Saturday’s game between Alabama and Georgia will be the first in which Nick Saban isn’t the coach of Alabama since 2003. To put that in perspective that was a year before Kirby Smart began working with Saban at LSU.
Yet his presence still looms over the game, especially with regard to Smart. Given their connection — Smart worked with Saban for 11 years at three different stops — the Smart-Saban storylines figure to dominate Saturday’s game.
But Smart has taken time to downplay it especially because Saban will likely still be at the game in his capacity with ESPN’s College GameDay.
“I feel like he’s still in it, so I don’t really see it as there being a shadow,” Smart told ESPN’s Chris Low. “He’s announcing. He’s still involved. He’s still trying to make things right in our game, with Congress or whomever. He ain’t going nowhere. This dude loves it, and he is going to be part of it for a long time. The game is better with him in it. I just have so much respect for him.
“He’s just not coaching anymore, and I don’t get any more chances to beat him.”
Like most programs, Saban dominated Georgia during his time in Athens. Alabama was 8-2 against Georgia under Saban. Five of those wins came against Smart, including their final meeting back in December.
Saban retired in January and this Alabama team that Georgia will face on Saturday will look very different. It’s an entirely new coaching staff, led by Kalen DeBoer. Smart even scooped up one of Saban’s former assistants in Travaris Robinson, now Georgia’s safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator.
Saturday will be Smart’s first game against Alabama without matching up against Saban. It’ll be a major opportunity for Smart to change one of the few negative narratives about him, as he is 1-5 in his career against Alabama. Another loss and it goes from Smart having a Saban problem to Smart having an Alabama problem.
Smart he still has great admiration for his former boss. That’s been evident when Smart has been asked about Saban since he retired from coaching.
“He’s extremely thorough and he enjoys what he does,” Smart said earlier this week. “I’m thrilled that he gets an opportunity to do what he wants to do and be with who he wants to be with within his family and enjoy that. I’m really happy he’s still part of college football because he makes college football better.”
Saban now works with ESPN’s College GameDay, which will be on hand to preview the game on Saturday. Saban made headlines this offseason when he picked Georgia and Texas, and not Alabama, to make the SEC championship. Saban later admitted that was to give his former team a little motivation.
We’ll see who Saban picks on Saturday, with College GameDay set for a 9 a.m. ET start in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Smart and the Bulldogs will take center stage on Saturday night, with the game set for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
