Alabama under Bear Bryant. Schumann graduated from Alabama and started working for the program as a student in 2008, a year into the Saban dynasty. He is regarded as a great football mind and has coached some of the best defenses in recent college football history.
If I were leading the charge to hire the next Alabama head coach, my two choices would be Dan Lanning and Glenn Schumann. Lanning spent time at Alabama, coached under Kirby Smart, and was the defensive coordinator of the greatest defense in college football history. Lanning has now proven that he can run a major college football program.
Here is another thing to keep an eye on. What players hit the portal from Bama? Could they come to Athens and contribute immediately?
Nick Saban will be remembered as the greatest coach of all time. I never thought someone would pass Bear Bryant on the legend list, but Saban did. Even though he brought a ton of misery to Georgia fans, he changed this game for the better, and if not for him, Georgia might not have Kirby Smart.
