Nick Saban reenergized by having Kirby Smart 'problem to solve'

For the first time in a long time, Nick Saban has something to prove to the college football world. Alabama has uncharacteristically been on the losing end the past two seasons while Georgia has seemingly taken over. Kirby Smart has won two consecutive national championships and has a legitimate chance at three.

Peter Burns of the SEC Network told On3’s Andy Staples he believes Smart getting a couple brings a new energy to Saban. We have seen a couple of other coaches get the best of Saban in the past. Hugh Freeze while at Ole Miss, Gus Malzhan at Auburn, and even Dabo Swinney at Clemson.

None have been at the level of Smart though, with him being a former assistant.

“I think Kirby, going back-to-back and doing so well, energizes Saban to a certain extent,” Burns said during Wednesday’s episode of Andy Staples On3. “There’s an interesting new level of the video game for him.”

After pressing any button to continue, Saban has a few problems to solve. Short term, the quarterback competition is a big one in Tuscaloosa. Alabama also has two new coordinators to break in, with Tommy Rees working on offense and Kevin Steele taking over the defense.

Long term, the problem is simple to Staples — it’s Smart. If Saban is ever going to get back to the winning ways of the 2010s, plus two on the outside, figuring out how to get back on top and take the crown away from Georgia is the main objective.

“I have always said I think Nick Saban is at his best when he has a problem to solve,” Staples said. “I think there are a couple of problems to solve. Kirby is the main problem whether people want to admit it or not.”

Smart being a thorn in Saban’s side does not begin at the 2021 national championship game in Indianapolis. Staples points to the 2020 recruiting class where Georiga was able to get a few head-to-head wins over Alabama. Those players wound up being instrumental pieces toward winning on the field just a season later.

Had a pre-Smart coach been in charge at Georgia, Saban could have surpassed Bear Bryant and be reaching for double-digit national titles.

“I go back to the class of 2020,” Staples said. “They had multiple players that both teams were in on. Jalen Carter was one of them. Darnell Washington was one of them. Sedrick Van Pran, the Georgia center, was one of them. Georgia beat them. And I know Alabama beat Georgia on some of those guys.

“But if you take Kirby Smart away — if it’s a Mark Richt-type coach at Georgia at that time, those players are probably all on Alabama’s roster last year. And if they are, Alabama wins the national title. That’s the difference.”

Whether or not Saban can fix the problem in front of him, the 2023 season will be a great test. Alabama and Georgia are not scheduled to play each other but meeting in Atlanta is always a possibility. Maybe a College Football Playoff rubber match is in the cards.

Alabama has its back against the wall and now, we all get to see how Saban responds.