Kirby Smart has said recruiting against Alabama won’t simply come down to him versus his old boss Nick Saban, but instead it comes down to two universities with excellent history and traditions, with each school having unique traits to offer prospective student athletes.

While Smart is accurate in his thoughts toward recruiting, the fact that both he and Saban have targeted 2018 defensive back prospect Christian Tutt suggests the cornerback from Thomson, Georgia could thrive in either team’s similar defensive system.

That being said, it should come to no surprise that the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Tutt is heavily favoring both SEC programs thus far in recruitment. Tutt is currently ranked as the nation’s No. 4 cornerback prospect for 2018 by 247Sports.

“Mainly just the ones recruiting me hardest like Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, UCLA and USC,” Tutt said to 247Sports in regards to his top choices. “Those are the main schools right there.”

Smart’s move to Athens is one factor that appears to be helping the Dawgs.

“We’re closer now,” Tutt said. “ When (Smart) was at Alabama, he was about five hours away. Now he’s about 45 minutes. The relationship has gotten good with me and coach (Mel) Tucker, too. He came down to the school during spring practice. Our relationship has gotten a lot stronger.”

Georgia’s new head coach recently proclaimed it was his job to lock down the state and bring home championship to Athens. Landing talented in-state recruits like Tutt will go a long way to making that goal a reality.