Georgia’s Kirby Smart Jokingly Compared Nick Saban to Darth Vader

Kristen Wong | Jul 17, 2024

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart is still warming up to former rival Nick Saban’s new role in the media.

Since 2016, Smart and Saban have squared off in a slew of SEC primetime matchups, with Smart at the helm of the Bulldogs and Saban at the helm of Alabama. Their on-field rivalry ended after Saban announced his retirement from coaching in January, but the seven-time national title-winning coach has since made numerous appearances in the media, causing Smart to do somewhat of a double take.

“It’s weird,” Smart said of talking to Saban about Georgia’s upcoming season. “The call I did to set up for [SEC] Media Days, I was nervous, like… For 15 minutes I'm going to share with him about my team? I feel like I'm giving answers to Darth Vader or something.” 

Georgia Bulldogs HC Kirby Smart on Nick Saban now being apart of the media and sharing UGA info with him:

“I feel like I’m giving answers to Darth Vader” pic.twitter.com/GZigSxBbcu

— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) July 16, 2024

Smart’s Star Wars reference naturally led some fans to drop paternity jokes, yet it isn’t difficult to see why the Bulldogs coach would be hesitant to start chumming it up with a former adversary.

Smart and Saban dominated the SEC during a seven-year span that saw both coaches frequently go head-to-head for national glory. Now, a new saga awaits for Smart, who is looking to guide his alma mater to a third national championship, as well as Saban, who has left the dark side for the bright lights of college football media.