The Nick Saban Effect is in motion! The legendary college football head coach retired after recording 292-71-1 with a total of seven National Championships and developed several players to be NFL-ready. But the players aren’t the only ones who benefited from his coaching. Nick Saban also mentored some of the best CFB coaches of today. 

On September 25, CFB insider Brett McMurphy got on X to pen down the influence of Nick Saban on college football despite his retirement. The post reads, “The Saban Effect: 5 of the top 8 ranked teams head coaches worked under Nick Saban.” The list of those coaches include Steve Sarkisian of Texas, Kirby Smart of Georgia, Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss, Mario Cristobal of Miami, and Dan Lanning of Oregon. 

After their 4-0 record, the latest AP Top 25 rankings put the Longhorns on top of the CFB rankings. The Bulldogs were pushed back to the second spot after their last 13-12 victory against Kentucky. The Ole Miss Rebels found themselves at No. 5 after winning four games so far this season. The Hurricanes with a 4-0 record tagged behind at No. 7 while the Oregon Ducks snagged the No. 8 spot. All of these top head coaches once worked under the mighty Saban. Two of them even beat their mentor after finding their own head coaching role! 

Nick Saban’s all-time record with his former assistants who are now head coaches is 28-3. The head coaches of the top two teams Steve Sarkisian and Kirby Smart even beat the GOAT in one game each with the other loss coming from former Texas A&M HC Jimbo Fisher. While the loss may be a blow for Saban, it’s still a testament to how good the products of his coaching have turned out. 

Nick Saban leaves a lasting impression on his former assistants 

When Nick Saban retired in January, everyone was shocked including Kirby Smart who joked that he would like to bring all the coaches he has coached so far together to his Florida home to talk about his legendary career. ESPN made that a reality when 11 Saban alum coaches got together, including all those five listed above, and talked about his intimidating, hardworking, and caring nature. 

Now, Nick Saban may be an ESPN analyst, but he revealed that he’s still a “coach at heart.” There’s an upcoming game by his former team Alabama and his former assistant coach Georgia. Smart already has one win against Saban but this year, Kalen DeBoer is holding the reins for the Crimson Tide, making it an even bigger game to speculate. Saban’s heart is still out for Alabama, so much so that he was even called out for coaching issues by Georgia. The Alabama vs UGA showdown is a game we’re all waiting for as the No. 2 meets No. 4 in what would be a stiff competition between the SEC powerhouses. 

Tune in to more college football talk on our exclusive Think Tank interview with Doug Sanders?