Curt Cignetti is the latest former coach to find success after previously working for Nick Saban. He’s also the next one to get paid, in part, because of it, with Indiana signing him to an eight-year, fully guaranteed deal worth $93.6 million.

It is not the first time the NCAA has made exceptions to the transfer portal. From July 7 to August 5, walk-ons who were labeled "student-athletes" and were eligible to play in the 2024-2025 season and still able to enter the transfer portal. A rule that essentially meant nothing but was done anyway.

Saban had two stints as a coach at Michigan State. He was the team’s defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach from 1983 to 87. He came back as the Spartans’ head coach from 1995 to 99. As the head coach, Saban went 34-24-1 with a 0-3 record in bowl games before heading to LSU in 2000.

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban has long been the standard for identifying elite talent, and his latest assessment carries plenty of weight. During ESPN’s

Former University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban commented Friday on Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa recently calling out his teammates before apologizing.