They ain't landed shit until the paperwork is signed. Verbal is all they have at this point in time and that is not binding.
It's so much sweeter when they get these top classes and lose on the field. The bigger they are , the harder they fall. Saban is not all that. He was in the right place at the right time at LSU. Then he used that success to fatten his pocketbook. Now Bama is paying him the big bucks to duplicate that and he hasn't done it yet and I don't think he ever will.
He's an improvement over Shula, duh, and will probably have 7-8 wins every year and a 10+ season every 3-4 years. The bammers will get tired of this and call for his head when they look at the money they are paying him and he doesn't get in the championship game in another couple of years. This year will be a good chance for him, but I think it will be Florida's year again this season from the SEC.
He ain't the first coach to fail at Bama. That Arkansas coach they had is a hard act to follow.
But when you think about it, I don't think we have had anybody decommit since a Shula commit left when CNS was hired. There may be one I'm just not thinking of, but I really can't remember any since then. But yeah, its all relative until the paperwork is signed. However, the past few years generally tell me I don't have to worry about somebody switching. Doesn't mean it can't happen though.
How was Saban in the "right place at the right time" at LSU? I mean, I'm not saying that Nick Saban built LSU football, but they were 4-7 in 1998 and 3-8 in 1999. 97 and 96 were good years, but they sucked in 95 and 94 as well. So how was it that he walked in on such a great situation? I swear, you sound like one of our fans. "He hasn't done what he did at LSU yet". Personally, I have plenty of patience. I'm content with just winning some games. I don't much care about "claiming our rightful place at the top" or whatever bullshit you decide to come up with. I think we finally have a coach that, with time, can make us perennial contenders. Its going to take time, though.