THE SABAN TREE IS COACHING THE SPORT NOW
Nick Saban's coaching tree starts with mentors Don James, Earle Bruce, George Perles and Bill Belichick and runs through Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, the Miami Dolphins and Alabama, where he went 201 and 29 and won six of his seven national titles. Wikipedia lists 40 first time head coaches from his staffs. Jimbo Fisher, Kirby Smart and Curt Cignetti have won national titles as head coaches, and Cignetti's Indiana beat Mario Cristobal's Miami 27 to 21 for the title on January 19, 2026.
Key Points
- Wikipedia lists 40 assistants who got their first head coaching job after working for Saban.
- Fisher, Smart and Cignetti have all won national titles as head coaches since leaving him.
- The January 2026 title game pitted two former Saban assistants, Cignetti and Cristobal.
Nick Saban turned 75 on October 31, and a week later he sat down with Jason and Travis Kelce on New Heights and said the proposed 24 team College Football Playoff is too big. "There's not 24 teams in the country that can win the National Championship," he said. He has not coached a game since January 2024, and he retired on January 10 of that year. He does not need to coach. His tree is coaching the sport for him.
Count the branches and the numbers get hard to believe. Wikipedia's version of the Saban tree lists 40 assistants who got their first head coaching job after working for him, eight more who had already been head coaches before they arrived, and two of his former players. At least 17 of his former assistants are running FBS programs this season, and last January both sidelines of the national title game belonged to men who once worked for him. Below is the whole tree, built the way we built the Stüssy family tree, read from the roots down through every stop on the trunk, with the coaches who branched off on one side and the players who came through on the other.
Kent State Is Where the Roots Start
Saban says the tree did not start with him. "I'm not a tree expert, but I do know you can't grow one tree unless you have something from another tree," he told ESPN last December. "For me, that was Don James. I played for Coach James at Kent State." He stayed at Kent State as a graduate assistant in 1973 and coached linebackers there through 1976.
The other roots come from the jobs that followed. He coached defensive backs for Earle Bruce at Ohio State in 1980 and 1981, ran George Perles' defense at Michigan State from 1983 to 1987, and spent four seasons as Bill Belichick's defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns, from 1991 to 1994. In between he passed through Syracuse, West Virginia, Navy and the Houston Oilers.
Toledo, Then Cleveland
His first head job lasted one season. Toledo went 9 and 2 in 1990 and shared the Mid American Conference title, and a linebacker on that team, Matt Eberflus, became the Chicago Bears' head coach in 2022. Saban left after the one year to join Belichick in Cleveland, which made him an NFL coordinator before he ran a major college program.
Michigan State Grew the First Branches
Saban took over Michigan State in 1995 and went 34, 24 and 1 in five seasons, finishing 9 and 2 in 1999 before he left for LSU. His first staffs there produced a run of head coaches. Dean Pees, his defensive coordinator from 1995 to 1997, became Kent State's head coach. Mark Dantonio coached his defensive backs and later ran Michigan State himself from 2007 to 2019. Bobby Williams, his running backs coach, succeeded him in 2000. Josh McDaniels was a graduate assistant in 1999 and later coached the Broncos and the Raiders, and Pat Shurmur went on to coach the Browns and the Giants.
Plaxico Burress, a receiver on his last two Michigan State teams, went eighth overall to Pittsburgh in the 2000 draft.
LSU Gave Him His First Ring
At LSU from 2000 to 2004 he went 48 and 16 and won the 2003 BCS national championship. This is where the tree starts to look like a tree. Jimbo Fisher, his offensive coordinator, won a national title of his own at Florida State in the 2013 season. Will Muschamp, his defensive coordinator, later ran Florida and South Carolina. Derek Dooley followed him from LSU to the Dolphins and later coached Louisiana Tech and Tennessee. Mel Tucker coached his defensive backs in 2000, and Adam Gase started his climb on the same staffs.
Kirby Smart joined in 2004 as a defensive backs coach, the start of 11 seasons with Saban across three jobs. Michael Clayton and Marcus Spears, from those LSU teams, went in the first round of the 2004 and 2005 drafts.
Two Seasons With the Dolphins
Miami went 9 and 7 and then 6 and 10, and he left for Alabama after the second season. The staff outlasted the record. Jason Garrett coached his quarterbacks and later ran the Cowboys for nine seasons. Dan Quinn coached his defensive line, later took the Falcons to a Super Bowl, and has coached Washington since 2024. Scott Linehan left after 2005 to coach the Rams, and Mike Mularkey, his 2006 coordinator, later coached the Jaguars and the Titans. Smart coached his safeties in 2006. Jason Taylor was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year that season.
Alabama Is the Canopy
Alabama went 201 and 29 from 2007 to 2023 and won six national titles, in the 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020 seasons. That is where most of the branches grow. Smart ran the defense from 2008 to 2015 and has won two titles at Georgia. Curt Cignetti was on the first Alabama staff in 2007 as receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, then won at IUP, Elon, James Madison and Indiana.
Saban also made a habit of hiring head coaches who had just been fired. Lane Kiffin came after USC, Steve Sarkisian after USC, Mario Cristobal after FIU, Butch Jones after Tennessee and Bill O'Brien after the Houston Texans. Every one of them is a head coach again this season.
The players kept coming too. Mark Ingram won the Heisman Trophy in 2009, Derrick Henry in 2015, DeVonta Smith in 2020 and Bryce Young in 2021, and Young went first overall in 2023. In 2021 six Alabama players went in the first round, tying the record Miami set in 2004. Jalen Hurts, a second round pick, was the MVP of Super Bowl LIX, and Patrick Surtain II was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year for 2024.
Seventeen FBS Programs in 2026
The tree has never been fuller. Five of the 12 teams in last season's playoff were coached by former Saban assistants, Indiana, Georgia, Oregon, Ole Miss and Miami, according to ESPN. Pete Golding, his defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2022, made his head coaching debut in that playoff after Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU. Then Cignetti and Cristobal met for the title in Miami Gardens on January 19, and Indiana won 27 to 21 to finish 16 and 0.
That makes three of his former assistants with national titles as head coaches, Fisher once, Smart twice and Cignetti once. Not every branch stays green. Fisher was fired at Texas A&M in 2023, Billy Napier at Florida in 2025 and Mike Locksley at Maryland this season. Napier is already back at James Madison, the school Cignetti left for Indiana.
Smart put it plainly to ESPN. "I'm not sure anyone can match what Nick Saban has done when it comes to preparing coaches," he said. Cignetti went further. "He's not coached a game in nearly two years, and I think his influence has only grown since then."
The tree, stop by stop
Roots
- Don James, Kent State 1970–76, Played for him, then started coaching for him
- Earle Bruce, Ohio State 1980–81, Defensive backs coach
- George Perles, Michigan State 1983–87, Defensive coordinator
- Bill Belichick, Cleveland Browns 1991–94, Defensive coordinator
Toledo (1990), 9–2
Players
- Matt Eberflus, Linebacker on the 1990 team. Later: Chicago Bears 2022–24
Cleveland Browns (1991–94)
Michigan State (1995–99), 34–24–1
Coaches who became head coaches
- Dean Pees, Defensive coordinator, 1995–97. Later: Kent State 1998–2003
- Mark Dantonio, Defensive backs. Later: Cincinnati 2004–06, Michigan State 2007–19
- Bobby Williams, Running backs, then his successor. Later: Michigan State 2000–02
- Pat Shurmur, Offensive line and tight ends. Later: Cleveland Browns 2011–12, New York Giants 2018–19
- Josh McDaniels, Graduate assistant, 1999. Later: Denver Broncos 2009–10, Las Vegas Raiders 2022–23
Players
- Plaxico Burress, Receiver, No. 8 pick in the 2000 draft
- Herb Haygood, Receiver. Later: Madonna 2020–23
LSU (2000–04), 48–16
Coaches who became head coaches
- Jimbo Fisher, Offensive coordinator, 2000–04. Later: Florida State 2010–17 (national title 2013), Texas A&M 2018–23
- Will Muschamp, Defensive coordinator, 2002–04. Later: Florida 2011–14, South Carolina 2016–20
- Derek Dooley, LSU 2000–04, then the Dolphins. Later: Louisiana Tech 2007–09, Tennessee 2010–12
- Adam Gase, LSU staff. Later: Miami Dolphins 2016–18, New York Jets 2019–20
Players
- Michael Clayton, Receiver, No. 15 pick in the 2004 draft
- Marcus Spears, Defensive end, No. 20 pick in the 2005 draft
Miami Dolphins (2005–06), 15–17
Coaches who became head coaches
- Jason Garrett, Quarterbacks. Later: Dallas Cowboys 2011–19
- Dan Quinn, Defensive line. Later: Atlanta Falcons 2015–20, Washington Commanders 2024–
- Scott Linehan, Offensive coordinator, 2005. Later: St. Louis Rams 2006–08
- Mike Mularkey, Offensive coordinator, 2006. Later: Jacksonville Jaguars 2012, Tennessee Titans 2016–17
Players
- Jason Taylor, NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 2006
Alabama (2007–23), 201–29
Coaches who became head coaches
- Kirby Smart, LSU 2004, Dolphins 2006, Alabama defensive coordinator 2008–15. Later: Georgia 2016– (national title 2021, 2022)
- Curt Cignetti, Receivers and recruiting, 2007–10. Later: IUP 2011–16, Elon 2017–18, James Madison 2019–23, Indiana 2024– (national title 2025)
- Jim McElwain, Offensive coordinator, 2008–11. Later: Colorado State 2012–14, Florida 2015–17, Central Michigan 2019–24
- Major Applewhite, Offensive coordinator, 2007. Later: Houston 2016–18, South Alabama 2024–
- Geoff Collins, Player personnel, 2007. Later: Temple 2017–18, Georgia Tech 2019–22
- Joe Judge, Special teams, 2009–11. Later: New York Giants 2020–21
- Jeremy Pruitt, Defensive backs, then defensive coordinator 2016–17. Later: Tennessee 2018–20
- Billy Napier, Analyst, then receivers. Later: Louisiana 2018–21, Florida 2022–25, James Madison 2026–
- Mario Cristobal, Offensive line, 2013–16. Later: Oregon 2017–21, Miami 2022–
- Lane Kiffin, Offensive coordinator, 2014–16. Later: FAU 2017–19, Ole Miss 2020–25, LSU 2026–
- Mel Tucker, Defensive backs, 2015, after LSU in 2000. Later: Colorado 2019, Michigan State 2020–23
- Dan Lanning, Graduate assistant, 2015. Later: Oregon 2022–
- Tosh Lupoi, Linebackers, then defensive coordinator. Later: California 2026–
- Steve Sarkisian, Analyst 2016, offensive coordinator 2019–20. Later: Texas 2021–
- Mike Locksley, Analyst 2016, offensive coordinator 2018. Later: Maryland 2019–26
- Brent Key, Offensive line, 2016–18. Later: Georgia Tech 2023–
- Brian Daboll, Offensive coordinator, 2017. Later: New York Giants 2022–25
- Butch Jones, Offensive analyst. Later: Arkansas State 2021–
- Pete Golding, Defensive coordinator, 2018–22. Later: Ole Miss 2026–
- Charles Huff, Running backs, 2019–20. Later: Marshall 2021–24, Southern Miss 2025, Memphis 2026–
- Charles Kelly, Safeties, 2019–22. Later: Jacksonville State 2025–
- Bill O'Brien, Offensive coordinator, 2021–22. Later: Boston College 2024–
- Scott Cochran, Strength and conditioning, 2007–19. Later: West Alabama 2025–
- Lance Taylor, Graduate assistant. Later: Western Michigan 2023–
- Alex Mortensen, Graduate assistant, then analyst. Later: UAB 2026–
Players
- Mark Ingram II, Heisman Trophy, 2009
- Julio Jones, No. 6 pick, 2011
- Amari Cooper, No. 4 pick, 2015
- Derrick Henry, Heisman Trophy, 2015
- Minkah Fitzpatrick, No. 11 pick, 2018
- Quinnen Williams, No. 3 pick, 2019
- Tua Tagovailoa, No. 5 pick, 2020
- Jalen Hurts, Super Bowl LIX MVP
- DeVonta Smith, Heisman Trophy, 2020
- Jaylen Waddle, No. 6 pick, 2021
- Patrick Surtain II, NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 2024
- Mac Jones, No. 15 pick, 2021
- Najee Harris, No. 24 pick, 2021
- Bryce Young, Heisman Trophy, 2021, then the No. 1 pick
- Will Anderson Jr., No. 3 pick, 2023, Defensive Rookie of the Year
College GameDay (2024–)
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is in Nick Saban's coaching tree?
Head coaches who worked for him include Kirby Smart, Curt Cignetti, Jimbo Fisher, Mario Cristobal, Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian, Dan Lanning, Pete Golding, Mark Dantonio, Will Muschamp, Jason Garrett, Dan Quinn and Josh McDaniels.
Which Saban assistants have won a national title as head coach?
Jimbo Fisher at Florida State in the 2013 season, Kirby Smart at Georgia in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, and Curt Cignetti at Indiana in the 2025 season.
Who coached the 2026 national championship game?
Two former Saban assistants. Curt Cignetti's Indiana beat Mario Cristobal's Miami 27 to 21 on January 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Who were Nick Saban's mentors?
He played for and started coaching under Don James at Kent State, coached for Earle Bruce at Ohio State and George Perles at Michigan State, and was Bill Belichick's defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns.
How many national titles did Nick Saban win?
Seven, one at LSU in the 2003 season and six at Alabama, in the 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020 seasons.
When did Nick Saban retire?
He announced his retirement on January 10, 2024, after 17 seasons at Alabama, and now works as an analyst on ESPN's College GameDay.
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