Was Nick Saban a Dictator? Disciple Kirby Smart Reveals Details of Ex Alabama HC’s Leadership Style

With one of the greatest coaches of the NFL in retirement, the question arises once in a while- was he truly a GOAT behind the curtain? These sorts of questions are raised by all the great figures of sports, and the former HC for Alabama is no different. Nick Saban announced his retirement from the NFL in January of this year and ever since then, the void he left behind has been difficult to fill by the new HC Kalen DeBoer.

Nick Saban has been the head coach for Alabama since 2009. He gave 17 years of his life to the Crimson Tide and made them an absolute dominant force under his leadership. The team, led by Saban, won national championships in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020. They were considered notably one of the best teams, if not the very best, for almost a decade. But now that Saban has hung his cape, former DC Kirby Smart reveals the true details of how Saban used to operate the team in the locker room.

Former coach at Alabama, Kirby Smart, talks about the details of how Saban used to train the team

On the latest episode of the ‘Late Kick with Josh Pate’ show, the HC for the Georgia Bulldogs Kirby Smart joined in as a guest to talk about his time with Alabama during the years of 2007-2015. The conversation further led to Smart revealing the intimate details about how Saban would take inputs from the team when faced with a strategic dilemma.

Smart said, “Yeah I didn’t see behind the curtain much but I mean he lets you behind the curtain by being part of his staff cause’ he’s very uh, “Hey guys I want to talk about this. What do we think’s the best way to do it?” So he allowed input. It was a democracy in the fact that he would take votes but it was not in the sense that he was going to dictatorship. He was going to decide what we did and I always appreciated that.” Thus, Saban’s sense of leadership can always be appreciated in a much broader sense since he would take inputs from the entire team, something which Smart always liked. Moreover, when Smart was asked about his stance on being the face of college football, he respectfully backed off and had Saban’s name on the tip of his tongue.

Nick Saban is the face of college football, as per Kirby Smart

Kirby Smart and Saban’s relationship at Alabama goes way back. They both joined the team together in 2007 and established an amazing relationship which eventually played a crucial role in winning 6 championships in the span of 17 years. Though Saban’s legacy is known far and wide, Smart’s name isn’t lagging far behind as he also gave the equivalent amount of time to ensure Alabama’s success.

But when it comes to being the face of college football, even Smart believes that no one stands taller than Saban. He said, “First of all, I don’t want to be seen as the face of college football. I don’t think that’s the case. I think Nick was that and will continue to be a voice that people should listen to. I don’t think that that’s some kind of spot that’s just inherited or given to anybody. You earn that, he earned that through time. I’m not where he was. But I certainly think that I embrace the fact that I want to help the game.” Thus, this shows the remarkable equation between the two veteran coaches and Smart continues to acknowledge Saban’s legacy even when he’s exited the sport of football.

Read more: Terrion Arnold Uses Biggest Regret From Stint With Nick Saban & Co as Motivation to Achieve The Ultimate Prize

Will Smart end up being bigger than Saban in his career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.