re: Tweet about as accurate as can be regarding Kelly to LSU

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Saban has been getting elite talent away from La. For all but a few years he’s been gone.

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Saban’s recruiting success in Louisiana is extremely overrated.

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It’s pretty simple. Look at the state of LSUs program before saban was hired and look at what all it has achieved since then. The program was at its lowest point in its history, all the top talent in the state were mostly going elsewhere,

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Dinardo took over LSU in December 1994. In 1995, LSU went 7-4-1. In 1996, LSU went 10-2. In 1997, LSU went 9-3 and beat Saban in the Independence Bowl.

Dinardo woke the sleeping giant. He got LSU into the Top Ten in 1997 and 1998.

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Then he comes along and changes everything. He re-established recruiting ties in the state, we won a natty within 4 years.

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Dinardo brought in Faulk and a host of players that ended up winning a NC under Saban.

Dinardo had issues, but a big problem he had was that LSU was too fricking cheap to play football at an elite level.

Mark Emmert saw Dinardo's success and the reasons for his failures. He decided it was time for LSU to play big-time football rather than skimping nickels and dimes.

He offered Saban a five-year contract for $1.2 million annually. Only three other coaches in the country were getting paid a million per year: Bowden, Spurrier, and Fulmer.

By contrast, Dinardo's buyout for FOUR contract years was LESS than ONE year of Saban's contract. Dinardo's buyout was $600,000 for the four years of $150,000 salary. Saban's salary was $1.2 million.

LSU (Emmert) decided to to play at an elite level in 1999. Then Emmert hired Saban. Saban did not cause the change to play at an elite level. To the contrary, Saban was a result of that change. He was the coach who received the benefit of that change in direction.

Emmert, Bertman, the Board, and the boosters built the facilities need to play at an elite level.

Saban did NOT lay the foundation for this program to keep being successful. We are NOT a powerhouse program now because of Saban.

The LSU administration changed directions before Saban arrived.

Saban was the beneficiary of that change, NOT the cause of it.

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Growing up in the 90s and watching all those garbage teams, if you would have told me the success lsu would have after the year 2000 I would’ve thought you were nuts.

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Emmert, the Board, and the boosters watched Dinardo rebuild LSU recruiting and the LSU program. Where were you? They decided to play big-money football, and open up the budget and pay a coach 8 times more than the previous coach.

Saban was in the right place at the right time. LSU was finally ready to spend. Saban benefitted from it, but he did no cause it.

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A Tennessee fan was sitting in front of me at the game in Tiger Stadium. He was asking me if I was concerned about Brian Kelly not being from the south and if he would be a cultural fit and be successful.

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It’s really weird how everyone was/is so worried about it. Like we speak a different language down here or only want someone that sounds dumb. LSU fans just want to compete for SEC and National championships

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True,Dinardo set the table for Saban. Not taking away from him. He did bring back the magic and all that,

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But Saban elevated the program to new heights and showed it could be done here.

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No. Like you just said, Dinardo showed it could be done here. Dinardo got Louisiana recruits to sign with LSU. He had LSU in the Top Ten.

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Saban is the one that pushed for facilities upgrades and convinced the administration they had to spend money to make money.

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Are you completely unaware of what actually happened? Emmert, Bertman, the Board, and the boosters had already decided to play big-money football. When they hired Saban, they gave Saban 8 times more per year than they paid Dinardo. Prior to hiring Saban, LSU was willing to spend money to make money. LSU was willing to pay for new facilities.

The cultural fit narrative is not only infuriating, it's idiotic. It started with the Coach 0 'talks like us' crowd and then idiots like Finebaum giving it credence.

You know a good culture? One that has accountability and attention to detail in pursuit of excellence.

Dietzel, Saban, and Miles were all from the north. Just win, baby.

Cute gifs. Dinardo lost his job because he lost his coordinators. He lost his coordinators because LSU admin were still cheapskates. Sure he got us into the top 10. So did Mike Archer. But those guys couldnt sustain success. And they didnt get us to the very top tier like Saban did. The “process” that everyone talks about is building a foundation for success. Miles benefitted greatly from that and whoever follows Saban at Alabama will likely win a championship just on what he has built, regardless of who it is.

Simple question: If Saban had bombed at LSU, finished at the bottom and been fired after 4 years, what would things have looked like at LSU over the next 2 decades?

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Like you just said, Dinardo showed it could be done here

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What did he show? That you could Win the peach bow or independence bowl here? Yeah he got us in the top 10 in consecutive seasons, but both those years lsu failed to Finish in the top 10.

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Are you completely unaware of what actually happened? Emmert, Bertman, the Board, and the boosters had already decided to play big-money footbal

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So do you think had the administration kept Dinardo after deciding to play big money ball that LSU still would’ve won the SEC in 2001?

Bump

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One of the absolute biggest wiffs in modern “journalism.

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Pump the brakes kid. Is it bad? Definitely.

But given the last three (oh hell, ten years) ? Not even close to a big whiff for the incompetents who
Make up the media.