Alabama football coach Nick Saban's 23-0 record against his former assistants includes a 3-0 mark against Georgia's Kirby Smart.
Smart has never gone up against a former assistant, but he will have that opportunity in 2021.
New South Carolina coach Shane Beamer was Georgia's tight ends coach and special teams coordinator during Smart's first two seasons guiding the Bulldogs in 2016-17. The 2017 Bulldogs won the Southeastern Conference and a Rose Bowl national semifinal before losing to Alabama in the championship game of the four-team playoff.
Smart on Monday wouldn't take credit for the ascension of the 43-year-old Beamer, the son of legendary Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer who played and coached under his father and also worked for former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer, former South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, Smart and Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley.
"Shane is a good friend of mine, and we've been friends for a long time," Smart said Monday. "I certainly appreciate what he did for the University of Georgia while he was here. He worked really hard to help shape and build our program, and he did the same, I'm sure, at Oklahoma with Lincoln.
"He's done a good job wherever he's been. I'm not taking credit for that. He's earned this opportunity on his own merit."
Blount transferring
Georgia junior receiver Trey Blount has entered the NCAA transfer portal.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder from Atlanta's Pace Academy did not have a reception this season but did start the 14-3 win at Kentucky. His busiest season transpired in 2018, when he had three receptions for 39, with two of those catches coming from Justin Fields.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.