That is absolutely why he hired Golding, but not BoB.
When we snagged Golding, he was viewed as one of the bright young defensive minds coming up the ranks. I think something about him impressed Saban, and he thought he could take another young guy and mold him into a force, much like he did Kirby.
Now, why didn’t that work? I don’t know. Why do we continue to stand by PG year after year? I don’t get it either. I do think he’s gotten marginally better, but games like this still happen far too often. There’s no debating that Golding has been a disappointment. Maybe youthful arrogance, maybe it’s a scheme not built for the SEC, maybe a combination of a lot of things.
But I can guaran-fricken-tee you, the thought; “This guy will be so mediocre that I can keep him for a decade” never entered Saban’s mind.