Nick Saban: The frugal recruiter

[Thrilla]

This article doesn't include, of course, all the money slid under the table to each recruit.  I think that may put them in a different tier, no?

Headlinin': Nick Saban, the frugal recruiter

By Matt Hinton

 • Bang for the buck. Recruiting fans, crude as they may be in social situations, unanimously recognize that Nick Saban has built one of the most formidable recruiting machines in the country at Alabama, bringing in the nation's tenth-ranked class according to Rivals even in the transition year from Mike Shula in 2007 and finishing No. 1 in Rivals' rankings in 2008 and 2009. That's an impressive accomplishment in an extremely competitive, relatively low-population state with an in-state rival that dominated the on-field series from 2002-07, and a flatly amazing one when you consider that Alabama has spent less money on recruiting than any SEC school except South Carolina and Vanderbilt over the last three years, according to a study in the Mobile Press-Register. 'Bama had the lowest public recruiting budget in the conference in 2006-07 (Vanderbilt's numbers aren't disclosed), and was eighth in spending despite bringing in the top-ranked class in 2007-08. On average, the biggest recruiting spender, Tennessee, has spent more than three times as much, and Auburn has more than doubled the Tide's budget, with relatively mediocre results.

Both Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs and 'Bama AD Mal Moore put the disparity on air travel: Auburn has two university planes and poor access to a regional airport, while Alabama is able to fly commercially more often, which is less expensive than chartering a private plane. More importantly, Saban has said he restricts recruiting mainly within a five-hour radius from Tuscaloosa, i.e. driving distance, which just emphasizes more how much the Tide have cleaned up in-state and in hot beds like Memphis and north Mississippi since his arrival.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Headlinin-Nick-Saban-the-frugal-recruiter;_ylt=AsKVvtP0OYQJDTfzJWFRBeg5nYcB?urn=ncaaf,177506

So...we need to just get a big airport built in Auburn, and then we come compete for the 'cruitin champeeonship!

[Buzz Killington]

This article doesn't include, of course, all the money slid under the table to each recruit.  I think that may put them in a different tier, no?

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Headlinin-Nick-Saban-the-frugal-recruiter;_ylt=AsKVvtP0OYQJDTfzJWFRBeg5nYcB?urn=ncaaf,177506

So...we need to just get a big airport built in Auburn, and then we come compete for the 'cruitin champeeonship!

...and start a Blue Tiger Club.