ATHENS — Kirby Smart has always been incredibly respectful of Nick Saban. It comes from all their shared time together, spanning across college football and the NFL.
When Smart was asked about Saban prior to the 2023 SEC Championship Game, it was of little surprise that Smart complimented his former boss.
“I can’t say enough about the tremendous respect I have for him, the job he’s done, how long he’s done it,” Smart said. “People don’t really understand how hard it is to be consistently really good, consistently great. He’s accomplished that at the highest level to me. Our conference is certainly really tough and hard. He’s done it for every year he’s been there besides maybe the first. He’s had really successful seasons.
“He’s a really good leader. He’s good at motivating. I think he’s kind of evolved with the times in the way he goes about things.”
Before the SEC championship game, Smart and Saban shared a tender moment on the field.
Did Smart know at the time it would be the final time the two coaches would face off against each other?
Saban announced his retirement from the sport on Wednesday. After 17 seasons at Alabama and 292 career wins across his stops at Toledo, Michigan State and LSU, Saban will no longer coach the sport he dominated.
“The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me,” Saban said. “We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it. We always tried to do it the right way. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.”
Read more at DawgNation.com