Kirby Smart is no stranger to having a running back in the mix to be an All-American.

In his time at Alabama, the defensive coordinator learned that a diet of 30-plus carries for a running back paired with a strong defense is usually a recipe for success.

At Georgia, he has those ingredients in sophomore RB Nick Chubb and a defense that finished the regular season in the top five in the SEC in multiple defensive categories.

Appearing on 680 The Fan radio station in Atlanta this week, Smart called Chubb a, “grown man, he is a grown man, very good player.”

Chubb’s season ended at Tennessee because of a serious left knee injury. But in six games, he rushed 92 times for 747 yards and seven touchdowns. He had previously rushed for at least 100 yards in 13 straight games, a school record.

Those kinds of numbers are familiar to Smart from the likes of former Alabama RBs Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson. Of course this season the Crimson Tide was led by Heisman finalist Derrick Henry.

As a junior in 2011, Richardson rushed for 1,679 yards and 21 TDs while Smart’s defense led the nation in all five major statistical categories including total defense (183.6 yards per game).

In 2009, when Smart won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant, Ingram had 1,658 rushing yards, 17 DS and won the Heisman Trophy. The Alabama defense that year led the SEC and was second in the country in scoring defense at less than 12 points per game.

Chubb is capable of a heavy workload as he once turned in 38 carries in a blowout win at Missouri in 2014.

How Chubb is used in Smart’s offense will go a long way in determining his philosophy. It could also reveal how quickly Chubb recovers from the knee injury as one-time teammates Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley each suffered knee injuries but didn’t recover on the same timeline. Gurley is making NFL headlines as a rookie, while Marshall, who recently declared for the NFL Draft, does not show the same burst and lateral movement as he did before the injury.