Nick Saban shares details on how he managed coordinators during head coaching career
By Jacob Moss
Published:
When it comes to the question of who the greatest coach in college football history is, almost everyone who follows the sport will put Nick Saban at the top of their list. His long list of accolades and achievements speaks for itself: 7 national championships, 11 SEC Championships, 52 first-round draft picks, and many other monumental achievements most coaches can only dream of.
One of the most underrated parts of Saban’s legacy as a coach, though, is his expansive coaching tree. Multiple former Saban assistants have gone on to become some of the most successful head coaches in the country, and much of that success has to be attributed to what they learned from the GOAT.
Saban was asked about his approach to filling coordinator positions on his staff during the Pat McAfee Show on Friday morning, and he explained his philosophy on hiring and empowering the coaches on his staff.
“The toughest thing I ever had to deal with was finding new coordinators,” Saban said.
The legendary coach said he would typically know after just 1 game whether or not his choice from the offseason would work out. When situations like that occurred, Saban said he had a strategy in place.
“What I always did was try to shift some responsibilities so that the staff could share more of the big picture stuff,” Saban said. “And have a little more input even in implementing the game plan on game day.”
Like our coverage? Make SDS a preferred source in your searches!
There’s no question that replacing coordinators and veteran assistants is one of the toughest parts of being a head coach, and Saban had to replace his fair share because of the immense success he had over his illustrious career.
The fact that he was able to maintain his incredibly high standards through so much turnover, and that the coaches he lost have gone on to have great success of their own using those same standards, is just further testament to his greatness as a leader.
Subscribe to the Saturday Football Newsletter — Get the latest news and updates on your team, your conference, and the college football nation straight to your inbox.
Having trouble seeing the signup form? Some privacy or ad-blocking tools can prevent it from loading. You can subscribe directly here.
