Dan Lanning, Curt Cignetti Don't Hold Back On Nick Saban's Impact

Legendary Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban's fingerprints are all over college football still, especially with all four head coaches remaining in the College Football Playoff Semifinals worked under Saban at one point in their respective careers. Ahead of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl between the No. 5 Oregon Ducks and No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers, Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Indiana coach Curt Cignetti spoke about the impact that Saban has had on them.

Curt Cignetti Doesn't Hold Back on Nick Saban's Impact

"Well, yeah. Four for four. I think everybody learned a lot from Nick. He was a great mentor, very organized, detailed; had a plan for everything. Manage, lead, how to stop complacency, game day, recruiting, recruiting evaluation, player evaluation. I mean, he had it all. And if you were serious about your career and wanted to be a head coach one day, you took great notes or great mental notes," Cignetti said.

nick saban dan lanning curt cignetti kirby smart oregon ducks indiana hoosiers college football playoff alabama crimson tide — Jan 1, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; Nick Saban on the ESPN College Gameday set during the 2026 Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"So I felt like after one year with Coach Saban, that I had learned more about how to run a program than I maybe did the previous 27 as an assistant coach, and stayed with him for three more years. So there's a lot of disciples out there doing well, and that's why he's the greatest of all time," the Indiana coach continued.

As Cignetti mentioned, he spent four years working as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator for the Crimson Tide. An original member of Saban's staff at Alabama in 2007, Cignetti eventually started his head coaching career with the IUP Crimson Hawks before working his way up to Elon, James Madison, and eventually Indiana.

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What Dan Lanning Said About Nick Saban

On the other hand, Lanning spent one season at Alabama as a graduate assistant. Lanning also spent a number of years working for Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart, one of the most successful disciples of Saban. Smart was the defensive coordinator for Alabama from 2008-15, and Lanning worked as the defensive coordinator for Smart at Georgia before becoming a head coach himself.

"Yeah, I just echo that. In my time, I was working at Sam Houston State before I went to Alabama and was going to take a pay cut to go be a GA there," said Lanning. "And when anybody asked me why, I said, 'I'm going to get my doctorate in football.' And that's what I feel like working for Coach Saban, just like Coach (Cignetti) said, you learn so much. Things I thought I knew, I realized I didn't know anything.

"And I got to really carry that over with the opportunity to work with Coach Smart, who built off of that as well at Georgia. And that was an unbelievable experience for me, and obviously it shows here as we enter the semifinals," Lanning continued.

Ironically, the first game that Lanning coached at Oregon was against Smart and Georgia. The Bulldogs beat the Ducks 49-3 in Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, the same venue in which Oregon and Indiana will face off on Friday.

Lanning was asked how much his first loss to Georgia still motivates him as the Ducks prepare to return to Atlanta.

"We're a different team now, but I remember that game very vividly. 49 to 3 wasn't fun. It was a good baptism into coaching. And we're a completely different group now. But this will be as much as of a challenge as that game was when you're playing a team like Indiana," said Lanning.

Oregon and Indiana will kickoff on Friday, Jan. 9, at 4:30 p.m. PT.