re: Is Saban the best at getting the most out of his players?

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Is Saban the best at getting the most out of his players? Depends on the intent of the question. Not many guys besides Saban are able to recruit a bunch of elite prospects AND get them to play as a cohesive unit. In that regard, he's one of the best and probably best among active coaches. It's actually easier to put together a list of guys who should be doing a lot more with the talent they have. If you mean getting the most out of less-than-elite players, I'd say that Saban drops back a bit in favor of guys like Bill Snyder, Gary Pinkel, David Cutcliffe, and probably a few others.

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The fact that none of those guys have won a national championship says a lot. There is a very long list of guys who have won divisions, conferences, major bowl games, etc. with 2 and 3 star players. To think Saban couldn't do the same is laughable. To win big consistently you have to have top talent consistently. A lot of folks act as if each coach is given the talent their coaching, and neglect the fact that each coach is solely responsible for what they have to work with.

Based off the results of teams like USC, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Texas - all teams that have had major success, and long periods of bringing in top recruiting classes, and also bouts of mediocrity - I'd say speaks to Sabans ability to get the most out of his players better than most.