A coaching staff, much like the roster it leads, can be judged as much on its depth as the stars at the top.

At Alabama, everyone knows Nick Saban is one of the best head coaches in the game. Lane Kiffin and Kirby Smart are all-star coordinators on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, respectively.

But despite offseason defections from regarded assistants Kevin Steele and Lance Thompson, the Crimson Tide still feature one of the best overall staff’s in the nation.

Who ranks the highest among the non-coordinator assistants at Saban’s disposal? We came up with three men who might make that claim.

Burton Burns, running backs

Burns is a nine-year veteran of a staff that’s seen some turnover, so the continuity he brings is valuable. Of course he wouldn’t stick around if he wasn’t also quite good at his job. Often regarded as one of the country’s top recruiters, his work as a position coach is impossible to deny as the Tide always has a deep stable of backs.

Just in recent years, Burns has coached Trent Richardson, Mark Ingram, Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon. This year he’s working with Derrick Henry and Kenyon Drake, who should help continue to build Alabama’s reputation as a running back factory.

Mario Cristobal, offensive line

You don’t move the ball on the ground without a good offensive line in front those running backs. Cristobal has coached them up in that position as well. He helped both Cyrus and Arie Kouandijo become first-team All-Americans and Alabama allowed just 1.14 sacks per game last year.

He’s had to replace multiple starters in each of his first two seasons in Tuscaloosa, so it’s a good thing he’s also a dynamite recruiter. ESPN ranked him as the No. 1 recruiting coach in the nation, a reputation that goes back to his days at Florida State.

Billy Napier, wide receivers

Napier’s reputation as one of the game’s top offensive minds is well earned. Heading into his third year at Alabama, he worked with new Florida coach and former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Jim McElwain at Colorado State where they developed one of Division I’s best passing games. Before that he spent seven years at Clemson where, at 29, he became the Tigers’ youngest-ever offensive coordinator.

His work with Amari Cooper last year speaks for itself, but DeAndrew White also became a very good receiver under Napier. Also a respected recruiter, Napier can claim a long list of NFL players who either recruited or worked with as a position coach.