Kalen DeBoer faces his first monumental test as the new Head Coach of Alabama when his #4 ranked Crimson Tide battle the #2 ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa this Saturday. DeBoer coached in massive games last year as the coach for Washington, most notably the CFP Playoff against Texas and the subsequent CFP National Championship Game against Michigan. But being the man at Alabama is a different ballgame.
The standard set at Alabama by Nick Saban from 2007-2023 is unlike any other in the country. There is pressure to be perfect in all aspects. But as Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart once said, while quoting Billy Jean King who might have also been quoting someone else, "Pressure is a privilege."
That privilege will be on full display as these two juggernauts battle it out this weekend, and history will be on the side of the Tide. Alabama is 8-1 against Georgia in their last 9 meetings, with the lone Georgia victory coming in the 2021 CFP National Championship game in Indianapolis.
Kirby Smart has built a dominant program since his arrival in 2016, winning two national championships and reaching the CFP playoffs three total times. But his 1-5 record against Alabama remains a major hurdle he needs to overcome.
With Nick Saban now sitting upon his illustrious throne on the set of ESPN's College GameDay, there is no better time for Smart to take advantage. A win in the Tide's house could go a long way in erasing some previous pain while also showing that Georgia truly is the country's premier program.
A loss, however, would show that Georgia didn't just have a Nick Saban problem, it had an Alabama problem.
One piece of historical history that will be on Georgia's side is Kirby Smart's impressive record when facing Head Coaches who are in their first year at their respective schools.
Since taking over in 2016, Kirby Smart is a perfect 21-0 against first-year Head Coaches. That includes his 2-0 record in 2016 when he himself was a first-year Head Coach at his school.
Head Coaches tend to struggle in their first season at a new school as they change the guards from the former regime and implement their own systems. But Head Coaches rarely step into a well-oiled machine like Kalen DeBoer did at Alabama.
Can Kalen DeBoer be the first first-year Head Coach to beat Kirby Smart at Georgia? Will Kirby Smart and Georgia get over the Alabama hump and prove that the tide really has changed with Nick Saban now retired? Will DeBoer be able to handle the added pressure of a game of this magnitude? Will I ever find love?
The answer to some of these questions and many more will be answered this Saturday night on ABC.
Here is how first-year Head Coaches have fared against Kirby Smart and UGA since 2016
2016
Will Muschamp (South Carolina): UGA won 28-14
Barry Odom (Missouri): UGA won 28-27
2017
Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma, Rose Bowl CFP Semifinal): UGA won 54-48
2018
Jeremy Pruitt (Tennessee): UGA won 38-12
Dan Mullen (Florida): UGA won 36-17
2019
Geoff Collins (Georgia Tech): UGA won 52-7
2020
Sam Pittman (Arkansas): UGA won 37-10
Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri): UGA won 49-14
Mike Leach (Mississippi State): UGA won 31-24
2021
Shane Beamer (South Carolina): UGA won 40-13
Clark Lea (Vanderbilt): UGA won 62-0
Bryan Harsin (Auburn): UGA won 34-10
Josh Heupel (Tennessee): UGA won 41-17
2022
Dan Lanning (Oregon): UGA won 49-3
Billy Napier (Florida): UGA won 42-20
Brian Kelly (LSU): UGA won 50-30
Sonny Dykes (TCU, National Championship Game): UGA won 65-7
2023
Trent Dilfer (UAB): UGA won 49-21
Hugh Freeze (Auburn): UGA won 27-20
Brent Key (Georgia Tech): UGA won 31-23
2024
Bobby Wilder (Tennessee Tech): UGA won 48-3
As you can see, Kirby Smart eats first-year Head Coaches for breakfast. In these 21 such games, the average score is a 42-16 UGA victory.
We'll see if Kalen DeBoer can turn those tides in the Tide's favor.