Kirby Smart Does Not Expect Alabama Matchups to Change Under Kalen DeBoer

DALLAS, Texas— While the past several months have brought a substantial amount of change for the Alabama football program, Georgia head coach and former Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart thinks the standard of matchups between the two programs will not change.

Smart, whose teams have won two of the last three national titles and two of three conference titles, does not foresee a world where the respective programs aren’t near the top of college football anytime soon. “That’s two great universities,” Smart said Tuesday at SEC Media Days in Dallas. “Both committed, the commitment to excellence at both places is really high.”

The Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs last went up against one another in December 2023 at the SEC Championship Game. It turned out to be Nick Saban’s final win as a head coach. Alabama snapped Georgia’s historic 29-game winning streak in a 27-24 triumph. New head coach Kalen DeBoer won’t have to wait long to get his first chance against Smart and his players. Alabama and Georgia are set to face off on Sept. 28 in one of the most anticipated games of the forthcoming college football season.

“I don’t expect [the matchups] to change,” Smart said. “You’re talking about two teams that have been at the forefront of college football. It’s probably gonna be that way for a long time… The standard that Coach [Saban] created there at Alabama, the standard we’ve created. Those two are gonna be matching up for a long time, and I think it’s what’s great about college athletics.”

Starting with the two teams’ faceoff in the 2017-18 national title game in Atlanta, Alabama is 5-1. The Crimson Tide won all three matchups from 2008-15 while Smart was the defensive coordinator. Crucially, Georgia’s lone win was in January 2022 at that year’s national championship game. Kickoff time for this season’s game between the programs is already locked in, and it’ll be a night game at Bryant-Danny Stadium. Alabama has not played at Georgia’s Sanford Stadium since the 2015-16 season.