Nick Saban Deflects When Asked About Kirby Smart’s Struggles Against Alabama
Some rivalries in college football are defined not just by the scoreboard, but by the psychological weight one program holds over another. For Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, that shadow has long been cast by his mentor-turned-opponent, Nick Saban, and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
@ClaudiasWorkshop 
On Saturday, the pattern continued. Georgia, the reigning powerhouse of the SEC, fell 24–21 to Alabama in Athens a gut-punch loss that snapped the Bulldogs’ six-year home winning streak and dropped Smart’s record against the Tide to 1–7.
For context: before taking over in Athens, Smart spent nearly a decade as Saban’s defensive coordinator at Alabama. If anyone understands the “process,” it’s him. And yet, the record remains lopsided.
So naturally, when reporters had the chance on Monday to ask Saban, now working as an ESPN analyst, what's holding Smart back, they leaned in. The response? Classic Saban.
“You ought to ask Kirby that,” Saban said at the Monday Morning Quarterback event in Birmingham. “I’m not here to judge Kirby. Kirby does a great job. They have a good team. Translation: Saban wasn’t about to feed the narrative.
Alabama still knows how to steal the spotlight
Behind quarterback Ty Simpson’s breakout performance 276 passing yards, two touchdowns through the air, and one on the ground Alabama reminded the college football world that it’s not ready to fade quietly into the background. The Tide marched into Athens and left with Georgia’s first home defeat since 2019, a symbolic reminder that the SEC crown is never permanently claimed.
Why the question stings for Georgia
For Georgia fans, the frustration isn’t just about losing. It’s about losing to Alabama. Smart has built Georgia into a juggernaut, winning national titles and recruiting at an elite level. Yet when it comes to Alabama, there’s still a ghost he can’t quite shake.
Saban’s polite deflection, in its own way, was telling. He knows how hard it is to climb the mountain because for nearly two decades, he’s been on the mountain.
The bigger picture
Kirby Smart isn’t going anywhere, and neither is Georgia. The Bulldogs are still among the favorites to reach the College Football Playoff. But the Alabama problem persists. And until Smart flips that narrative more consistently, every loss to the Tide will feel heavier than the scoreboard suggests.
In Birmingham, Saban left the room with a grin, declining to pass judgment on his protégé. Maybe that was respect. Or maybe, deep down, it was the unspoken truth that Alabama’s dominance over Georgia is one of the last great psychological edges in college football.
