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Kirby Smart and Nick Saban reflect on relationship prior to 2021 SEC Championship

Nick Saban & Kirby Smart were very complimentary of each other ahead of their matchup on Saturday.

ATLANTA โ€” The SEC Championship Game will feature two of the best coaches in college football, and their respect for each other runs deeper than the sport itself.

Before head coach Kirby Smart fielded one of the best teams in program history, he served as an assistant under Alabama head coach Nick Saban. The two spent nearly a decade together in Tuscaloosa, with Smart serving as Saban's defensive coordinator and right-hand man.

"He's meant a lot in my career, as he has a lot of coaches out there in the country, "said Kirby Smart. "I think you appreciate the job he does more when you're gone than maybe when you were there because, when you move on, you appreciate the fact that he works really hard, he doesn't ask any of his assistants to do anything that he doesn't do, and he holds everybody to a high standard."

Their relationship is well documented, as this will be the fourth time the two have faced off. Smart has yet to defeat his former boss, and Saban is currently 24-1 all-time against his former assistants.

"Look, I'm always very gracious in terms of the gratitude that I have for what guys did when they were with us, and I understand that they do it well because they want opportunities themselves," says Nick Saban. "And it's always good to, A, appreciate what they did for us, but also there's some pride in it that they have gone on and done very well in building their own program. Kirby has just done a fantastic job."

The lone loss came against Texas A&M and head coach Jimbo Fisher this season. The performance encapsulated what many thought for weeks and what Saban tried to tell us all year: this Alabama team is weaker than in years past.

When you look at the names on the roster, you may not think that, which is fair. Alabama always fields talented teams, but this year's difference is that their youth is standing in the way.

This is one of the youngest Alabama teams to play under Saban, which has negated their ability to play complementary football. Several plays every game make the viewer wonder what would happen in that situation with past Alabama teams.

Credit: AP
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, left, speaks with Alabama head coach Nick Saban ahead of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game between Georgia and Alabama, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Saban knows this, and to his credit, acknowledged that Georgia has put together the most complete resume in college this season. However, he attributed much of that success to his former assistant turned head coach.

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