Former college football head coach Nick Saban is widely regarded as one of the greatest in the history of the sport. Over his 28 seasons, Saban compiled a career record of 292-71-1 (80.4% career winning percentage), retiring as the sixth-winningest coach in college football history. And his one-time assistant, Lane Kiffin, recently explained why he was so great at what he did.
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Saban just doesn’t have a great win percentage — many of the wins came when it counted the most. He also holds the record for the most national championships in FBS history, with seven titles; six at Alabama and one at LSU. After the 2023 season, he retired from coaching and transitioned to an analyst role. Throughout his career, Saban coached four Heisman Trophy winners and will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December.
Lane Kiffin, now the head coach at Ole Miss, served as Saban’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2014 to 2016. During that time, Alabama lost only three games. Despite that miniscule number, Kiffin still remembers the losses, as they have stuck in his memory.
Kiffin explained in a one-on-one interview with Theo Von that Saban would bring the players down when they were winning, so they wouldn’t become too comfortable or start slacking. However, after a loss, when they were already down, Saban would lift them up instead of bashing or criticizing them. As Kiffin put it to Von:
“I do remember the three losses over the three years, He, actually, after those, was calm. That’s when we didn’t get ripped. Cause he’s like, ‘They’re going to get ripped anyway, I don’t need to.’ I need to when they’re feeling good about themselves. [Then, I can] bring them down. I didn’t really understand that at first, now I look back, man, there’s a reason he’s the greatest,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kiffin also remembered the contributions of Nick Saban, as a strict, methodical coach.
Kiffin recalls Nick Saban’s strict approach
Kiffin was only with Saban for three seasons, but that time was enough for him to observe Saban’s coaching tendencies, his dedication to the job, and what made him successful. He explained to Von how strict and specific the head coach was in his approach to preparing and managing his players, coaches, and everything else.
“He was so strict on everything in an apparent way,” Kiffin said. “With his team, players, the coaches, nothing changed. Even when we won a national championship, there was a 7:30 staff meeting the next morning… Now I look back, it’s why he is the way he is. It’s why he was so great. The standard never changed, no matter what.”
Kiffin accepted the Florida Atlantic head coaching offer he received prior to the 2017 season and was relieved of his duties from Alabama three weeks before their national championship loss to Clemson.
He coached the Owls for three seasons and then accepted the Ole Miss head coaching job prior to the 2020 season. Kiffin still coaches Ole Miss today.
