Kirby Smart and Lane Kiffin spent time together on Alabama’s coaching staff under Nick Saban, and it’s clear the two current SEC head coaches still have a great relationship despite now being conference rivals.

In case you missed it, Kiffin poked fun at Smart on Father’s Day when the Ole Miss coach tweeted Happy Father’s Day to Saban with an image that featured Smart’s head photoshopped onto a baby being held by a man whose head was replaced by Saban’s. What did the Georgia coach think of the joke?

Now, we know what Smart thought of it, as he was asked about the image during a recent appearance on SEC Network’s “Marty & McGee: Talkin’ Season.”

“Well, I’ll give Lane this — he didn’t post that unwarranted,” Smart said. “We have a legendary side thread that goes on between Lane and I, so he sent that on the side thread long before he posted it on Twitter. I know he does it for reaction and for entertainment.

“We spent several years together there at Alabama, and that’s another one of his ways of taking a shot back at me. He used to get whoopings when we were there. I didn’t get the same whippings he got, so he’s trying to get his jabs back.”

https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/1429150158697213952

Smart was on Alabama’s staff from 2007-15, mostly serving as defensive coordinator during that time, while Kiffin was the offensive coordinator there from 2014-16. So while they didn’t spend many years together with the Crimson Tide, it was enough time for them to become friends.

Knowing Kiffin and his Twitter activity, this likely won’t be the last time he and Smart exchange some playful jabs.