Kirby Smart responds to statement that Georgia has surpassed Alabama, Nick Saban as top program in college football

Georgia coach Kirby Smart doesn’t compare himself or his program to Nick Saban and Alabama. After winning back-to-back national championships, including against the Crimson Tide in 2021, some were ready to declare that the Bulldogs had surpassed Alabama.

However, when asked about the idea at the annual SEC Spring Meetings on Tuesday, Smart quickly dismissed the idea.

“First of all, I don’t hear that a lot,” he said. “Second of all, I don’t measure our program based on their program. We measure our program based on the best we can do. We try to do the best job we can each and every year. Our success is based on how we work out, how we perform, how we run, how we turn over the ball, how we convert third downs. It’s really that simple. It’s not based on another program.”

Kirby Smart was one of the first coaches on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama, working with him for nine seasons from 2007-15. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2008 and helped lead the Crimson Tide to four national championships, including back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.

That success gave Smart the opportunity to take over at his alma mater in 2016, and he has since led them to an 81-15 record with three College Football Playoff appearances.

Still, what Saban has accomplished in his coaching career is unrivaled to this point. The coach has won more national titles than anyone in history with seven, six of which have come with the Crimson Tide. Smart made it clear that he respects Saban for those accomplishments, but again reiterated that he isn’t chasing him in any way.

“I have the utmost respect for Nick, Alabama and everything they’ve done,” he said. “But that doesn’t have anything to do with us. The focus for us has gotta be on us.”

With their championship wins the past two seasons, the Bulldogs became to first program to go back-to-back since Alabama did so with Saban and Smart working together. If Georgia can pull off a threepeat this season, it would be the first team to do so since Minnesota in the 1930s.

Alabama, on the other hand, missed out on the College Football Playoff this past season for just the second time since its inception in 2014. Still, there is belief they can make it back this year.

Smart would almost certainly surpass Saban as college football’s top coach if he were to win another championship in 2023, at least according to public opinion. However, that isn’t where his motivation to do so lies as he hopes to accomplish the historic feat this season.

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