Kirby Smart, Steve Sarkisian troll Nick Saban over improving text messages

Georgia‘s Kirby Smart and Texas‘ Steve Sarkisian will be enemies on Saturday in the SEC Championship. However, they share a common trait: they were both assistants of former Alabama head coach Nick Saban.

While both coaches picked up priceless experience from the legendary head coach, they also experienced Saban’s rough edges. Alas, since retirement, the Hall-of-Fame head coach has been portrayed in a softer light.

From laughs on ESPN’s College GameDay to his hilarious appearances on The Pat McAfee Show, Saban has revealed a new side of himself in retirement. Evidently, he’s picked up a few new skills too, including texting. On Friday, Sarkisian revealed his favorite text from Saban.

“Probably the first one. Because I thought to myself, ‘There’s no way this is Nick. This has got to be Miss Terry texting me from Coach’s phone or something,'” Sarkisian said. “Then, it’s like becoming a little more common. Now I’m starting to get text messages. This morning, ‘Hey, call me when you’re free.’ I thought, ‘What the hell?”

Sarkisian isn’t the only one who’s been receiving texts more frequently from Saban.

“I got the same one and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s the first initiated contact by him,” Smart said. “Most of the time, I have to initiate the contact with text but he reached out. He’s gotten more comfortable. He must have more free time.”

Sarkisian and Smart aren’t so lucky. The pair have no free time as they prepare to face off in the SEC Championship on Saturday. Both coaches will look to give their former mentor something to be proud of.

In 2004, Smart spent one season under Saban as LSU’s defensive backs coach. Just three years later, Smart reunited with Saban in Alabama.

Saban hired Smart as an assistant coach on January 9, 2007. Saban promoted him to defensive coordinator just over one year later. Under Saban’s tutelage, Smart boosted Alabama to four national titles. On Dec. 6, 2015, Smart took over as head coach at Georgia.

Sarkisian joined Alabama in 2016 as an analyst. After Lane Kiffin left the Crimson Tide to take over at Florida Atlantic, Sarkisian served as the team’s interim offensive coordinator in the 2017 National Championship against Clemson.

Alabama ultimately fell but that wouldn’t be Sarkisian’s last time calling the shots for the Crimson Tide. After a two-year stint in the NFL, Sarkisian returned to Alabama and was the program’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2019-20.

In 2020, Sarkisian won the Broyles Award, annually given to the best assistant coach in college football. On January 2, 2021, Sarkisian accepted an offer to become Texas’ next head coach.

On Saturday, Steve Sarkisian and Kirby Smart will look to use all they learned during their time at Alabama as they square off in the SEC Championship at 4 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ABC.