Ultimately, Saban's success is about recruiting better than everyone else. But the main reason why he recruits better is that he is cutting-edge in nearly every aspect of his program -- in ways both good and shady -- much like Tom Osborne back in the 90's.
Two factors in particular give him an extraordinary competitive edge:
First, not only has he brought in the best recruiters/AC's, he's brought in more of them. A lot more. His support staff is unrivaled: they take advantage of NCAA loopholes to build a massive team which lays out recruiting strategies and plans relentlessly for in-game variables, allowing the "actual" AC's to do little other than what only they can do. This also creates a farm system, via which Saban can replace AC's from within.
Second, that entire staff is ruthless about culling non-contributors from their roster. They generally make sure those players land on their feet with scholarships elsewhere, but they're not going to make excuses for those who can't cut it. This means a program which already recruits at the highest levels gets over 20 extra players every 4-5 years, enough to ensure that their 2-deep is absolutely stacked in nearly any given season.
Some conferences like the B1G won't allow the second option (not outright, anyway), but it's still surprising how slow most programs have been to catch up in both areas.
Two factors in particular give him an extraordinary competitive edge:
First, not only has he brought in the best recruiters/AC's, he's brought in more of them. A lot more. His support staff is unrivaled: they take advantage of NCAA loopholes to build a massive team which lays out recruiting strategies and plans relentlessly for in-game variables, allowing the "actual" AC's to do little other than what only they can do. This also creates a farm system, via which Saban can replace AC's from within.
Second, that entire staff is ruthless about culling non-contributors from their roster. They generally make sure those players land on their feet with scholarships elsewhere, but they're not going to make excuses for those who can't cut it. This means a program which already recruits at the highest levels gets over 20 extra players every 4-5 years, enough to ensure that their 2-deep is absolutely stacked in nearly any given season.
Some conferences like the B1G won't allow the second option (not outright, anyway), but it's still surprising how slow most programs have been to catch up in both areas.
