re: Is Saban anything more than an awesome recruiter?

Nothing Saban did prior to coming to LSU refutes that arguement.

Not privy to the details of his LSU interview, but Im pretty certain it went along the lines of 'you guys have the best talent base in the country and I'll get that base to LSU and we'll kick serious arse'...which obviously worked.

College coaches are judged by their ability to recruit, so certainly in that sense he's top dog. But as far as pure coaching acumen, his short stint in tNFL, like Spurrier, showed he has his limitations as a 'coach'.

To answer the question, Saban is the best recruiter, and thus the best college coach in the land.