Greg McElroy explains still ranking Nick Saban over Kirby Smart
Former Alabama quarterback and ESPN analyst Greg McElroy still has his former coach Nick Saban above Kirby Smart.
The Georgia head coach won his second straight national title last season which begged the question of who is better right now? McElroy opted with the seven-time national champion but Smart is a close second.
He explained on Always College Football why Saban got the nod going into the 2023 season.
“If you’re looking at it right now, it’s understandable that you might have Kirby Smart at No.1,” McElroy said. “I for one, I’m still gonna have Nick Saban at No.1. Not because I think he’s necessarily better, but it’s hard to ignore seven national championships and consistently getting his team to play at a pretty high level. Last year was met with certain challenges and the year before that as well. But either way I mean he still has his team within striking distance every single year and has since 2008. So it’d be difficult, I think for me to not have Nick Saban No. 1.
“Kirby Smart would be two though, and that is a closer margin than probably ever before. That margin used to be significant. It was Nick Saban, then everybody else. I think Kirby Smart has now joined the fray at the top of the college football world and he doesn’t take a backseat to anybody else not named the GOAT, Nick Saban.”
Smart won his second straight title as head coach while Saban and Alabama missed out on the College Football Playoff.
But the Crimson Tide are a regular in the playoffs. In fact, it’s pretty rare they aren’t among the final four.
Once the playoff expands to 12 teams, those schools should be in every single year at this rate. Until Saban retires, there might not be another coach who can overtake him as the GOAT.
Smart would need a few more national championships to have a case while at Georgia. One thing Smart earned in his first title? He beat Saban head to head.
Although in championship games, the series is 1-1. Perhaps the two could collide in the SEC Championship or playoffs this coming season.
Smart came from Saban’s coaching tree, so maybe Saban is even greater for his ability to mold a great coach.
The battles in 2023 should be fascinating.