Ranking every former Nick Saban assistant at an FBS head coaching job in 2024
It's a great time of year for college football. The biggest games of October are behind us and teams in the Power Four conferences are gearing up for the final stretch of the regular season in November before conference championship games land on the first week of December.
From there, it's on to the 12-team College Football Playoff. Whether or not one of those teams are the Alabama Crimson Tide, there are going to be some former members of Nick Saban's expansive coaching tree leading their own respective programs to the playoff.
A week ago, Roll Tide Wire looked at the Alabama football legend's coaching tree from college to the NFL.
After Week 9's slate of games, we rank members of the Saban coaching tree who are head coaches at the FBS level based on how their teams have performed so far this season, along with salary information from the USA TODAY Sports College Football Head Coach Salaries Database.
Note that private schools are not required to release salaries, bonuses, etc. Here are the 14 coaches in order from the up-and-comers to the top of the list.
14. Jim McElwain (Central Michigan Chippewas)
Overall Record at Central Michigan: 32-33
2024 Record: 3-5
Week 9 Game: Miami OH 46, Central Michigan 7
2024 Salary: $1,048,493
Three of the Chippewas' five losses this season have been by 21 or more points, including their 46-7 blowout loss to the RedHawks over the weekend. With the type of salary McElwain is being paid in Year Six at Central Michigan, it's time the school reassesses.
13. Mike Locksley (Maryland Terrapins)
Overall Record at Maryland: 33-37
2024 Record: 4-4
Week 9 Game: Minnesota 48, Maryland 23
2024 Salary: $5.8 million
While Maryland is a tough place to win, especially in a crowded, top-heavy Big Ten, the results just aren't there for Locksley in Year Six in College Park. The Terps dropped their third game in the last four over the weekend and sit at 4-4. With games against the Oregon Ducks, Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions still on the schedule, getting to a fourth straight bowl game is far from a given.
12. Billy Napier (Florida Gators)
Overall Record at Florida: 14-17
2024 Record: 4-3
Week 9 Game: Bye
2024 Salary: $7.3 million
The Gators have won three of their last four games and have climbed up USA TODAY Sports' re-ranking of all 134 FBS teams (they're currently No. 44). But unless Florida can finish strong, which would include pulling massive upsets against either Georgia or Texas, then LSU and Ole Miss, it's likely too late for Napier to save his job. A better bet is the Gators drop all four before their annual rivalry game with Florida State.
11. Major Applewhite (South Alabama Jaguars)
Overall/Current Record at South Alabama: 4-4
Week 9 Game: South Alabama 46, UL Monroe 17
2024 Salary: $825,000
South Alabama is in a position to fight for a Sun Belt title in Applewhite's first season. The Jags are 3-1 in conference play after handing ULM its first Sun conference loss of the year. South Alabama has big games against Georgia Southern and Louisiana on its November slate, two programs that are also vying for a chance at the conference sweepstakes.
10. Butch Jones (Arkansas State Red Wolves)
Overall Record at Arkansas State: 16-29
2024 Record: 5-3
Week 9 Game: Arkansas State 34, Troy 31
2024 Salary: $825,000
Year 4 at Arkansas State could be a turning point for Jones, whose team improved to 5-3 after its third win in the last four games. With a bye this week, the Red Wolves have a huge game in Sun Belt play against Louisiana on Nov. 9. A win in Lafayette would give Arkansas State a big boost toward playing for a conference championship.
9. Charles Huff (Marshall Thundering Herd)
Overall Record at Marshall: 26-20
2024 Record: 4-3
Week 9 Game: Bye
2024 Salary: $755,500
Marshall's 21-point fourth-quarter collapse against Georgia Southern on Oct. 12 is the only thing standing between the Herd and an unbeaten record in Sun Belt play.
8. Bill O'Brien (Boston College Eagles)
Overall/Current Record at Boston College: 4-4
Week 9 Game: Louisville 31, Boston College 27
2024 Salary: Private
The Eagles have dropped three straight since their 4-1 start. They have a bye this Saturday, then host longtime rival Syracuse on Nov. 9. With games against two Top 25 opponents in Pitt and SMU in November, the Eagles' synch for a bowl berth may not be as tight as once expected.
7. Lance Taylor (Western Michigan Broncos)
Overall Record at Western Michigan: 9-11
2024 Record: 5-3
Week 9 Game: Western Michigan 52, Kent State 21
2024 Salary: $850,000
The Broncos improved to 4-0 in MAC play last Saturday with a win over a Kent State program that is widely regarded as the worst in the FBS ranks this year. In just his second season in Kalamazoo, Taylor has Western Michigan positioned to win a conference title. Following a bye this Saturday, the Broncos will look to run the table against Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, and Eastern Michigan in November.
6. Brent Key (Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets)
Overall Record at Georgia Tech: 16-14
2024 Record: 5-4
Week 9 Game: Virginia Tech 21, Georgia Tech 6
2024 Salary: $2.9 million
Georgia Tech became bowl-eligible in Key's second year in Atlanta in 2023, marking their first postseason berth since 2018. The Yellow Jackets are coming off back-to-back losses (to Notre Dame and Virginia Tech) but have a chance to play spoiler against Miami when the Hurricanes visit Bobby Dodd Stadium on Nov. 9. Tech also has a promising start on its 2025 recruiting class, ranking No. 17 nationally by 247Sports.
5. Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss Rebels)
Overall Record at Ole Miss: 40-17
2024 Record: 6-2
Week 9 Game: Ole Miss 26, Oklahoma 14
2024 Salary: $9 million
Kiffin hasn't been able to win the big one yet, but the time he's spent at a historically underwhelming SEC program has been worth what Ole Miss is paying him. The Rebels' Week 9 win over Oklahoma wasn't pretty, but the team got it done in the second half and kept their slim Playoff hopes alive. They face the Arkansas Razorbacks this week in Fayetteville before a must-win game in Oxford against Georgia on Nov. 9.
4. Mario Cristobal (Miami Hurricanes)
Overall Record at Miami: 20-13
2024 Record: 8-0
Week 9 Game: Miami 36, Florida State 14
2024 Salary: $7.7 million
Is "The U" really back? Or will "Little ol' Clemson " be the cream of the ACC's crop once the dust settles in Charlotte on Dec. 7? For now, Cristobal has the 'Canes at 8-0 after some close calls (literally) against both Virginia Tech and Cal. Beyond what Miami does against Clemson or in the 12-team Playoff (if they get there), I'm curious to see whether the Hurricanes can become the new standard in the ACC -- or if this is simply a good team having a one-off year in a down conference similar to Florida State's 2023 squad.
3. Curt Cignetti (Indiana Hoosiers)
Overall/Current Record at Indiana: 8-0
Week 9 Game: Indiana 31, Washington 17
2024 Salary: $4.25 million
Cignetti has the Hoosiers off to their best start in almost 60 years (1967). His program just hosted "College GameDay" in Week 9, and the Hoosiers have thrust themselves squarely into the College Football Playoff conversation. Indiana's Nov. 23 trip to Columbus to face the Ohio State Buckeyes is shaping up to have a Game of the Year type feeling in the Big Ten.
2. Steve Sarkisian (Texas Longhorns)
Overall Record at Texas: 32-15
2024 Record: 7-1
Week 9 Game: Texas 27, Vanderbilt 24
2024 Salary: $10.6 million
Vanderbilt was looking to add another top-ranked team to their hit list, three weeks after their upset win over Alabama. Instead, Texas bounced back from a double-digit loss to Georgia with a quality road win against a Top 25 opponent, shaking off an early interception by Quinn Ewers and some other sloppy play (10 penalties and four sacks allowed).
1. Kirby Smart (Georgia Bulldogs)
Overall Record at Georgia: 100-17
2024 Record: 6-1
Week 9 Game: Bye
2024 Salary: $13,282,580
Smart tops our rankings entering November based on the total body of work this season. The Bulldogs have bounced back strong after their 41-34 loss to Alabama on Sept. 28. Georgia's 30-15 victory over Texas on Oct. 19 in Austin sent a message that the road to Atlanta still runs through Athens.
This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Ranking every former Nick Saban assistant at an FBS head coaching job in 2024
