re: wonder how Saban would do at a lesser School

With his reputation of winning, he'd be able to recruit well anywhere now. That is an earned characteristic.

Having said that, the secret sauce to Saban's success is work ethic and attention to detail. This translates into him being the best recruiter in modern football history, which produces winning...which completes a cycle in helping recruit better and better.

He is not that dynamic without overwhelming talent (See Michigan State, Miami, first Years at LSU and Bama).

So, you can't separate the man from his reputation. In a vacuum, he would succeed anywhere, but likely not to this extent. However, with his reputation preceding him, I think he would win a national title within three years at State, OM or South Carolina if he started there this offseason.