Nick Saban, Kirby Smart have hilarious exchange about ‘bullshit’ coachspeak
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Ask a coach about what will determine the outcome of a big game, and many college football fans know what kind of cliché-heavy answer to expect. Nick Saban asked Kirby Smart the question on Saturday’s College GameDay from the SEC Championship Game. Saban, though, made a point to ask Smart to skip the “BS” clichés when talking about what it will take for the Georgia Bulldogs to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide.
“So Kirby, I wanted to ask you, what are the critical factors, you know, going to be in this game?” Saban said. “And I know all the bullshit that I taught you like, you know, control the line of scrimmage, be able to run the ball, stop the run, play well on third down, get off the field on third down, play well in the red zone, don’t give up explosive plays, turnovers, all that. We got that. So after all that bullshit, tell me what really is a factor in this game.”
Smart got a laugh out of his former boss’s choice of language.
“I really think situational football is so important,” Smart said. “And all those things you talked about that were bullshit, we can put them to the side. I do think third down red area in the special teams, every time we’ve played in the SEC Championship, there’s been a monumental special teams play.
“I think those are really important, you know, but other than that, it’s all bullshit.”
That may not have been the answer Saban was looking for, but the laughs certainly made for good TV.
"After all that bullshit
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 6, 2025
Tell me what really is a factor in this game"
Coach Saban #CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/eKNYiVDZYW
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
