A look at where Nick Saban's former Alabama assistant coaches are in college football

Call it the week of the former Nick Saban assistant coaches bowls. The initial College Football rankings also show the success of former Saban disciples.

A pair of big-time SEC matchups during Week 11 of the college football season will feature games between former Saban assistants during his time at Alabama. Kirby Smart and his No. 2 ranked Georgia Bulldogs take on Lane Kiffin and No. 12 Ole Miss, while Steve Sarkisian and No. 5 Texas take on the Billy Napier-led Florida Gators.

The matchup between the Rebels and Bulldogs could have significant implications for the 12-team College Football Playoff. The winner likely pushes itself into a good position for a playoff spot, while the loser will have work to do. Georgia enters the game with the luxury of one loss, while Ole Miss has two losses.

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The Longhorns are in a good spot for a playoff spot, with just one loss coming to Georgia a couple of weeks ago. They will, however, have to hold off the Gators, who have looked like a better team since their bye week and nearly upset the Bulldogs last week.

Napier (wide receivers), Kiffin (offensive coordinator) and Smart (defensive coordinator) were all on the Alabama coaching staff in 2015. Sarkisian joined the staff as an offensive analyst in 2016, but Smart had departed for Georgia. Smart, Sarkisian and Kiffin aren't the only former Saban-Alabama assistants who have succeeded this season.

Here's a look at current college football coaches who are part of the Nick Saban coaching tree.

Major Applewhite, South Alabama

Major Applewhite served as Saban's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during the 2007 season, Saban's first season with the Crimson Tide. Applewhite then took assistant coach positions with Texas and Houston before becoming the Cougars' head coach from 2016-18. Applewhite returned as an analyst for Alabama from 2019-20 after Houston terminated him.

Applewhite was hired as the head coach at South Alabama in January. The Jaguars are 4-5 this season.

Curt Cignetti, Indiana

Curt Cignetti joined Saban's initial staff at Alabama as a wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator in 2007 and stayed until 2010. While in Tuscaloosa, Cignetti coached Julio Jones and was part of the 2009 and 2011 national championship teams. IUP hired Cignetti following his role with Alabama in 2011, and then he made stops at Elon (2017-18) and James Madison (2019-23) before his current role at Indiana.

Cignetti has helped turn the Hoosiers around from nine wins in the past three seasons to a No. 10 ranking in the US LBM Coaches Poll and a 9-0 start, the best in program history. Indiana was No. 8 in the initial CFP rankings.

Mario Cristobal, Miami

After Mario Cristobal was fired by Florida International in 2012, he joined Saban's staff as an assistant head coach, offensive line coach, and recruiting coordinator, just six weeks after he had accepted a position with Miami, his alma mater. Cristobal served as a key recruiter for Saban. In 2017, Cristobal was hired by Willie Taggart at Oregon as a co-offensive coordinator and took over as head coach when Florida State hired Taggart at the end of 2017.

On Dec. 6, 2021, Miami hired Cristobal as its head coach, signing him to a 10-year deal. The Hurricanes went 12-13 in the first two years under Cristobal, but Miami is 9-0 and No. 4 in the first CFP rankings behind a stellar season by quarterback Cam Ward.

Charles Huff, Marshall

Charles Huff was hired as Alabama's associate head coach and running backs coach in 2019. Huff was hired away from Mississippi State before taking the position on Saban's staff.

Huff was hired by Marshall in 2021 to replace Doc Holliday. In his second season, Huff led Marshall to a 26-21 road victory over then-No. 8 Notre Dame on Sept. 10, 2022, in South Bend, Indiana. It was the second win for Marshall over a top-10-ranked program in its history.

Brent Key, Georgia Tech

Brent Key, who hails from Birmingham, Alabama, was an offensive line coach for the Crimson Tide under Saban from 2016-18. His alma mater, Georgia Tech, hired Key as an assistant head coach in 2019. After Geoff Collins – another former Alabama assistant – was fired, Key was named the interim head coach and eventually earned the permanent title.

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss

After being fired by Southern Cal on Sept. 28, 2013, Lane Kiffin was brought to Tuscaloosa to review the Alabama offense. When offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier was hired away by Michigan, Kiffin interviewed for the position and was hired on Jan. 10, 2014. Kiffin was a finalist for the Broyle Award, given to the top assistant coach, in 2014.

After he accepted a coaching job with Florida Atlantic, Alabama let Kiffin go ahead of the 2017 national championship game vs. Clemson and replaced him with Steve Sarkisian. Following a successful three-year run with the Owls, Kiffin was hired by Ole Miss and has posted a 41-17 record in five seasons.

Mike Locksley, Maryland

Mike Locksley served in three different positions with the Crimson Tide in three years. He was initially hired in 2016 as an offensive analyst, a co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach in 2017 and the offensive coordinator in 2018. Locksley earned the Broyles Award following the 2018 season.

He was hired as Maryland's head coach Dec. 4, 2018 and has been with the Terrapins since.

Jim McElwain, Central Michigan

McElwain was the second offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide following Applewhite's departure. He served from 2008-11. His offense in 2009 helped knock off Urban Meyer, Tim Tebow and Florida in the 2009 SEC championship game, changing the conference dynamic.

Alabama had a 48-6 record with McElwain on the staff and won two national titles (2009 and 2011). McElwain was eventually hired by Colorado State and then Florida as a head coach. He has been the head coach at Central Michigan since 2019.

Billy Napier, Florida

Napier joined Saban's staff as an analyst in 2011 after being dismissed by Dabo Swinney as the offensive coordinator at Clemson. After one year with the Crimson Tide and the 2011 national championship, Napier followed McElwain to Colorado State to become QB and assistant head coach. Napier was hired by Florida State's Jimbo Fisher in 2013 as a tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator but was hired by Saban as the receiver's coach less than a month after being hired in Tallahassee.

Napier served as the receiver's coach at Alabama from 2013-16, which included a second national championship in 2016. He then accepted a role as the Arizona State offensive coordinator and one year later was named the head coach at Louisiana. Napier was hired by Florida in 2021 and has a 15-18 record through 33 games.

Steve Sarkisian, Texas

Sarkisian joined the Alabama staff as an offensive analyst after being fired from USC. He was then promoted to offensive coordinator following Kiffin's departure for the national championship game vs. Clemson. After one game, he departed for an offensive coordinator role with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL.

Sarkisian was rehired as the Crimson Tide offensive coordinator in January 2019 and served as Alabama's interim head coach for a 42-13 win over Auburn on Nov. 28, 2020, when Saban was sidelined due to COVID-19. Sarkisian won the Broyles Award the same year and was hired as Texas' head coach Jan. 2, 2021. He has led the Longhorns to contention in the CFP in 2024.

Kirby Smart, Georgia

Perhaps the most successful assistant coach from the Saban coaching tree at Alabama, Smart led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022. Smart played for Georgia from 1995-98 as a defensive back.

Saban hired Smart as a defensive backs coach in 2004 at LSU and again as the safeties coach with the Miami Dolphins. After Saban took the Alabama position, Smart took a position as the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach. Smart served as the Alabama defensive coordinator from 2008-15.

Smart is 101-17 at Georgia and has the Bulldogs in contention for another CFP run and national championship chance.

Other coaches in Nick Saban's coaching tree

• Butch Jones, Arkansas State: Served as an analyst for Alabama from 2018-20 before taking on the role with the Red Wolves.

• Dan Lanning, Oregon: Lanning served as a graduate assistant on Saban's staff in 2015 and was part of the national championship team. After a successful stint as Smart's defensive coordinator, Lanning was hired by the Ducks and has the No. 1 team in the country in 2024.

• Lance Taylor, Western Michigan: The former Alabama wide receiver from 2000-03 was a graduate assistant under Saban from 2007-08. He has since held positions in college and the NFL and has been the Western Michigan coach since 2023.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nick Saban's Alabama coaching tree: Where former assistants are now.