Nick Saban’s legacy is set in stone. Out of 136 current FBS coaches, 12% are his alums. But the pressure has been the highest on the coach who actually replaced him. Kalen DeBoer has felt the heat since he set foot in Tuscaloosa. It also didn’t help that the former Washington head coach lost four games in his first season and then lost the opener in the 2025 season. Alabama has since had a turnaround.

Five wins on the trot, including the likes of Georgia, Vanderbilt, and Missouri. But the bigger issue for DeBoer is to hold the standards set by Nick Saban every day. It doesn’t help him when the former Bama head coach’s disciples continue to mention Alabama’s downfall in the ‘parity’ discussions.

Lane Kiffin, who spent three years under Saban as Bama’s OC, is set to go against Kirby Smart as Ole Miss takes on Georgia in Week 8. Ahead of the game, the Rebels’ head coach spoke to On3 about the Bulldogs and how it ties with Alabama. Kiffin discussed the never-ending discussion of the change in the landscape of college football, largely brought in by the portal and NIL. When Saban was at his peak, Alabama was a sure shot for the national championship game. That happened all through the 2010s in a period when we had a 4-team playoff format.

Towards the end of Saban’s reign, as Alabama declined, Kirby Smart’s Georgia picked up the mantle and won back-to-back championships. While natties and playoff appearances are one way to judge the dominance of a program, another way is to see the talents they are recruiting, developing, and sending to the NFL. You’d see five stars as backups at Alabama under Nick Saban. Kirby Smart was similarly relentless at recruiting players. As per Kiffin, that is no longer the case.

“It was still Alabama and Georgia and everybody else, but not now,” Kiffin said. The SEC looks more like the NFL in terms of parity than ever before. But the sentiment behind the parity also means that the dominance of Alabama is over.

“Their rosters were better than everybody else’s. It wasn’t close. The dynasty thing is over.” The Crimson Tide has claimed 18 national titles, and Saban won 6 during his time between 2007 and 2023.

Alabama’s declining dominance can also be seen in SEC rosters. On their day, a team like Vanderbilt can play the Tide and actually defeat them. That happened last year. Even this season, Florida State’s Week 1 win was on the back of the moves Mike Norvell made in the portal, including getting Thomas Castellanos.

Ole Miss has also made the most of the portal. They are 6-0 with one of the best offenses and defenses in the country. All possible due to ‘Transfer Portal King’ Kiffin, who has led the team to newer heights. Finishing with 10 wins for the third time in 4 seasons, and even in the current season, continuing to be on track.

Lane Kiffin on his approach to lead the Rebels

Last season, they came very close to achieving the program’s College Football Playoff debut. Calling it ‘The Last Dance,’ the Rebels narrowly missed out as they came in at No. 14 in the final rankings of the 2024-25 campaign. That feeling of losing out is not lingering, as Lane Kiffin is already rolling high with his roster. During the same conversation with On3, the HC spoke about the NFL-like approach, which has kept the Ole Miss season on track.

The 50-year-old has spent three years in the NFL — one as an assistant for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2000 and two as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2007 and 2008. Speaking about the approach, “We run it much more like the NFL, where we’ll look into things and take into account the opinions of people who have been doing it for a long time, as we evaluate and look at things and not the old way, where it was just the nine assistant coaches,” Kiffin said, via On3 Sports.

“We’re much more like an NFL team, almost like having area scouts, and we’ve been good on our evals.” With this approach in mind, they take on the powerhouse in Georgia. Last season, the Bulldogs won the SEC, but during the season suffered a heavy loss at the hands of the Rebels. It will be interesting to see if Kiffin can help produce the same 28-10 win for his team.