When you talk about “program builders” you’re essentially talking about Saban and Smart. Guys who are more known for acquiring talent than actual coaching acumen. Maybe you can add Dabo Swinney to that list. Those guys are only as good as the coordinators they hire though. Saban thought he could just put talent everyone until his defenses started getting exposed by dynamic offenses. So what did he do? He hired Lane Kiffin to make his team a championship level team again. Eventually you’ll play someone with a similar talent level. If you’re not doing something innovative on both sides of the ball, you’ll lose to the guy who is. Alabama has a lot more talent than Tennessee does but UT was able to beat them by being more dynamic.
