When Nick Saban announced his retirement from the Alabama Crimson Tide in January, it caught many off guard.
Saban and the Tide were fresh off another strong season that ended in a Rose Bowl loss to the eventual national champion Michigan Wolverines, marking their record-setting ninth College Football Playoff appearance. The retirement was also abrupt and with little fanfare compared to if Saban had announced it before the season and done a farewell tour.
Life goes on, however. Kalen DeBoer has the Tide out to a 2-0 start to the 2024 season and checking in at number four in the AP Poll. Much like Saban’s last few years at Alabama, the Georgia Bulldogs remain the team to beat in the SEC and, most likely, the country itself.
In a way, Georgia has become Alabama over the past few years. A big reason for that was when the Bulldogs hired Saban’s longtime defensive coordinator Kirby Smart in 2016. Smart first worked under Saban with the LSU Tigers and Miami Dolphins during Saban’s ill-fated stint in the NFL before reuniting with Saban at Alabama when the coach took the job in 2007. Smart was Saban’s defensive coordinator from 2008-15 and laid the groundwork for Alabama’s annual elite defenses.
Thursday on SportsCenter, Smart discussed his relationship with Saban and how it’s changed since Saban’s retirement earlier this year.
“The relationship, I think he’s a little looser, more fun. He’s able to do more things. He’s got more time. I’ve spoken to him a lot more since he got out than while he was in, because I think he was so busy, just like I was, doing so many things. But he’s been a great resource, whether it’s financial advice or football advice or trying to help the sport of college football. He’s certainly been beneficial to a lot of coaches,” Smart said, via On3.
Smart fell into the same trap that many former Saban assistants did, as he could not beat his former boss. In six games, Saban’s Crimson Tide went 5-1 against Smart’s Bulldogs, but Smart’s one win over Saban came in the 2022 College Football National Championship.
[On3]
