Nick Saban to staff size critics like Ed Orgeron: Deal with it
By Andrew Olson
Published:
LSU coach Ed Orgeron is not a fan of a current trend in college football toward hiring more and more off-field staffers.
The way the first-year LSU coach sees it, the nine on-field assistants should each get an off-field assistant of their own and that would be the extent of assistant coaches. Orgeron expounded upon the subject Wednesday evening and said all teams should be on a level playing field.
O on support staff, if there was a maximum: "Every assistant coach ought to have an assistant. That's 18 assistants." #LSU
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 9, 2017
O on support staff size: "I believe we're at the lower end (of support staff size). I'm happy what we have. Should be equal playing ground."
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 9, 2017
Nick Saban, whose Alabama staff is known as one of college football’s largest, is not on board with the idea. Saban was asked about Orgeron’s comments at his Thursday press conference and rejected the idea for any kind of limit on staff size.
“My philosophy is we should be able to have whatever staff size we want to have,” Saban said Thursday evening. “I mean whatever we’re willing to invest because we’re investing in the players. Everybody thinks we’re creating a competitive advantage, but really what we’re investing in is the players. Whether it’s academic support folks, whether it’s administrators, whether it’s player development coaches, all these things help us have the kind of program where players can have a better chance to be successful in life. I think we should be able to have whatever we want. If somebody else doesn’t like it, they should hire more people too.”
The question to Nick Saban specifically referenced Ed Orgeron's comments. https://t.co/zxtyxQoQDU
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) August 10, 2017
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
