Nick Saban is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the nation. While he’s got a great claim to that, with four national titles in his career and three at Alabama, he has his loaded staff to thank for much of his success.

For as great as Saban is, he’s not regarded as an expert X’s-and-O’s guy. Saban is a motivator, a leader, a great recruiter. He’s had some great coordinators in his day to take care of many of the game-planning aspects, and the staff he takes into this year’s SEC Championship has more coaching talent than any team in the nation.

After Saban, there are four other head coaches on the staff. Offensive line coach Mario Cristobal ran the show at Florida International for five years. Kevin Steele, who moved from player personnel director to inside linebackers coach this season, coached Baylor. Tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Bobby Williams was Saban’s successor at Michigan State. Lane Kiffin famously coached the Oakland Raiders, as well as Tennessee and Southern Cal.

That doesn’t even include Kirby Smart. Alabama’s defensive coordinator has been a sought-after coaching candidate for several years, although many believe he’ll be the man to take over whenever Saban steps down.

The talent on staff may be unprecedented — SDS’ Chris Walsh looked into it before this season, and no one he checked with could recall a staff with four former head coaches. Walsh pointed out that before the season, only four former FBS coaches in total were on other SEC staffs (two, Mark Snyder and Ellis Johnson, were recently fired).

College football’s godfather (or dictator, depending on who you ask) doesn’t seem to have any problems having former head coaches on his staff, avoiding an issue that’s chafed at many seemingly good situations at other schools.

Will having so many head coaches on his staff be a boon for Saban in the SEC Championship and going forward? It’s tough to tell, since it’s such a unique situation, but all indicators point to “yes.” Saban has a unique brand, something he’s getting to imprint on coaches that have had great success earlier in their careers. The men on his staff were well-regarded in their own right, and now they get the added benefit of Saban’s impact in their specialty areas.

The head man spoke in the preseason about how much he learns from his assistants as well. From the way Saban put it back in the summer, having the perspective of four former head coaches is a big part of the reason Alabama is in its current position.

“The more experience that your staff has, obviously I think the better they understand the big picture and have the kind of foresight that you need to have that you know when you make changes, what the cause and effect of those changes are going to be,” Saban said in Walsh’s article.

Saban seems to keep his hands mostly out of his coaches’ game plans — there’s a reason you hear him occasionally gripe about things like offensive play calling — but “the Process” is present up and down Alabama’s roster, just as it is every year.

Alabama has a talent advantage over nearly every team they face. Few recognize that the coaching staff is included in that, but those men stalking the sidelines with Saban are just as big a part of getting the Crimson Tide to the brink of the playoffs.