"Don't get any more chances to beat him": Kirby Smart expresses his feelings about Nick Saban ahead of Alabama game

Kirby Smart leads his No. 2 Georgia team to Tuscaloosa this weekend to face No. 4 Alabama, but it's not a familiar feeling for him due to the absence of Nick Saban. After 17 years in charge of the Crimson Tide, Saban announced his retirement from coaching in January.

Smart worked as an assistant under Saban in three different destinations before taking the Georgia head coaching role. He was initially hired during Saban's days at LSU and later joined him at the Miami Dolphins. He subsequently spent several years with him at Alabama.

Since taking over at Georgia in 2016, Kirby Smart has faced Nick Saban in six games. However, he was only able to beat the legendary coach once, a win that secured the 2021 national championship. This is an opportunity Smart is unhappy he won't be getting again.

"I feel like he's still in it, so I don't really see it as there being a shadow," Smart told ESPN. "He's announcing. He's still involved. He's still trying to make things right in our game, with Congress or whomever. He ain't going nowhere.

“This dude loves it, and he is going to be part of it for a long time. The game is better with him in it. I just have so much respect for him. He's just not coaching anymore, and I don't get any more chances to beat him."

Kirby Smart doesn't see himself as the heir to Nick Saban in college football

Following the retirement of Nick Saban, much attention turned to Kirby Smart and his Georgia team as the next dominant college football team. Many analysts thought the Bulldogs, who won two of the last three national championships, would fill the shoes of Saban's Alabama.

However, Smart doesn't see himself in that role. Despite the reputation of his Georgia team, he emphasized the current level of competition within the realm.

"We've been really good the last few years and had a lot of success and I'm certainly thankful for that. But in no way, shape or form does that put me on the pedestal or the statue that he was on," Smart said.

"I think there's a group of people out there leading their programs who are really good coaches, and they're lucky to have the programs that they do.”

Kirby Smart will be looking to have a new experience against Alabama following the exit of the dominant Nick Saban. His Bulldogs will be looking to secure a win in Tuscaloosa this weekend, being ranked above the hosts.