He deserves a ton of credit, obviously, but you also have to factor in the nature of college recruiting. Some programs start on third base because of their name, history, and location. It’s a hell of a lot easier to build a great roster at someplace like Bama, Florida, Michigan, Texas, USC, etc. Or UNC, Duke, Kansas, and Kentucky for basketball. And the more you win at those schools, the easier it gets—at least until the recent transfer portal/NIL mess.
If Saban had taken a job here (or Kansas State, Washington State, Utah, etc), instead of Bama, does he have 7 rings? Does he have any?
Again, probably the GOAT CFB coach, but it’s hard to compare him against guys like Belichick, Popovich, or Phil Jackson since the college world is so different.