Paul Finebaum believes Kirby Smart is 'better at his age than Nick Saban was at his age'

For multiple reasons, Kirby Smart and Nick Saban will always be compared to one another. The two worked together for years at Alabama, with Saban as the head coach and Smart as the defensive coordinator. And then when Smart left for Georgia, there were plenty of high-stakes matchups between them, mostly won by Saban.

The one difference that’s easy to point out is the age factor. Saban recently retired and took over at Alabama in his late 50s. Smart has yet to reach the half-century mark and has already climbed the college football mark, twice.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum believes when factoring in age, Smart is ahead of Saban when he was around 50 years old.

“I think they’re the same person,” Finebaum said when speaking with On3’s J.D. PicKell at SEC Media Days.

“Except, Kirby Smart is 47 years old. Nick Saban is 72 and working for ESPN. Kirby Smart is the best coach in college football and I think he’s better at his age than Nick Saban was at his age. I think it’s scary.”

Around the time Saban was in his late 40s, he was a college head coach as well. LSU was home for him, winning a national championship in 2003. Saban soon left for the Miami Dolphins in the NFL, taking a two-season hiatus from college football.

The dynasty at Alabama then began in 2007, winning six more national championships. His seven are the most all-time, one more than the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant. One in Baton Rouge and the remaining six in Tuscaloosa meant Saban would go down as the greatest to ever do it.

Finebaum believes Smart has the opportunity to match Saban, at least from the total number of titles won. At such a young age and with two already under his belt, Georgia is not slowing down anytime soon.

“I think he’s going to contend with it at some point,” Finebaum said. “He’s that good.”

Georgia is certainly the favorite to win in 2024. A preseason SEC poll has not yet been released from Dallas but the Bulldogs are likely going to be picked to win the conference. Most people you find will already have them sharpied into the College Football Playoff as well.

To match Saban, Smart will have to win his titles in a completely different era. An expanded SEC and CFP means the task is likely to be more difficult. Finebaum believes Smart is up for the task.