Is Nick Saban The Greatest NCAA Coach in History?

Here is part 2 of who is the greatest coach in NCAA history?

Nick Saban is the best college football coach in recent history.

For the last ten years, Nick Saban has dominated college football as Saban has built a program that is more than just a college football team that wins a few games here and there, it’s built to be a perennial championship contender year in and year out.

The greatest compliment a coach can get is when you can say he coaches an all-star team every year, but was it always like that?

Nick Saban

Growing Pains

Saban’s head coaching career started in December of 1989 when he was hired by the University of Toledo and took them to a 9-2 record immediately, but left after the 1990 season to become the defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns under Bill Belichick.

Saban has had other stops along the way, including a stint with Michigan State in 1995 where he had moderate success turning the program around and taking them to three straight bowl games, giving them a winning record for the first time in five years(1990).

LSU, was the next stop in 2000 where he took the Tigers to the 2003 BCS National Championship game defeating the Oklahoma Sooners winning his first National Championship.

Nick Saban also had a short run in the NFL head coaching the Miami Dolphins where he went under .500 (15-17) in his two years there missing the playoffs both seasons in 2005-2006.

But it’s his work that with Alabama that has vaulted him into the status of legends.

Success

Saban’s tenure with Alabama has paid dividends as they have consistently won championships year after year, their success has also catapulted his players into a position to enter the NFL.

Nick Saban has 6 National Championshps in 15 seasons with Alabama. That’s more than 1 championship every 3 years.

It’s not supposed to be this easy! College football is a sport with multiple blueblood programs that can attract top tier talent. Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Clemson, all teams with great coaches and players, with national following, look defenseless against Alabama almost every year, that’s how great Saban prepares his teams.

Nick Saban isn’t great because he can recruit any player in the country. Nick Saban is legendary because of his ability to get talent, then maximize their potential. Saban can take a three-star recruit and turn them into a great college player, meanwhile taking a top recruit and turning them into college legends.

As mentioned above, Saban consistently turns top recruits into top NFL Draft picks as most of those players go on to get paid, and some go on to be an All-Pro in the league.

There will be those who will say Nick Saban isn’t the greatest coach in college sports or, and some will even point to John Wooden, fair right? Well, my retort is that there is no other coach in the history of college sports, that is as consistently great as Nick Saban.

This generations level of recruiting and coaching is the most competitive it’s ever been, at least in my opinion, all while competing against other national brands, larger markets with deeper pockets, bigger and better cities, yet time and time again….Nick Saban is the last one standing as his team continuously over-matches every other team in his sport.