There was no chance that Nick Saban was ever going to come to Austin. None. Zero. Zip. When Mack Brown finally got pushed out at Texas, Saban already had 3 National Championships in the previous 5 years and more importantly he had recruiting locked-in and had the Bama administration trained up the way he wanted them. Money might be the only reason to leave, and Alabama had already shown a willingness to make him the highest paid coach. The only way Texas fit into his plans was perhaps a trip to Austin to panic Bama into giving him more money.
Should MB have retired sooner? Yes.
Did he "leave the cupboard bare"? No, that was just Strong's incompetence. (Let's purge all OL and then complain about lack of depth).
Should we celebrate his time here? Damn straight. As far as I'm concerned, they should build a statue to Mack Brown.
Akers, McWilliams, Mackovic, Brown, Strong, Herman....once of these ain't like the other ones.