Wild CFP stat shows how indelible Nick Saban’s legacy is

How remaining CFP coaches fared under Saban 

Curt Cignetti | Indiana 

In a full-circle moment, Indiana and head coach Curt Cignetti delivered a 38-3 beatdown of Alabama in Thursday’s Rose Bowl. 

Cignetti, who is 25-2 at Indiana, joined Saban’s first staff at Alabama in 2007 as a wide receivers coach. Cignetti was a part of the undefeated 2009 Alabama squad that won Saban’s first national championship at UA. After leaving Alabama, Cignetti accepted his first head-coaching position at Division II IUP in 2011. 

Dan Lanning | Oregon

Lanning only spent one season at Alabama as a graduate assistant, but it was a memorable campaign. The Crimson Tide made it to the CFP National Championship in 2015, defeating Clemson 45-40 in a thrilling game. 

Lanning was then an assistant at both Memphis and Georgia before getting his first head-coaching gig at Oregon in 2022. It’s safe to say that Lanning, who is 48-7 at Oregon, has made the most of his first head-coaching opportunity. 

Pete Golding | Ole Miss 

The newest head coach on this list, Golding, is 2-0 at Ole Miss since taking over for new LSU HC Lane Kiffin on Nov. 30. Golding has steered the ship through a tumultuous period, beating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday to advance to the CFP semifinal. 

Golding joined Saban at Alabama in 2018 and became the Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator in 2019. During his time at Alabama, the Crimson Tide won the 2020 national championship — the last for Saban and most recent for Alabama. Golding then joined an SEC rival in Ole Miss in 2023, taking over as head coach following Kiffin’s departure for LSU. 

Mario Cristobal | Miami 

Cristobal’s path to Tuscaloosa was unorthodox: after being fired from the head-coaching position at FIU, he briefly became an assistant at Miami (FL) before being hired by Saban as assistant head coach, offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. 

Cristobal was also a part of a national championship-winning team. Alabama won the 2015 national championship with help from Cristobal’s elite offensive line, which won the 2015 Joe Moore Award for the country’s best offensive line. 

Saban’s legacy as college football’s greatest head coach extends far beyond himself, and as long as those who coached under him continue to succeed, his mark on the sport only grows more vast.