Casagrande: Is Kirby Smart ready to carry the Nick Saban torch? what stands in his way

This is an opinion column.

For the past 59 days, the same flame has been spreading across the world – touching everything from the beautiful French countryside to remote areas like Guadeloupe in the Caribbean and overseas departments like Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.

The spectacle of the Olympic flame burning in Greece and reaching the Cauldron in Paris is a tradition with roots dating back centuries BC. Even the biggest cynics must acknowledge the incredible symbolism a few thousand years old.

Anyway, one globe-spin away, an even more cherished torch is off to a new recipient.

From Nick Saban to… who?

College football’s caveman combibel is up for grabs and Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has a gas can and a book of matches in hand.

Now comes the hard part.

With their former boss no longer standing in the way, breaking the door open to Dynasty Mode may be the most challenging frontier yet.

Kinda like that 3-foot putt.

Nothing is a gift.

But who else is in position to take Saban’s throne?

Or is it fair to consider it a traveling trophy, given that Saban’s performance over the past 15 years has been practically unmatched and therefore not inheritable? Maybe not, but you’ve had Steve Spurriers, Bobby Bowdens, Tom Osborns, Urban Meyers and Pete Carrolls who had short torch jogs before Saban broke the 2009-23 curve.

Consider the fact that Smart is one of only three active head coaches to have won a college football title and is the only coach to not only compete but stand in the conversation as a preseason title favorite, at least. They have fewer excuses for not attending that second one. Level.

His biggest obstacle has also been removed.

Smart had arguably the best team in the country, heading for a third consecutive national title last November, a feat that even Saban could not claim. Yet it was his old supervisor who delivered one final insult on his way out the door, putting a blow to the Bulldogs’ 29-game winning streak in the SEC title game, knocking the top-ranked team out of the playoffs.

It was Smart’s fifth loss in six games since Georgia head coach coached Saban – his fourth loss in an SEC or CFP title game. Three of those heartbreakers stood between Smart and wrestling, snatching the torch from Saban’s pre-retirement hands, but he’ll have to settle for the competition for what remains.

Connected: Casagrande: Nick Saban isn’t retired. we can stop saying this

That list includes previous contender Dabo Swinney, but it’s been half a decade since his budding Clemson dynasty showed signs of being dethroned. He’s the second active coach with a championship ring, with Mack Brown in third, and that’s all we have to say about that.

Basically, it’s a battle between smart, yourself, and the weight of that crown.

On the SEC Network set at SEC Media Days on Tuesday, Saban gave Smart about as much support as you’ll get from his platform.

“Especially on defense and looking at the big picture of the game, he’s the best assistant coach we’ve ever had,” Saban told the television audience.

During eight years at Georgia, Smart has a record of 94–16 with two titles. Saban was 91–17 with three rings in his first eight Alabama seasons, but he stepped into that job with NFL and SEC head coaching experience. Smart also was their defensive coordinator for the last seven of those eight runs and all three of the national title runs.

So one could argue that at least part of Saban’s torch run was a smart tailwind, but none of these accomplishments are the work of a single person. Consistently conducting the orchestra at a high level is what kept Saban moving up the list of all-time greats.

Does Smart have the discipline to avoid the pitfalls that come with that heavy crown? He’s as close as a Saban clone gets, but it’s hard to say he has the same head-banging, obsessive attention to detail as his former manager and nothing else. Nobody does.

At least partly this is why so many people had mini-runs, but not 1.5 decades of annual brawls.

And while the Saban program was not immune to off-field legal issues, Georgia’s reckless driving problem, which continued into 2023 following the deaths of a player and staffer, threatens that stability somewhat.

“The incidents that happened to us off the field are not something we should condone,” Smart said Tuesday, via OnlineAthens.com. “It’s very unfortunate, disappointing, I think is the best word. I always talk about process and results. I talked about wins and losses that we try not to base things on the results of wins and losses. In this situation, the results are very disappointing.”

Process and results, you say?

The terminology crossed the border from Alabama to Georgia.

So win.

And some championships.

But now comes expectations that will be even higher without Saban threatening to snatch another ring from Smart’s finger. They will be bigger than ever despite the increased difficulty of the expanded SEC, leaving the comfort of the inconsistent East Division, and navigating at least one more playoff game in the minefield of postseason structure.

But Saban is gone.

And it’s time to either walk away with your flashlight for the smart one or clip the trip wire that separated its last owner from all the others.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter@ByCasagrandeor onFacebook,