Could Dinardo have turned LSU around w/NIL and the portal

Dinardo’s issue wasn’t talent

Whoa, I'm talking about the first three years when he got there, not when Tepper came in and Dinardo ran off the good coaches.

Getting Faulk was huge, can't be understated.

DiNardo became paranoid the last 2 seasons he was here. Talent wasn't his problem. He didn't trust any of his coaches.

True Story about Saban and LSU. Saban sent Terry down to scope out everything.

She told him weight room needed work
There wasn't a Football operations facility
Nutrition center was needed
Nick you should see these DL. Look like NFL DL

Only with a grade A Oline

Dinardo had talent. Look what Hal Hunter did with the same roster.

The only reason LSU got Faulk/Hoss, the previous staff.

quote:

---

Joe Dean ran LSU like a Converse penny-pincher, back when LSU BOS power players used their positions to run supplier contracts with TigerStadium, PMAC,etc..and to land renovation contracts on campus buildings,etc..

Emmert changed the landscape and mindsets as to how to do things, and to what was actually possible.

---

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

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

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. DiNardo's salary was $150,000 per year.

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. More than double Saban's salary at Michigan State. 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 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 needed to play at an elite level.

Saban did NOT lay the foundation for this program to keep being successful. The 2007 and 2019 Natties are not the result of Saban coming to Baton Rouge.

The LSU administration changed directions before Saban arrived.

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

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.

No, because he still wouldn't have fired Lou Tepper.

His coaching prowess brought us all the way back to the Independence Bowl twice in 5 years. How exciting was that? No reason to assume he couldn’t do at least as well with NIL.