Tide turner?

Watch: Saban accepts job

Dolphins' reaction

Back in 1979, when I was a student assistant football coach at West Virginia University, we had a defensive backfield coach by the name of Nick Saban. I don't remember everything about our coaching staff that year, but I do remember that Saban was the hardest-working guy I had ever seen. He was only 28, but many of us knew he was going to be a big-time coach someday.

Well, as of Wednesday, he is the big-time coach at Alabama. And, he is the highest-paid big-time coach in college football with a contract reportedly worth $32 million.

Although Saban should have stayed and finished the job with the Miami Dolphins, if his heart was set on coaching at Alabama I can't fault him for making the decision to go there. Coaching is a very unforgiving profession, and you had better love what you're doing and where you're doing it or you probably won't be around very long anyway.

Saban was wrong when he publicly stated that he would not be the coach at Alabama. Your word is your bond in this world. and you can't choose when that rule applies and when it does not. This is not something that will define his legacy as a coach – but it is something Saban will carry with him the rest of his career.

And $32 million? That's too much to be paying a college coach anywhere. It probably represents the mess Alabama's program is in more than what Saban's services really are worth. Of course, I don't fault Saban for taking it. But I do question Alabama's reasoning for offering it.

But in spite of all these things, the Crimson Tide got the right man for the job. Saban is a tough-minded individual who will win quickly at Alabama. He is strong enough to deal with the boosters and smart enough to do it without turning them off. He is an old-school X-and-O ball coach and a sophisticated CEO. Most importantly, he will take Alabama's recruiting efforts to another level just as he did at LSU.

Things just got even more interesting in the SEC.