Kirby Smart sends strong message on Nick Saban before College Football Playoff

Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart looks on after the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 2025 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Bulldogs are idle for now. 

Georgia (12-1) secured the SEC championship with a 28–7 victory over Alabama and a No. 3 seed in the expanded College Football Playoff, earning a quarterfinal date on January 1 in the Sugar Bowl against the winner of Ole Miss vs. Tulane.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart’s remarks on the eve of Atlanta’s title game, however, added an unexpected and revealing subplot.

Asked about coaching influence across the sport, Smart singled out Nick Saban for a particular kind of credit: not just tactics or Xs and Os, but mentorship. 

"I know there are a lot of coaching trees out there that were started by a lot of legends," Smart said. "But I'm not sure anyone can match what Nick Saban has done when it comes to preparing coaches, getting them ready to run their own programs."

"To me, it's about the mentor aspect of it," Smart added. "Can I call that coach whenever I need to, even if I am now coaching against him in the same conference, with questions or needing advice? That's real influence. And I think that's the relationship we would tell you that we all have with him."

ESPN College GameDay analyst Nick Saban speaks during the live broadcast on the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock, Texas. | Mateo Rosiles/ Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Saban is widely regarded as the most successful coach in modern college football. 

Over a head-coaching career spanning Toledo, Michigan State, LSU and Alabama, Saban compiled a 297–71–1 college record and won seven national championships (2003 with LSU; 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020 with Alabama).

At Alabama (2007–2023), he recorded more than 200 wins, captured nine SEC titles and produced numerous NFL draft picks and Heisman winners.

Saban retired after the 2023 season and transitioned to media work as an on-set analyst for ESPN’s College GameDay.

Smart, meanwhile, took over at Georgia in 2016 after serving more than a decade on Saban’s Alabama staff, quickly rebuilding the Bulldogs into a perennial title contender. 

Through the 2025 season, Smart’s Georgia resume includes consecutive national championships (2021, 2022), four SEC titles, six SEC East crowns, and a head-coaching record of 117–20.

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