mike shula got javy BECAUSE nobody else recruited him. not because of any keen eye for talent. (translation: he got lucky) i vehemently deny mike shula did anything any other coach – recruiting, coaching or otherwise – could have done BECAUSE HE WAS AT ALABAMA WITH IT’S BUILT IN ADVANTAGES.

a ham sandwich could have done what mike shula did. was brett favre highly recruited??? NO. that’s why curly hallman got a shot at him. favre got hallman the lsu gig which he promptly bombed out on.

nick saban was hired at lsu and did what the others, hallman included, couldn’t do. he’s done it again following shula.

i challenge someone to try and make a rational argument that nick saban couldn’t have recruited at the pace he does because of the disadvantage he would have suffered by following the mike price shitstorm. i would submit nick saban would have done what he’s doing now following the program being shutdown.

i love javy as much as the next ‘bama fan. but he wasn’t just overlooked by the florida schools. the recruiting services didn’t think much of him either. javy was a one star until alabama started showing some interest. he almost overnight became a three star.

did someone suddenly see the light about javy??? no. he suddenly became “hot” BECAUSE of alabama.

mike shula was the bosses son promoted because of his last name. if the truth were known ray fucking perkins probably did more coaching of that team than shula did. nothing special happened during that four years. mike shula was at the helm of a program that treaded water before finally (and thankfully) drowning in ’06.

nothing more, nothing less.

(and a fluff piece from the miami herald designed to make don shula sleep better isn’t going to change my mind on that)