Every program at every school across the country is led by a head coach. However, who that person is doesn’t necessarily matter as much as it once did according to Paul Finebaum.
Finebaum shared that take during an appearance on ‘McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning’ on Monday. To him, the specific brands at each college are bigger and more important than the coach that represents them, especially now after two more of the sport’s best names left this offseason.
“Well, I think there’s a sense of irony that the two biggest names in the game walked away – Saban and Harbaugh. But I don’t think it really affects the game very much,” said Finebaum. “You look around the landscape of college football – who has the biggest brand? It’s Alabama, it’s Georgia, it’s Ohio State.”
“I don’t think, at this point, the coach is as important as the brand,” said Finebaum.
Much of that has to do with his belief that college football doesn’t have any figures in their head coaches. They certainly have successful names in their own rights but few are recognizable to the general public outside of their respective footprints to Finebaum.
“Now, listen, Nick Saban was a standalone coach. There has really never been another one like that. I think the question starts to be asked, like, ‘Who out there is in that position?’. Really, the answer is nobody,” said Finebaum. “Kirby Smart, for all of his success, is not somebody that could walk down fifth avenue in New York and be overwhelmed by people. Nick Saban would have been recognized. Kirby Smart? Yeah, you might have somebody look at him but they’re probably going to do a double-take. Ryan Day, I think, could walk down the street and hardly anyone would recognize him.”
“Who is after that? Kalen DeBoer is considered as one of the five best coaches in the country, not that well-known. Brian Kelly is probably better known than a few others. Everybody will point toward Kiffin. Part of that is longevity – he has coached in the NFL, he has coached at Southern Cal, he has coached in the SEC – but he’s still not what I would call a superstar coach,” Finebaum continued.
That’s why, like it’s already trending, collegiate football will continue to be a player-led game. Coaches will still have their leading roles with the programs and in the games but, at this point, Finebaum sees what’s happening and how much more attention that the actual players get in this day and age.
“I think, right now, it’s the players there. It’s not the coaches,” said Finebaum. “We started last season and all the conversation was about Caleb Williams.”
“I think we’re going to continue down that trail because that’s really where the action goes,” Finebaum said.
The post Paul Finebaum ponders the importance of coaches in today’s age of college football appeared first on On3.