By: Matthew Weatherby
When Nick Saban retired, at the University of Alabama it left a hole in college football. The sport lost its mouthpiece.
Everyone knew he would land a job on television in short order. Why?
Because his press conferences were appointment television during his time as Alabama’s head coach. A move to TV was an obvious next step for a man many believe is the greatest coach to ever walk the sidelines in college football.
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But it was Saban’s role as the sport’s voice that had people tuning into SEC Media Days and his press conferences. Fans wanted to hear his opinions on the offseason and the changes coming to college football.
Now that he’s retired, people are looking for a new leading voice among college coaches. The leading candidate? Kirby Smart.
Whether or not people believe he deserves the title, Smart was always going to be the heir apparent once he won a national title in 2021. The constant comparisons to Saban likely nudged public perception toward seeing Smart as the new mouthpiece of the sport.
While Smart seems to be the public’s choice, there are other voices that deserve respect as well — namely Ryan Day and Dabo Swinney.
They meet my criteria: 20-plus years of experience in college football, an active head coach, and at least one national championship. The only other coach who met those standards prior to this offseason was Mack Brown, who has since been replaced at North Carolina by Bill Belichick.
However, Swinney and Day don’t carry the same weight in the public eye — Swinney, because of his long-standing refusal to embrace the transfer portal until this year, and Day, because he didn’t win his title until this year. Still, Day’s voice is beginning to carry more influence in the national conversation.
A coach not meeting those requirements doesn’t mean their opinion isn’t valid, but those who do meet them tend to carry more weight.
A great example came at SEC Media Days when Eli Drinkwitz suggested a 30-team playoff. Drinkwitz is a long-tenured coach, but his comments only resonated because of how outlandish they were.
This is exactly why college football needs a voice like Saban’s — not because he was always right, but because he was knowledgeable and could cut through the noise. The only time you’d hear something similar to Drinkwitz from Saban was when he was angry or being sarcastic.
College football is starving for a steady, informed voice. Right now, Smart appears to be the public front-runner. But in the ever-changing landscape of the sport, someone needs to step up and be a more vocal leader.
