Mutual Respect: Nick Saban and Brian Kelly Bring Class to an Otherwise Ferocious Rivalry

From phone calls to postgame remarks, Saban and Kelly's unique relationship presents calm amidst a tumultuous storm.

Over the years of his career, there are few active coaches that Nick Saban has repeatedly spoke higher of that Brian Kelly. From the duo's first meeting on the gridiron in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game all the way to Kelly's hiring at Saban's former program in LSU, both coaches have always credited the other with nothing but respect.

This Saturday's matchup between No. 6 Alabama and No. 10 LSU (6 p.m. CT, ESPN) isn't the first time that Saban has squared off against Kelly, but it is the first time that both have played each other with SEC-caliber rosters.

The two first met on the gridiron in Miami all the way back in 2013 in a BCS title game that saw Saban's Crimson Tide swiftly crush the Fighting Irish 42-14. While Notre Dame reached its first College Football Playoff berth following the 2018 season — where it was resoundingly beaten 30-3 by Clemson in the Cotton Bowl semifinal — Kelly and his Fighting Irish were back at it again following the 2020 season in Dallas. This time, though, it was in the Rose Bowl semifinal due to COVID-19 forcing the game to be played outside of the state of California.

Before the two teams took to the field, Saban remarked on how much he respected Kelly and the job he had done at Notre Dame.

"I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for Brian Kelly wherever he’s been a coach," Saban said. "He’s had a tremendous amount of success. I think their team reflects the kind of team that anybody would want to coach in terms of how they compete, how hard they play, sort of the discipline and all the intangible things you try to develop and build in your team and in your program."

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Notre Dame lost the semifinal to Alabama, with the Crimson Tide once again storming around, over and through the Fighting Irish 31-14.

While Kelly and Notre Dame were licking their wound up in South Bend, LSU was undergoing much bigger problems. While the Tigers had won the national championship under head coach Ed Orgeron in 2020, the program had seen a steep drop-off.

The COVID season of 2020 saw LSU finish with a 5-5 record and a self-imposed bowl ban due to an NCAA investigation over allegations of improper booster payments to its players. After a 6-6 record in the regular season in 2021, Orgeron and LSU mutually parted ways, opening the door for a new head coach of the Tigers.

Just three days after Orgeron coached his final game at LSU, Kelly was announced as LSU's new head coach. Soon thereafter, Kelly revealed that there was one phone call that he made while fielding the offer that the Tigers had given him.

The phone call was to Nick Saban.

"He didn't give up any secrets about etouffee or Louisiana or LSU," Kelly joked. "If he did, I would have bought that house on Highland that he lived in. There was nothing that specific, but it just had been a conversation about the SEC in particular."

When asked about what his phone conversation with Kelly was like, the tight-lipped Saban merely brought up the positives that come with the LSU program.

"Not to divulge anything that I talked to anybody else about, but LSU is — people have great passion there," Saban said. "It's a really good football job in every way. You've got a lot of good players in the state. You've got great support and great passion. And he's done a really good job of creating sort of the intangibles that you need to have to have a really good team.

"I've always thought LSU's a special place because of the passion and the people and the commitment they have to a standard of excellence."

According to Kelly, it wasn't the change in weather that inspired him to leave South Bend for Baton Rouge. Nor was it the incredible Cajun food, nor Southern hospitality. It was the Southeastern Conference, the level of competition and games like the one between the Crimson Tide and the Tigers this coming Saturday night in Death Valley.

That was true for Kelly on his first day.

"I came down here because I wanted to be with the best," Kelly said during his introductory press conference last December. "The resources here are outstanding. Listen, you’re looked at in terms of championships here. I want that."

And it's still true now.

"Heck yeah," Kelly said regarding if he was looking forward to playing Alabama. "That’s why I came to LSU. But there’s more to come. This will be obviously an exciting atmosphere, but I don’t want our fans to think that this is the first and last event like this in Tiger Stadium. We expect to be playing in a lot of these games."

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Kelly might have an 0-2 record against Saban, but that hasn't curbed his enthusiasm for this weekend's game.

LSU began its first season under Kelly with a narrow 24-23 loss to Florida State. The loss caused them to drop off of many fans' — and plenty of media members' — radar, but the Tigers didn't let it get to them. Four wins came before LSU fell 40-13 to Tennessee on Oct. 8, but back-to-back wins at Florida and against Ole Miss gave the Tigers all the energy and momentum they needed heading into the bye week.

Both Alabama and LSU are the sole remaining teams in the SEC West Division that still control their own destinies. While Ole Miss is also tied in the standings, it is dependent on the outcome of this weekend's game between the Crimson Tide and the Tigers due to its loss to LSU.

The rivalry might have softened slightly since LSU last defeated Alabama back in 2019, but make no mistake: the quiet success of Kelly and his Tigers hasn't gotten past Saban.

"They’re always very well-coached," Saban said on Monday of teams under Kelly. "They’re always physical. This will be a physical game. They always have balance on offense. They’re going to run the ball. They got a very good throwing scheme. Utilizing the personnel that they have very, very well. They’ve historically played very well on defense and special teams. It’s typical of what a well-coached team usually does.

"They’ve gotten to the point where – and all of his teams have been this way – they don’t beat themselves. You’ve got to execute and beat them, and I think that’s got to be the focus for our team."

That's high praise coming from Saban, but that's become par for the course in his remarks about Kelly.

Kelly has brought confidence and swagger back to Baton Rouge — a complete turnaround compared to this time last season. It might not be back up to its level that it was when players like Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase paced the sideline, but make no mistake: this LSU team is going places.

And even through his losses against him, Kelly still has plenty of respect for the man he called about the job.

"Certainly what's to say about Alabama other than consistency, excellence, arguably the greatest head coach in college football history in Nick Saban," Kelly said on Monday. "I have a great deal of respect for Nick and what he has accomplished and what he has done for college football and great players."

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