What Alabama HC Nick Saban’s retirement means for Wisconsin football

If you haven’t been living under a rock during the last 24 hours, Alabama head coach Nick Saban — arguably the greatest coach in the sport’s history — announced his retirement yesterday.

If unfamiliar, you can google Saban’s resume. It is second to none.

Usually, these massive coaching transactions don’t mean much for Wisconsin football and the Big Ten West bubble. The Badgers could still operate the same way, nobody was entering to take their recruits or coaches and matchups with the top powers were rarely scheduled. Well, that bubble is now gone as the Big Ten welcomes Oregon, USC, Washington and UCLA and the sport moves to a two super conference structure. Wisconsin, whether ready or not, must exist on the same plane as the sport’s powers.

So, Saban’s retirement has several impacts on the present and future of Wisconsin football. Here they are, succinctly:

Transfer Portal Mania

Nov 13, 2021; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama head coach Nick Saban watches the Crimson Tide warm up before playing New Mexico State at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

Saban leaving Alabama means a new 30-day window for his players to enter the transfer portal. That’s arguably the greatest star talent on a roster in the sport’s history, all deciding whether to enter the open market. And the reason they’re at Alabama (Saban) just walked out the door.

So there’s the Alabama part of it. But the school will also hire a new high-profile coach, which will trigger the same transfer window at another top contender. Then that other contender will need a new up-and-coming coach, which will do the same to the third school.

Put simply: there is going to be a lot of talent on the open market in the coming weeks. Wisconsin has worked hard in the portal all offseason, but any opportunity to land…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-hc-nick-saban-retirement-181655502.html

Author : Badgers Wire

Publish date : 2024-01-11 18:16:55

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