ATLANTA — Over the course of his legendary 17-year coaching career at the University of Alabama, Nick Saban has mentored and bred some of the finest coaches in the game of college football today.
But maybe none better than University of Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, who served nine years on the staff under the 72-year-old Saban at Alabama from 2007 to 2015. The scholarly Saban has long been considered the greatest college football coach ever, winning seven titles.
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A lot has been made about Saban's dominant record against former assistants who have gone on to become successful Power Five head coaches. In fact, Saban has an all-time record of 28-3 (sorry, Falcons fans) against former assistants. The only ones to have beat him are now ex-Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian this year, and, of course, Kirby Smart in the 2022 CFP title game.
Kirby Smart's record vs. Nick Saban
In his entire head coaching career at UGA, Smart is 1-4 all-time against his mentor.
Here's how each of those matchups have fared:
- 2017 CFP National Championship: Alabama def. Georgia 26-23 in OT
- 2018 SEC Championship: Alabama def. Georgia 35-28
- 2020 Georgia @ Alabama: Alabama def. Georgia 41-24
- 2021 SEC Championship: Alabama def. Georgia 41-24
- 2022 CFP National Championship: Georgia def. Alabama 33-18
It took until Smart's fifth try, or his sixth year at Georgia to defeat Saban.
But for the head coach who has led his team to 29 consecutive wins, he's looking for his second straight win over the one who is considered the GOAT for the first time in his career. Can he do it?
