Video: Nick Saban Told Kirby Smart Loss to Alabama Might Be ‘Best Thing’ for Georgia

Adam WellsOctober 11, 2024

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban offered words of encouragement to Kirby Smart in the wake of Georgia’s 41-34 loss to the Crimson Tide on Sept. 28.

Appearing on Friday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, Saban revealed he texted Smart after that game to let him know it “might be the best thing that happens” to the Bulldogs because it gave them a wake-up call that might not have otherwise gotten through.

Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow”I texted Kirby after the Alabama game and said this might be the best thing that happens to you..

Losing early really gives your team a wake up call and everything that you’ve been saying has more meaning” ~ Nick Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/x8xmWVEgCv

This is an interesting comment from a coach who was notorious for how much he hated losing games.

Saban has even said that his primary motivating factor as a head coach was not wanting to lose more than winning.

“Well I think, you know, A, probably hate to lose. Because I do think that….for me, fear of failure has always been a great motivator. You want to win. Want to be the best. But, just hate losing. Always hated losing, even when I was a kid. So, I would say that’s probably the biggest thing,” Saban said in October 2023.

There weren’t a whole lot of losses for Saban during his tenure with the Crimson Tide to get mad about. He lost 29 games in 17 seasons at Alabama, with six coming in his first year in 2007.

Saban’s team in 2015 lost in its third game of the season to Mississippi before rattling off 12 consecutive wins, capped off by a 45-40 victory over Clemson in the College Football Playoff Championship Game.

If there is any coach in the country who understands Saban’s perspective, it would be Smart. The 48-year-old was an assistant on Saban’s staff for nine seasons from 2007 to ’15 before he was hired by Georgia in December 2015.

The Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll for the first three weeks of the season. They lived up to that billing by outscoring their opponents 95-18 in the first three games, but Alabama lit up the defense to the tune of 41 points and 547 total yards.

Unfortunately for Alabama, the good vibes only lasted for one week before a stunning 40-35 upset loss to Vanderbilt on Oct. 5. Saban admitted he did not talk to new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer after the loss.

Georgia got back on track with a 31-13 win over Auburn last week. It will host Mississippi State on Saturday before a huge showdown against No. 1 Texas at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Oct. 19.