Nick Saban's legendary coaching tree will be on full display in the College Football Playoff's semifinal matchups between the Miami Hurricanes and Ole Miss Rebels in the Fiesta Bowl, and the Indiana Hoosiers' rematch with the Oregon Ducks in the Peach Bowl.
Saban had Indiana's Curt Cignetti as his WR coach during the first four years of his run, which included a rough 2007 debut that saw the team lose to the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, a championship in 2009/2010, and helping blow a lead in the "Camback" during the 2010 Iron Bowl.
Mario Cristobal (OL coach) and Dan Lanning (GA) were part of the mid-2010s era Tide, and both won a title in 2015/2016. That team infamously kicked Lane Kiffin out of the locker room before winning it all because of his antics.
Maybe there's something to that. In a related story, Pete Golding was part of Saban's late-era Alabama teams as his defensive coordinator, leaving before the 2023 season, Saban's last. He won a title in 2020/2021.
All four remaining CFP teams got a taste of the mountaintop under Saban in Tuscaloosa. One of them will experience it for the first time while leading the charge on January 19.
Nick Saban on CFP coaches: 'Obvious how much they loved the game'
Saban explained to On3's Chris Low why he's not surprised to see Cristobal, Cignetti, Lanning, and Golding.
"It’s no different than your players who go on to have success,” Saban said. “All four of these coaches did tremendous jobs when they worked for me. Some were with me longer than others, but it was obvious how much they loved the game, loved coaching and developing players and wanted to get better in their own right as coaches."
It's unique to see one coach have such a profound impact on a sport like this. Saban's Alabama teams didn't play the game cleanly, that statement mostly referring to what happened on the recruiting trail, not on the field, though the refs always seemed to have a Crimson whistle. They did influence what the sport has become, though, for better or for worse.