Kalen DeBoer Provides First Glimpse of Georgia, Kirby Smart's Impact

The Alabama head coach has been "very impressed" with Smart long before he became the Bulldogs head coach.

Dec 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart runs out of the tunnel with his team before the SEC Championship game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Perhaps the overall biggest game of the entire college football regular season will be played 10 days from now between No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama in Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

This game has been circled on the calendar by the college football world since the schedule came out and we're finally closing in on this battle between these two heavyweight SEC programs. In fact, Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States and the Republican candidate for the upcoming November 2024 general election, is planning to attend this epic must-see matchup on Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is heading into his first game against the 2021 and 2022 National Champions and during Wednesday's SEC Coaches Teleconference, he spoke about the rivalry that he's grown to know since being named Nick Saban's successor on Jan. 12.

"This is our first conference game and it's against an opponent that's No. 1 or No. 2 depending where you look, but they're a top-ranked team that brings it each and every Saturday," DeBoer said. "It's going to be extremely well coached and we know it's going to be a great test for us. It's really about the game, and there really isn't any past history with [Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and me] competing against each other. I certainly understand everything coach Smart has done for this program for the many years he put in for us and helping our program grow."

Although there isn't really any past history between DeBoer and Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, there most certainly is between the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide. Smart was hired at Alabama in 2007, the same year as Saban, to be the associate head coach and the defensive backs coach. One year later, he was named the Tide's defensive coordinator and held that position through the 2015 season, helping Alabama win four National Championships in that span.

Smart was named Georgia's head coach on Dec. 6, 2015, and has logged a 97-16 record with two SEC Championships and two National Championships ever since. However, Alabama has had Smart's number as he's 1-5 against the Tide. Alabama defeated Georgia in the 2017 National Championship in overtime, but the Bulldogs took the Crimson Tide down in the 2022 National Championship. Most recently, Alabama upset Georgia in the 2023 SEC Championship to end the Bulldogs' 29-game winning streak, which landed the Tide a spot in the College Football Playoff.

DeBoer discussed Smart's experience at both Alabama and Georgia on Monday, stating that his efforts and dominance have essentially made him the leader of the current SEC coaches when it comes to meetings.

"You've seen from afar what he's done, not just at Georgia but throughout his career, and it's so impressive. You can just see that he's one of those who does everything he can to make the game better. I think coaches who can be upfront and fight for the things that can improve the game of football, at the college level especially, I've just been impressed with that when sitting in the [SEC] meetings. He's one of the guys that's been around longer and is more familiar with our league, so there's a lot of experience that we can draw upon to help us make good decisions as we have our SEC meetings."

Both Alabama and Georgia are on its bye week, as each school has been given extra time to prepare for this game which will certainly be among the most-watched of any FBS contest this season. During Wednesday's teleconference, DeBoer and Smart both said that they won't begin to prepare for the game until Thursday.