Former Georgia LB says Kirby Smart used Alabama to build culture: “They wanted us to be like them so bad”

Jan 8, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban shakes hands with Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart before the 2018 CFP national championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj/CFP Images/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports

Former Georgia linebacker, Davin Bellamy recently shed some light on how much the Bulldogs’ coaching staff wanted to imitate the success Kirby Smart enjoyed while coaching at Alabama under Nick Saban.

It is no secret Smart learned a lot from coaching under Saban as the Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator, and it is easy to see the Georgia program is built a lot like how Alabama was when Saban was at the the helm.

This was intentionally done immediately after Smart arrived in Athens, according to Bellamy, who played at Georgia from 2014 to 2017. The former linebacker shared this approach created resentment towards the Crimson Tide.

“They wanted us to be like them so bad,” Bellamy said on “The Water Boyz Show.” “It got to the point, so bad, that we at team meeting, they showing us Bama tape. “I want y’all to do it like this,” and it’s Dont’a Hightower doing it. They showed us literally practice tape of Bama when they first got there to instill how they wanted things done. We couldn’t stand them. Yall think they so good.”

This strategy led Smart and the Bulldogs to back-to-back National Championships, including one they won against Alabama in 2022. Unfortunately for Smart, he continues to struggle while coaching against the Tide. He is 1-7 after falling to the Tide earlier this season in Athens.