Nick Saban is the greatest college football coach of all time. That's an inarguable fact. Saban hung it up following the 2023 season after winning seven National Championships, six of which were at Alabama. He dominated the sport. Along the way, he was also a kingmaker.
His coaching tree is well documented. Some of the top programs in the sport - Georgia, Texas, Oregon, to name a few - are led by head coaches who once worked for Saban at Alabama. But the numbers are even more staggering than you may think.
After UAB fired Trent Dilfer on Sunday, the Blazers promoted Alex Mortensen to interim head coach. Mortensen was an analyst at Alabama for three years from 2020-2022. He's unlikely to land the full-time gig, but at least for now, Mortensen makes 16 former Saban assistants/staffers at Alabama who are now FBS head coaches. That's one for every eight and a half programs:
UAB interim coach Alex Mortensen, who was an analyst at Alabama from 2020-22, makes it 16 former Nick Saban assistants or staffers who are currently FBS head coaches.
— Creg Stephenson the First (@CregStephenson) October 12, 2025
There are 136 FBS coaches, so former Saban assistants/staffers account for nearly 12% of them.
The full list: pic.twitter.com/vRbcsmf9h9
That's not to mention Brian Daboll (New York Giants) or Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders), who are NFL head coaches who once worked for Saban. Daboll was Alabama's offensive coordinator in 2017, while Quinn was on Saban's staff with the Miami Dolphins.
Nick Saban's coaching tree speaks to his greatness as a coach
Saban always had an eye for talent. Not just in recruiting, where his ability to evaluate was as good as anyone in the history of college football. But he also had a keen eye for coaching talent.
It's another incredible notch in his belt that so many former assistants have gone on to run their own programs. A great many of them have been successful. Kirby Smart, Steve Sarkisian, and Lane Kiffin were always the gold standard of former Saban assistants. Now, with the work Curt Cignetti has done at Indiana, he's joined that elite rank.
Brent Key could be well on his way, too, with the former Alabama OL coach leading his alma mater, Georgia Tech, to a 6-0 start to the 2025 season.
It wasn't just identifying young talent, which Saban did with coaches like Smart, Dan Lanning, and Billy Napier. It was his ability to identify coaches who had failed, but had potential, and the "Saban coaching rehabilitation center." Guys like Sarkisian, Kiffin, Mario Cristobal, Butch Jones, and Mike Locksley are among the coaches who joined Saban's staff after having been fired as head coaches. They've all, at various points, credited Saban for helping resurrect their careers.
As much joy as Saban got from leading so many great Alabama teams, he certainly takes a vicarious joy in watching his former assistants go on to so much success, too.