Nick Saban Chases Away Another SEC Coach

Mark Richt The Latest To Feel The Effect Of Not Living Up To Alabama Coach’s Standard

First it was Phil Fulmer.

Then Urban Meyer.

Then nearly Les Miles.

And now Mark Richt.

The latter is the latest SEC coach to be chased away by Nick Saban and his exacting standards. Saban has not just set the bar in the SEC, he’s set it so high that other programs are scrambling to even see the bar.

Georgia officials let go of Richt (later hired as head coach of the Miami Hurricanes) because, well, Richt didn’t produce wins and championships like Saban.

True, Alabama did not play Georgia on a regular basis during Richt’s tenure. But Saban twice spanked the Richt-led Bulldogs in front of the home fans in Athens, most recently this season.

Georgia, undefeated entering that game, then imploded and limped to a 9-3 finish. Losing Nick Chubb played a big part but Chubb played in the Bama game and was bottled up with the exception of one run in a meaningless fourth quarter.

Then there was the 2012 SEC Championship game, won by Alabama 32-28.

The game ended with Georgia on the Bama 5-yard line and Bulldog fans are still screaming that had they won – or had Richt spiked the ball to run another play – they would have won the National Championship.

All other coaches in other conferences must be relieved they are in a different league than Saban because no other coach has affected the coaching landscape like Saban has the SEC since arriving at Alabama in 2007.

So who’s next? Most likely it’s Gus Malzahn at Auburn. He enters 2016 on the hot seat and plays Alabama at Tuscaloosa. He could be added to the list of coaches that have been sent packing by the standard which Saban has set at Alabama.