Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship between Georgia and Alabama was a matchup of two very familiar opponents. They faced off in the SEC title game this year. They’ve previously met in the national title game. And it was a battle of two coaches who know each other extremely well.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart goes back two decades with Alabama’s Nick Saban. He was on Saban’s staff at LSU in 2004 and rejoined him with the Dolphins and Alabama where he spent eight seasons. So yeah, they’re close friends. And when Georgia finally found a way to beat Alabama and claim that elusive national title, Saban was thrilled for Smart — even if it meant balancing his own disappointment.
That relationship played out in an incredibly classy postgame handshake following the Bulldogs’ 33-18 win.
Kirby Smart and Nick Saban.
All class 🤝 pic.twitter.com/LJBibd3TOt
— ESPN (@espn) January 11, 2022
Microphones picked up Saban telling Smart that Georgia “kicked our ass” in the fourth quarter, which was true — Georgia took over in the final frame.
Smart immediately responded by asking about Alabama receiver Jameson Williams who left in the first half with a knee injury. Saban told Smart that they suspected Williams suffered a torn ACL.
Saban ended the exchange with a “God bless you” and made his way to the locker room. That’s how it should be done. It was class all around.
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