Nick Saban’s legacy is as one of the best head coaches in SEC history, but his career roots are as a terrific defensive assistant.

He’s carried those roots into his head coaching career, producing some of the nation’s most outstanding defenses in five seasons at LSU and eight seasons at Alabama.

Saban has ushered players to the NFL at every position. He has a reputation as a defensive backs coach, but it’s hard to argue with the list of linebackers that he’s recruited and developed in 13 SEC seasons.

He coached a trio of first-team All-SEC ‘backers at LSU, but he’s collected even greater talent at the position with the Tide. Alabama placed a linebacker on the Associated Press All-American team (first, second or third) in five of six years prior to 2014. The 2009 national championship team alone included two first-round picks, a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick at the position.

Check out some of the best players from Saban’s collection of linebackers as a head coach.

Trev Faulk (1999-2001): A two-time All-SEC selection, Faulk formed one of the nation’s best linebacker tandems with Bradie James. A freshman All-American in ’99 after emerging as a starter in the fourth game of the season, he then led LSU with 113 tackles in ’00. As a junior in ’01, he earned second-team All-American honors, again leading LSU with 119 tackles. He played 29 games for the St. Louis Rams.

Bradie James (1999-2002): As an All-American in ’02, James set LSU’s single-season tackles record with 154, making at least 18 stops in three different games that season. Three times a first- or second-team All-SEC selection, he made at least 110 tackles all three years after playing as the third linebacker in a two-spot rotation as a true freshman. James played in at least 14 games every season during a 10-year NFL career, including nine seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

Lionel Turner (2000-04): Turner helped LSU to a 23-3 record in two seasons as the starting middle linebacker for some great defenses, including the ’03 national championship team. A first-team All-SEC selection as a senior, the Sporting News at one time named him the hardest-hitting linebacker in the SEC at 6-foot-2, 260 pounds. Though he didn’t get drafted, he embodied the team’s physical, nasty attitude and played a huge role at LSU.

Rolando McClain (2007-09): As good as the other linebackers are on this list, McClain had the greatest single season in ’09. A unanimous All-American, McClain won SEC Defensive Player of the Year, the Butkus Award, the Lambert Award and led Alabama to its first national title in 17 years while making 105 tackles (14.5 for loss). He also led the team in tackles in ’08. A strong leader who made all the defensive calls, Oakland selected McClain at No. 8 overall in the 2010 draft.

Dont’a Hightower (2008-11): An immediate starter at Alabama as a true freshman, Hightower missed most of ’09 due to injury and didn’t fully blossom until his senior season. He captained the ’10 defense that ranked No. 1 nationally in all five major categories, including points per game allowed (8.8). As a senior, he made 85 tackles, including 11 for loss, as a consensus All-American, earning him a first-round pick in the NFL draft.

Courtney Upshaw (2008-11): In his last two seasons at Alabama, Upshaw made 32.5 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks. At 6-foot-2 and 265 pounds, Upshaw is a unique athlete physically, with tremendous agility and quickness for someone with his powerful frame. An All-American in ’11, Upshaw performed his best in two national title games and the Capital One Bowl after the 2010 season, twice earning postseason MVP honors. A second-round pick in ’12, Upshaw has 36 NFL starts in three seasons.

C.J. Mosley (2010-13): Twice a consensus All-American for the Tide, Mosley won the Butkus Award in 2013 as the nation’s best linebacker as well as getting honored as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. A rare all-around player at the position, Mosley saw the field on defense as a true freshman, making 67 tackles and 10 pass breakups. An injury slowed him the next season, but he was one of the best linebackers in the country his last two years, equally adept in pass coverage, against the run and rushing the passer. A first-round pick, Mosley made the Pro Bowl as an NFL rookie in ’14.

Nico Johnson (2009-12): Johnson blended into the background on a team filled with first- and second-round picks at the position, but he remained a steady player for Bama for four seasons (including three national titles) before getting drafted in the fourth round himself. One of the better run-stopping ‘backers in the SEC when he played, he made 54 tackles and forced two fumbles in ’12, his best season in Tuscaloosa. He played in the final 11 games in ’14 for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Trey DePriest (2011-14): A three-year starter at inside linebacker, DePriest made second-team All-SEC as a junior and honorable mention as a senior despite playing all season with a torn meniscus in his knee. He finished top three on the team in tackles all three seasons he started for the Tide.