The SEC’s coaching branches stretch throughout college football and have made a widespread impact in the national championship discussion over the last decade during the game’s pinnacle of popularity.

You could write a book (and people have) on Nick Saban’s former assistant tree alone, a collection of title-winning coaches who have posted continued success at some of the nation’s most prestigious programs.

RELATED: Steve Spurrier’s coaching tree

We’ll touch on the most noteworthy former SEC assistants here and try to update readers on how well they’ve fared as head coaches elsewhere:

Jimbo Fisher, Florida State (2010-present; 58-11 overall with 3 ACC Championships and one BCS Championship)

Under an intense microscope as of late for several domestic violence-related issues involving his players, off-the-field scrutiny has overshadowed Fisher’s proven track record of on-field success in Tallahassee since his arrival. He has brought the Seminoles back to prominence, helped Jameis Winston win a Heisman Trophy and has tightened Florida State’s grip on recruiting in the Sunshine State. He won 29 straight games over the 2012 and ’13 seasons before the impressive streak was snapped by Oregon in last season’s Playoff semifinal. Fisher was Saban’s primary play-caller (and early Les Miles) during a seven-year stretch at LSU that included a national championship in 2003.

Bob Stoops, Oklahoma (1999-present; 168-44 overall with 8 Big 12 Championships and one BCS Championship)

Steve Spurrier’s assistant head coach and fiery defensive coordinator at Florida from 1996-98, ‘Bobby’ Stoops as the Head Ball Coach calls him became Oklahoma’s all-time winningest coach in 2013, surpassing Barry Switzer with victory No. 158. At the turn of the century, Stoops transformed Sooners football back into the nationally-dominant program it was under several of the coaching greats before him. He’s the only head coach in the BCS era to win the Rose Bowl, Orange, Fiesta and Sugar. Most recently, Stoops’ Sooners beat Alabama in New Orleans at the end of the 2013 campaign.

Charlie Strong, Louisville (2010-13; 37-15 overall with two conference championships and three bowl wins)

Strong’s lengthy career in the SEC as a defensive assistant on several different staffs at Florida and South Carolina led to Louisville giving him a shot as a head coach in 2010 — and he didn’t disappoint. In four seasons, Strong won two conference titles and 37 games overall, including the 2012 Sugar Bowl over Florida. His star quarterback for the Cardinals, Teddy Bridgewater, was a first-round pick in 2014. Strong’s quick success led to his current job as the face of the program at Texas.

Mike Leach, Texas Tech (2000-09; 84-43 overall with 1 Big 12 division title and six bowl wins)

One of college football’s most respected offensive minds, Washington State’s current head coach is credited with helping form the pass-centric ‘Air Raid’ philosophy alongside Hal Mumme at Valdosta State then Kentucky in the late 1990s. After serving under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma in 1999 post-SEC, Leach took over as head coach at Texas Tech and by the time he left (officially fired for insubordination) in 2009, was the Red Raiders’ all-time winningest coach with 127 victories. His career in Lubbock was highlighted by the Michael Crabtree-led 2008 campaign when Texas Tech won a school-record 11 games.