Alabama’s Nick Saban versus Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher is the most interesting we’ve seen this offseason other than Arch Manning’s visit schedule.
Saban struck first two weeks ago with comments aimed at Texas A&M and Jackson State.
"A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image, and likeness."
–– Alabama head coach Nick Sabanpic.twitter.com/nIRSc1yte5
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 19, 2022
Fisher responded like it just means more.
What a grenade at Nick Saban.
“Some people think they’re God.” pic.twitter.com/etbIFpeUDF— Dayne Young (@dayneyoung) May 19, 2022
Jimbo: “Certain people have never followed the rules anyway.”
Reporter: “Are you saying Nick [Saban] has bent the rules?”
Jimbo: “No. I didn’t say that. I just made a statement.”
wry smile pic.twitter.com/OPpUeog29i
— Dayne Young (@dayneyoung) May 19, 2022
Pure theater here.
Marvelous 🍿 pic.twitter.com/Vb6NrCdcJ7
— Dayne Young (@dayneyoung) May 19, 2022
What does Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who worked under Saban in the past just like Fisher, think about all of this?
Smart answered questions on Tuesday at the SEC’s spring meetings:
Question: Surprised that Saban and Jimbo aren’t speaking?
Kirby Smart: “We don’t speak to each other anyways…”
Question: When Nick Saban or Jimbo Fisher calls, you answer the phone, right?
Kirby Smart: “No. They don’t call. I mean, I don’t call them. I mean, there’s not a lot of — there might be some conversations between a few guys, a few relationships when you’ve been on the staff with somebody. I talked to Will [Muschamp] when Will was a head coach some, but it’s not commonplace for guys to be reaching out and be friendly when you’re competing on the field, and we’re constantly competing for prospects day in and day out. So, it’s not super unusual to me.”
Question: Jimbo casts some serious aspersions with Nick Saban and the way he does his job. Was any of that justified or grounded in fact, in your experience?
Kirby Smart: “To be honest with you, my phone started blowing up right when Jimbo had his press conference, and I haven’t thought about it a day since because in the world that we operate in, you’re worried about what’s in front of you right now, which is the 15 recruits I’m trying to get on the phone, the conversations I’m trying to have. I’m not really worried about a feud between two guys that used to sit in the same staff meeting and have similar conversations. I mean, at the end of the day, sometimes things get heated. You’d rather it not be in the public arena, but at the end of the day things like that happen. I mean, you guys should be on the headphone sometime. You’d think that [back and forth between Saban and Jimbo] was Mickey Mouse. It just so happened in front of everybody. It’s not something I prefer to comment on, to be honest with you. I’m worried about what we do at Georgia, and that’s my focus.”
