19 for 19: How does Nick Saban stack up against college football?

Alabama will begin its quest for an 18th national title on Aug. 31 when the Crimson Tide takes on Duke inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. To help pass the time until then, BamaInsider is answering 19 important questions concerning the 2019 season.

Today we continue the series by comparing Nick Saban to the rest of college football, examine the number of first-round draft picks since his time at Alabama, and look at the Nick Saban coaching tree.

That is the message to college coaches across the Country trying to surpass or emulate Alabama football coach Nick Saban. Since arriving in Tuscaloosa in 2007, Saban has simply become the greatest coach in college football history. From his five national titles (six total as he won one at LSU) to the number of players his organization has sent to the NFL, to his coaching tree, we are witnessing greatness on all fronts.

Let’s start with his overall coaching record at the college level. Saban is 251-64-1 (.796 Win%) overall through 23 seasons with a 14-10 record in bowl games. His record at Alabama is 146-21 over the last 12 seasons winning five college football championships. During his tenure at coaching in the SEC, Saban has also won the SEC Championship eight times (2001, 2003, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018). When we compare Saban against other high profile and well-established college football coaches from across the Country, you’ll find that Saban has set the bar extremely high.

Clemson’s Dabo Swinney is 116-30 with two national championships. Jimbo Fisher who just completed his first year at Texas A&M is 97-27 overall as a head coach with one national title that he won when he coached at Florida State and recently retired Urban Meyer who coached at Utah from 2003-04, then at Florida from 2005-10, and most recently at Ohio State from 2012-2018 finished his career 187-32 with three national championships in 2006, 2008, and in 2014.

Currently, Nick Saban is No. 8 on the all-time wins list of college coaches throughout history and is chasing Nebraska great Tom Osborne who finished his career with 255 wins. No. 1 on the all-time wins list is former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno who has 409 wins, then former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden who has 357 wins, and at No. 3 its former Alabama coach Bear Bryant who has 323 wins with six national titles.

Since 2010, 28 former players from Alabama have been drafted in the first round. Following Nick Saban's first season with the Crimson Tide in 2007, Alabama had zero players selected during the first round. In 2009, offensive tackle Andre Smith was taken as the no. 6 overall pick to Cincinnati.

In the last three seasons under Saban, Alabama has sent eleven players to the first round, providing further evidence that Saban’s method of “trust the process” works with not only winning games but also in the overall development of his players.

The coaching tree under Nick Saban is incredible when you dive into the coaches now coaching their own program or who are high-level assistants at other big-time programs. Saban’s coaching tree is extensive, but here are a few notable coaches that coached under Saban at one time or another.

Current Dallas Cowboy head coach Jason Garrett coached under Nick Saban as the quarterback’s coach for the Miami Dolphins. Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher was Saban’s offensive coordinator at LSU from 2000-04, Kirby Smart who is now the head coach at Georgia was Saban’s defensive coordinator at Alabama from 2008-15, Will Muschamp who is the head coach at South Carolina coached under Saban at LSU from 2002-04 as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

Jeremy Pruitt who enters his second year as the head coach at Tennessee was Saban’s defensive coordinator at Alabama 2016-17, Mario Cristobal who is the head coach at Oregon coached under Saban from 2013-2016 as the offensive line coach, and most recently, Mike Locksley left to become the head coach at Maryland, before that he coached under Saban as Alabama’s offensive coordinator during the 2018 season.

Comment on this story here

Talk with thousands of Alabama fans inside the Talk of Champions Forum

Kyle Henderson is the managing editor of BamaInsider.com. E-mail him at Kyle@Bamainsider.com