Alabama's Nick Saban deserves to be seen as the greatest coach in college football history

The end of the Nick Saban era at Alabama marks the end of an era in college football.

Alabama has been the Bowl Subdivision’s defining program for a generation, and Saban the face of the Crimson Tide’s dominance. Amid one of the most tumultuous periods in the sport’s history — rampant realignment, the end of the Bowl Championship Series, start of the College Football Playoff, the start of name, image and likeness — the one true constant has been Saban and the powerhouse he built: an all-consuming titan without any real match in the modern era.

Compared against this backdrop, Saban deserves to be seen as the greatest coach in college football history, and the program he constructed without peer since the birth of the sport.

The seven national championships, six at Alabama. The SEC crowns. The response to every challenge, whether from LSU, Auburn, Clemson or Georgia. The Heisman Trophy winners. The many-branched coaching tree that will continue to flower for the next generation.

There has never been a coach as successful as Saban, as driven and methodical as Saban. There will never be another like him.

Alabama has double-digit wins in every year since 2008. The program played for nine national championships during this stretch, losing twice to Clemson and once to Georgia. Even the down years were remarkable in their own right: The 2010 team that lost three games was frighteningly good when pointed in the right direction, and this year’s team hit a low point in September before rallying to reach the Rose Bowl.

This success spawned dozens of imitators and had programs scrambling to try and replicate Saban’s touch, though only one, Georgia and Kirby Smart, was able to flourish in Saban’s shadow. Every other challenger was outworked, out-recruited, out-coached, out-schemed and outdone.

Everyone wanted to be Alabama. But while the program has an incredible support system and enviable resources, the truth is that there was nothing inherently remarkable about the program — the trick was Saban.

His successor will be asked to step right in and keep the program rolling. No new coach has ever walked into bigger shoes. The school will look at the predictable options: Dabo Swinney, Lane Kiffin and Dan Lanning, to start.

The position will come with a ridiculous contract and ridiculous expectations. The draw will be immense. But coaching at Alabama comes with a rare amount of scrutiny; coaching at Alabama as Saban’s replacement might be too much pressure for some coaches to consider despite the obvious advantages.

Eventually, dollar signs and opportunity will entice a sitting and established head coach to join the Crimson Tide. While the roster could be diminished by the NFL draft and the transfer portal, Saban’s replacement will inherit one of the top teams in the FBS and the chance to immediately capitalize on the foundation Saban left in place.

But time will reveal what we should already know: There’s only one Nick Saban. It’s not just Alabama that will never be the same; so will college football.