Nick Saban’s tenure as LSU football’s head coach revived the program. The 90s were a rough decade in Baton Rouge. The 80s were up and down, too.
When Saban arrived, he saw LSU as a sleeping giant. An SEC program surrounded by talent. It didn’t take Saban long to get it rolling. Saban went 8-4 in year one. A big turnaround after LSU won just three games the prior season. In 2001, Saban led LSU to double-digit wins.
And in 2003, LSU went 13-1 and won its first national championship of the BCS/College Football Playoff era. It was the Tigers’ first national title since 1958.
Saban’s LSU legacy is complicated. He stuck around for one more year after the title before taking a job with the Miami Dolphins. After the NFL didn’t work out, Saban returned to the college ranks, accepting Alabama’s head coaching position.
Saban built Alabama into a dynasty, much at the expense of LSU. For most of Saban’s tenure in Tuscaloosa, the Tide got the best of the Tigers. LSU won two more national titles in that span, but Saban and Alabama won six.
After the 2023 college football season, Saban retired. With Saban gone, LSU fans could once again look back on Saban’s LSU tenure with fond memories. Today, we’ll rank the top 10 players of the Saban era at LSU.
10. Trev Faulk, linebacker
Faulk’s first season at LSU was 1999, one year before Nick Saban took over.
In 2000, Faulk emerged as a key difference maker in year one under Saban. Faulk was First-Team All-SEC with 133 tackles and nine tackles for loss. Faulk’s four fumble recoveries in 2000 rank fourth in LSU history.
In 2001, Faulk earned All-SEC honors again. Faulk finished his LSU career with 194 tackles and 16.5 tackles for loss.
9. Stephen Peterman, offensive line
Peterman began his LSU career on the defensive side of the ball, but made the switch to offense in 2002. That paid off for the Tigers…
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Publish date : 2025-07-20 13:47:00
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