Who Should Replace Lance Thompson?
by outsidethesidelines on Jan 16, 2009 12:34 PM CST
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PrintSince it's Friday, I figure it would be nice to get a good interactive thread going over the weekend. Long story short, who do you think should replace Lance Thompson?
Keep in mind that someone with a background in linebackers would be a major plus, and also it is a standard requirement that any Coach Saban assistant not only be a great recruiter, but also someone who is willing to spend an ungodly amount of time out on the road recruiting. Also, add a few lines as to why you picked your particular selection.
Personally, my vote goes to Travis Jones. Now that the New Orleans Saints have brought in Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator, Jones should now be open, and I do think he would be a good hire. He is a relatively young and energetic coach, and he also has a great background as a recruiter. Moreover, he has coached for Saban before at LSU in 2003 and 2004 -- where he was also recruiting coordinator, helping Saban bring in two incredible classes -- and he actually coached outside linebackers in the NFL under Saban in 2006 with the Miami Dolphins.
Moreover, he is a native of south Georgia, and he has a lot of recruiting experience in the greater Mobile area as well as the Florida panhandle, another major positive for anyone looking to replace Thompson. Furthermore, I'm sure Saban would love to add another Georgia native, if but for nothing more than it would allow us to further tap that state, something he has been trying to do since the day he arrived at Alabama. Finally, just being frank, it probably helps a bit that Jones is an African-American. I'm not trying to unnecessarily use racial classifications, mind you, but the truth remains that about 80% of BCS conference recruits these days are African-Americans, and having another African-American assistant coach on our staff probably provide a bit more in the way of benefits.
Anyway, Jones is my choice, and that's why. Hopefully he'll get the job, but we'll see. I imagine many names will start popping up in the near future.
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I agree BUT...
Since we have two openings, does Jones take CLT or CKS’s place. I am not sure of all the ‘top recruiters’ out there, but I like Jones. I feel or hope that we land Jones in one of the openings we have.
~ ROLL TIDE ~
GO SOX!!
I agree
Jones would a good one if we can get him. He played at UGA as did Smart so maybe they are friends, although I think Jones is a little older than Smart. Of the schools in the SEC I would rather have UGA guys on our staff than any other school except Bama. I suspect they have played pretty close to the rules at UGA.
In an unrelated matter I think UT is worse than AU in the slim department. I think the whole Kiffin thing will blow up in their face.
Really
Like Jones. Hopefully we can get him. I did not know that much about him prior to hearing his name as a possibililty but, he and Saban had some pretty incredible recruiting classes together. LA and GA ties…… I likey
Auburn fans are like slinkys... not really good for anything but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
As
a Saints fan I would be extremely happy to see us get Jones. Nawlins’ D was horrid this past season but was certainly no fault of Jones. Gibbs was a bad playcaller, never blitzed and relied on 4 down lineman to get pressure on the QB.
Thirty-Six to Nothing
A new name being mentioned...
According to al.com, Reginald Ruffin’s name is in the mix.
The Crimson Tide appeared to take steps toward filling one position coach spot Thursday, when discussions began with Tuskegee University defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Reginald Ruffin, according to another source with knowledge of Alabama’s goals.
~ ROLL TIDE ~
GO SOX!!
who?
When you are an Alabama fan you are expected to hate Auburn, I hate Tennessee because I want to.
Ruffin...
Ruffin kind of fits the mold of the young and energetic coach that Saban loves so much. In other words, he’s a young, hungry guy who’s not going to complain one second about the 60-80 hour work weeks that the ol’ Nicktator loves so much.
Anyway, he was a legendary, by their standards, linebacker in the early-to-mid 1990’s at UNA. Anyway, he worked his way up through the high school level, and was head coach at Choctaw County High in Butler, Alabama. He kept working his way up the latter, and for the past three seasons he has been the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach for Tuskegee. All in all, he’s had a ton of success there. Last year he led them to black college national championship with an undefeated record, and they had another great season again this year. He’s a quality coach.
Putting it all together, it sounds like we are in serious discussions with him, and I can see. He looks to be a very good young coach who is just now starting to work his way through the ranks, and he could be a valuable tool for us. Furthermore, he has spent nearly all of his time working in Alabama, and obviously he has plenty of relationships with all of the in-state programs, and thus he could be a very valuable asset in terms of helping us keep the state’s prep talent locked down.
All in all, I’d be happy if we hired him. He’d be the lowest on the totem pole of our coaching staff, but he’s a guy who looks to have a very promising future, and frankly he just fits the mold of what Coach Saban is looking for.
I will add one more thing, however… From what all I’ve read, Ruffin would almost certainly be hired as the replacement for Kevin Steele as the inside linebackers coach. Ruffin would not be brought on board as the replacement for Lance Thompson. That will be someone else, and as I have already speculated, I figure we’ll look first at Travis Jones.
Personally, I hope we can get both Ruffin and Jones. I’d be very pleased if we could wrap things up with those additions.
by outsidethesidelines on Jan 16, 2009 7:36 PM CST up reply actions
I remember Ruffin playing at UNA
I live about 40 miles from UNA and follow their football program closely each season. I remember when Ruffin was there. They called their defense the Purple Swarm, they were awesome! Probably the best defense in Division II football ever. It seems that Ruffin has one valuable characteristic that really stands out, he ain’t nothing but a winner. He has had success wherever he has gone. As far as recruiting goes, I am sure Saban can teach him a thing or two. Just wanted to add my two cents worth.
krap krap krap!!!
wow…i haven’t been on in a couple of days cause i was busy writing papers for grad school, but wow. my heart dropped as soon as i read Lance Thompson left for UcheatT. i know CNS is still the man, but losing Lance Thompson HAS to hurt. he was our best recruiter last year and was key in retaking the mobile area. and to leave to for UcheaT no less? good recruiters don’t just fall off trees. i can’t help thinking that we’ll end up losing a few recruits, if not this year then next year and beyond, to UcheaT. and they already have Orgeron to help with recruiting as well. i really hope UcheaT ends up sucking hard the next few years so that Lane Kiffin gets fired and that whole staff gets blown up.
anyways, i’m gonna try and get back to being optimistic and believing in CNS.
side note
LT was the one who recruited all of our current 5-stars (DJ, AJ, & Nico) this year. and was also the one working on Darren Myles. not to mention, he is credited for Julio and Burton Scott last year as well. whoever replaces him has big shoes to fill.
of course we can’t give him all the credit. CNS after all is the closer.
correction
i meant DJ, Trent & Nico. and i just read Todd’s post about adding fuel to the fire. my apologies for any redundancy.
Travis Jones
sounds good. I honestly don’t know enough of these behind the scenes guys anymore to offer any names, but Saban surely does and he’ll find somebody good. This is really nothing more than the nature of the beast.
You
got it. We know LT was good but look at it as an opportunity to possibly upgrade.
Thirty-Six to Nothing
jon gruden
hell, why not? he’s available, UcheaT fans really wanted him as their coach, he’s an upgrade over steele and thompson combined, did i mention it would piss off the vols? he could probably recruit well, has a defensive background, makes really cool faces, and is way more useful than a prosthetic vagina. he’d be the first (and only) $4 million position coach, he’s young enough to meet saban’s demanding schedule, has already made monte kiffin his bitch and has hair similar to saban’s. have you seen that guy bite his upper lip?
Tommy Tuberville
He is available… also in a slightly less joking manner what about Sly Croom?
Cause bama's pluck and gritt has writ her name in crimson flame.
Na
wouldn’t make the cut with Saban considering both are losers and can’t recruit.
Thirty-Six to Nothing
Dude...
…don’t throw Croom in with the Tubervillain. Despite what he struggled with at MSU, the man has good character, a long history of winning, and the right pedigree. Tubs has won, but is still a jerk.
by NiceLittleSaturday on Jan 17, 2009 9:14 AM CST up reply actions
Croom?
What an idea. I’m serious. I don’t know if Saban would want him but I think he could do a good job.
This Ruffin I just don’t know. Can he recruit in the SEC?
Croom and Ruffin...
Croom would make a damn fine linebackers coach, no doubt about it. I was never impressed with him as an offensive coach, whether it be in the NFL or at MSU, bt he was a great linebackers coach here at Alabama for several years, and personally I always thought that was his strength. And moreover, he could be a very effective recruiter.
However, there are a couple of concerns with Croom. First and foremost is the amount of time being put in. Again, Saban demands an ungodly amount of time, and I’m not so sure Croom would be jumping at the bit with regard to that aspect. Finally, there is a fairly big consensus that Croom burned a lot of bridges when he was at MSU. He didn’t speak too kindly of us on several occasions, and some have said he turned us in for the most minor of infractions (like one example, he reported us for having a media guide that was fractions of an inch bigger than allowed under NCAA regulations). I’m not saying those two things are enough to disqualify him, but I could see them making his return fairly difficult.
As for Ruffin, I wouldn’t have any real worries about him as a recruiter. In fact, he’d probably be a damn good recruiter. You have to keep in mind that most of recruiting is persistence and relationships with coaches and players in the area you are playing in, and the remainder really just comes down to how strong the program is that you are trying to sell. Obviously at Alabama, we’re an elite program to sell, so that’s no worry, and beyond that he would clearly work his ass off and put many hours in on the road, and obviously he has a ton of great contacts and relationships throughout the state. When you put it all together, that’s really all you need to have a great recruiter.
And besides, the ultimate endorsement of your recruiting potential is getting hired by Saban. He’s not going to hire anyone who cannot be a great recruiter and bring in a lot of talent. It’s simply a pre-requisite for being legitimately considered for one of his staff openings.
by outsidethesidelines on Jan 17, 2009 10:28 AM CST up reply actions
Wait a minute.
Does the NCAA seriously regulate the size of a school’s media guide?! That is completely ridiculous. It’s time to march on Indianapolis with pitchforks and torches.
-D.
Yes...
Does the NCAA seriously regulate the size of a school’s media guide?!
Unfortunately, the answer to that question is an unqualified yes.
The NCAA has very strict guidelines for the publication of media guides. They must adhere to a certain size, they cannot include color photos, etc. Basically it’s a way of keeping the costs down.
Supposedly, and you have to consider the source on this one, larger schools get a competitive advantage over smaller schools by having much nicer and more elaborate media guides. Hence the very strict guidelines regarding their publications.
I’ll see if I can find the specific NCAA by-laws regarding them later, and if I can I’ll post them.
by outsidethesidelines on Jan 17, 2009 3:38 PM CST up reply actions
I really can't see
Croom going anywhere as a position coach. After being a head coach I can see him as a coordinator, but not much less. Am I wrong?
I bleed crimson and white...I puke Vol puke orange. RTR
I know nothing about...
either Ruffin or Jones, but from what I’ve read, they both sound like they could make huge contributions to the Tide. Ruffin sounds like an up an comer that work his tail off if given this huge break. I hope we are able to land at least one of these guys.
Last Point on Lance Thompson
This tidbit was mentioned in Rapport’s Blog on Thompson
You’ll read a small note today about how the wife of former Alabama outside linebackers coach Lance Thompson has filed for divorce, according to court documents. Stacy Lynn Thompson cited irreconcilable differences in the paperwork filed on Jan. 8 with Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court.
It might explain a little more about what cause Thompson to leave for UT. It was a bad time for him to leave Alabama, but it sounds like it might have been a good time for his family.
He
still didn’t have to go UT of all places. Surely the 2008 Rivals recruiter of the year could have found employment at any number of schools if wanted to leave T-town that badly due to personal issues.
Thirty-Six to Nothing
Sometimes......
the evil empire knows you are weak, and goes after you at the most vulnerable time. UcheaT = evil empire and kiffin = dumb vader. Come to the dark side Lance, come work with my father (I can’t think of a way to do the deep breathing voice)
Well, are you gonna pull them pistols, or whistle dixie?
I also support......
Ruffin, I was a great linebacker and done a very good job of coaching. But, I will trust CNS to hire whom he feels is best. His choices have been pretty good so far, so he’ll do fine with this.
Well, are you gonna pull them pistols, or whistle dixie?
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