PMS / ESPN
Alabama head coach Nick Saban didn’t shy away from heaping praise on his former Defensive Coordinator Kirby Smart prior to their SEC Championship matchup on Saturday night.
This will be the sixth time the two coaches have faced each other. Coach Saban holds a 4-1 record against Kirby but Smart won the last matchup between the two which was, of course, in the National Championship when Georgia beat Bama 33-18.
Saban was a guest on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday where he heaped praise on his former underling, Kirby Smart. It’s an interesting dynamic where Coach Saban speaks very highly of Kirby but at the same time makes it known this was someone who worked for him and that power dynamic may or may not still exist.
"Kirby Smart did an outstanding job when he was here & he's a great competitor..
"We have a tremendous admiration & respect for each other..
I really appreciate all that he did for our program & I respect what he's been able to accomplish at Georgia" ~ Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/L8jgMUNTsE
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 30, 2023
Speaking about Kirby Smart, Nick Saban says “I think there’s a tremendous admiration and respect. I mean… Kirby worked with us for 10-11 years and came up through the ranks as a really good assistant coach to become a coordinator to getting a head coaching job.”
He went on to say “in each one of those venues of his responsibility he did an outstanding job. I mean, he did a great job when he was here. You know, you have a guy with you for that long… You know, your wife’s in the hospital with his wife when she’s having kids… It’s a long-term relationship… You gotta play against each other. He’s a great competitor. I respect that. And we have a tremendous admiration and respect for each other.”
Can we just take a moment to appreciate that Nick Saban doesn’t talk about anyone like this? He keeps going, saying “I truly like Kirby and I appreciate all that he did to help our program be successful for so many years. And (I) certainly respect what he’s been able to accomplish as a head coach at Georgia.”
Coach Saban continues, saying “winning 29 games in a row… That is unbelievable, really. I mean, we won 19 games in a row twice here. And that was really really hard to keep your players doing the things they need to do. Don’t allow any complacency and all of those things to creep into their preparation and how they go about their work. And he’s done a phenomenal job.”
I haven’t heard Coach Nick Saban talk that way about anyone in years, maybe ever. It’s clear this SEC Championship matchup will mean a lot to both coaches.