The Stephen A. Smith ShowInterview: Big SEC Mouth Paul Finebaum: UNLV QB quits over No NIL Pay. Georgia vs Alabama, who wins?
Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum ahead of the biggest college football game of the season between Georgia and Alabama, and UNLV Quarterback Matthew Sluka leaving the undefeated Rebels over claims of an unpaid $100.000 verbal NIL promise.
The biggest game of college football this season is going down tomorrow night when Georgia heads to Alabama. And I couldn't think anybody better to break this game down than my buddy, my good friend, my colleague, the mouth of the South, one of the elite football minds in America. We won't get on the fact that he tried to get at me a couple of weeks ago, okay, because we're still buddies. The one and only Paul Fine Bohm, what's up man?
How you doing, hey, David A.
I mean, I don't know where I go for Pennton, So I've carought more flak over daring to disagree with you on first take. I don't know what I'll spend the rest of my life offering confession.
I don't think that was the reason, Paul. I don't think it was that you disagreed with me. Is that you associated the word subservient to me when it came to talking about prime time Deon Sanders.
I think that's what the problem was, Paul.
Well, I was trying, I was trying to uh to ignore that fact that I use that word. But I will, I will still apologize. I respect you way too much. It was what's one of those moments you're on first take, you're a little bit uptight, you're with the man, and you uh, I got it.
I got it.
By the way, it's nice hanging in your studio last week sometime, really really nice to set up you got there. It's pretty pretty nice. Let's get to this game, Paul, because I've been waiting for this. I understand Nick Saban isn't there any longer, but this is probably the biggest game of the year so far as I'm concerned, Alabama versus Georgia. How big of a game is this for new coach Kaitlyn Devoy in your mind?
Stevin, as you well know, has probably done as good a job as I've ever seen in a transition. Yeah, he lost two or three players first week, and since then he has just been throwing down dark like I haven't seen it, and I think he's in good shape, and quite frankly, I think he's gonna win this game because he's got with Mirroe, and I know that's another story in itself, and Jale with Mirroe dre to disrespect you. And by the way, I was on the show that day. We'll get to that in a minute, but Kirby Smarts got the pressure on him. I think that's where all this pressure is because he just has been unable to beat Nick Saban and Alabama.
Why has he been unable to beat Nick Saban and Alabama considering how great they were, particularly since twenty twenty outside of three losses to Alabama and two including two in an SEC title game, I think one for the National Championship of because outside of that, we're talking about a university has been fifty six and one versus everybody else. What has been the issue with Kirby Smart going up against Nick Saban.
In the past, Steven Ay, I think there's just a little bit of tension for him. He's not He's not relaxed. I mean, Kirby's never relaxed, but Saban just gets in his head. I've hat Lane Kiffen tell me that he has blown the game against against Alabama every time because he just lets Nick get in his head.
You've seen it with the Great Woods. You're friends with Michael. He did it that.
It's almost everybody he ever played Tiger Woods did it. And I think Nick Saban did that to Kirby Smart. Even though Kirby Smart beat him that one time in the National Championship game. The loss last year may have been among the most costly I've ever seen. Now, Kirby did lose to Saban on a walk off to it to Devonte Smith in the National Championship game, but.
Last year everything was on the line.
He had a chance to do something nobody had ever done, a three pat and he just coached a little bit uptight and Saban beat him. And after that game, one of Saban's pop assistants told me privately that he thought Nick Saban was going to retire because he had stopped Kirby Smart from supplanting.
Saban really is the best coach in the land.
I guess what I'm thinking about when I think about Kaylin the Boy being the new head coach. This man has won ninety percent of his games at four different institutions where he coached, included a couple of national championships in the NAIA Competition, two Tom Pack twelve Coach of the Year National Championship game last year with Pennix as his quarterback, going to before losing to Michigan. This man has been highly successful or whatever when you look at him, particularly in comparison to Nick Saban knowing football, knowing the sec the way that you do. How do you feel about kailn Debull as a coach the success of the Sabin The.
Only thing that has concerned me is his ability to deal with the culture.
He's done brilliant work.
In fact, at Washington he's five and one as an underdog against top ten opposition. He beat Oregon a couple of times, He's beat Texas. I mean, he has really been masterful in the big game. The only game he lost was the Michigan game, and that really wasn't even a fair fight. Last year for the National Championship. You probably were too busy hanging out with all the billionaires in the box. Notice the final score. We all saw you up there. But that's okay.
But that's who he is.
And the only problem I have, and it's not even a problem, is what happens if things go haywire.
I've lived in that state a long time.
I don't I'm not there anymore, but I've been thirty years in Alabama, and there's nothing quite like an Alabama team losing on the next Monday. The place literally is in mourning and the pressure starts to build.
He hasn't had to deal with that yet.
We look at Ohio State in Michigan and we say, if you're Ohio State and your Ryan Day, you gotta beat Michigan. Where before Harbass started beating him over the last three years before he walked back to the NFL, we like, you gotta beat Ohio State. Is that the situation between Georgia and Alabama, specifically when it comes to Kirby Smart and Georgia at this particular juncture in his career.
Yeah, that's the biggest rivalry right now. In the SEC, these two have played for the national championship.
Not playoffs, not SEC.
They played for the national title twice since twenty seventeen.
That's two teams from the same league.
And Kirby has mastered the game, but he but he's not been able to master this. And and the only thing I'll offer that in this particular year, it won't matter as much. Smart has not lost a regular season game since Florida in October of twenty twenty.
That was the COVID year. Wow, I mean, that's unbelievable. Stephen.
They you know, he's lost those two SEC championship games and that that those have hurt. But he's been he's been masterful. But if he loses this game, it's not it's not done. But he's in trouble because he still has to go to Texas on October nineteenth. He still has to go play Lane Kiffin in Oxford. Those are no easy games.
When we think about Casson Beck, I've seen the kid play. He can ball, make no mistake about it. I like what I see from him. How good is he? What are his prospects looking like considering the next level, and what his capability is at Georgia.
A month ago, I had people telling me he was going to be the number one pick in the draft. I haven't heard anybody say that in a while because he just has not looked good this year's but he looked very tentative. He has one of his top offensive lineman hurt, but everybody goes through that, so he's been a little bit shaky. He hasn't been terrible, but in the Kentucky game, he was off and by the way everybody talks about, well, that defense really only held Kentucky to twelve points. If Mark stoops the Kentucky coach had gone for it, with two minutes to go on fourth and eight. There's a good chance Kentucky would have won that game, and this conversation would be upside down right now. But Beck has to get better. He doesn't have Rock Valors as his tight end. Aymore, that guy was generational, Steven. Theyre one of the best tight ends we've ever seen in college football. He misses him. He's got some great running backs, including etn Over from Florida last year. His brother obviously plays in the NFL. But they've got to get rid of them. And they have been so slow to start games. I mean, they were only up by Clemson in the first half, I think six to nothing. They did the same thing against Kentucky. If they start like that Saturday night, they're going to lose this game.
Alabama's average forty nine a game this season thus far, but the stiffest competition was against the likes of Wisconsin, and we saw how that ended up. What are we to make of what we see from the offense thus far under Kailin depol they've been great.
Not only that Alabama has a couple of new weapons, especially at running back Haynes and freshmen they don't quite have the wide receivers that they have had in the past. But Jalen Milroe is such an elusive player. He's not the most accurate passer, but he throws one of the best long, long bombs of any quarterback I've seen in college football right now, he just sometimes makes four decisions under pressure.
You know, it's interesting you bring him up. He showed up on first take. I was on vacation.
You were there within it.
Him and he's sitting up there doing social media hits with Stephen Ay. I'm looking for you. You called me out, and I'm going like this. I like the brother. He can play. He's not a scrub. He's an incredible athlete. I give credit with credit is due. But Bryce Young spoiled me watching him at Alabama, and you're succeeding this brother, and I'm watching you throw with inaccuracy on many occasions last year. How day he have his back up over such a thing that I may have said at that particular moment in time, even though I know I give him credit later on in the season. What what did you feel about Jylen Milroe before compared to how you feel about him now? Paul Fine Bump.
I want to address that because I was I was. I was on the show that day and I was interviewing him, and I've later found out Stephen. Am I trying to out anybody, But I'm going to you know who is the instigator that day?
It was Jay Williams. Jay Williams was hanging around with Milroe. He's doing some work on them.
And I have impeccable sources that Jay Williams put him up up to dissing you.
So I don't I'm not trying to j Millroe, but if.
You got a beef with somebody, you got to take it.
Up with Jay, not not Milroe.
How about that? But how do you feel about him? How do you feel about Milroe compared to what you saw?
I thought about him. I like him a lot, but and here here it comes.
Uh. He makes me uncomfortable sometimes because of his decision making. And you are right what you said. Uh, He's put Alabama in some very awkward positions because of that. He's gotten away with it most of the time. Now, you saw in the Michigan game he made some big mistakes. Especially now. I'm not going to blame him for that final play that was That was a boneheaded call from the former offensive coordinate. I think you could just just rut run the ball up the middle on a brick wall.
Defense like Michigan.
But but ultimately, uh, he he can, he can lose a game for you. And that that's what Kirby Smart is thinking about right now. In relation to Saturday night, let.
Me transition to one of the biggest stories going on in college football this week. We talked about it earlier in the week in Our day job on First Take, My day job on First Take. We're definitely gonna talk about it now. At UNLV Las Vegas, quarterback Matthew Sluka left Undefeated rebels on Tuesday overclaims of an unpaid verbal nil promise of one hundred thousand dollars from a UNLV assistant coach. The quarterbacks far the Bob Sluker toe DESPN that head coach Barry Odom later said in a phone conversation the offer wasn't valid because it didn't come from him. UNLV had this to say in a statement quote football player Matthew Sluker's representative made financial demands upon the university and it's an il collective in order to continue playing UNLV athletics interpreted these demands as a violation of NCAA pay for play rules as well as Nevada state law. UNLV does not engage in such activity, nor does it respond to implied threats. UNLV has honored all previously agreed upon scholarships for Matthew Sluka end quote, Paul, take it from there. What do you make it that?
Yeah?
I mean, first, well, that's why people hate lawyers because we know that was written by an attorney. It was really a disgraceful comment. I mean, they offered him the money, They got him to leave Holy Cross to go out there, and he's a really good quarterback, stephen A. And this is over one hundred thousand dollars. Now, in everyday life, one hundred thousand dollars is a lot is a lot of bread, but in college football right now, it is not. There are second string defensive tackles making more than that in the Big Ten and the SEC. And you think about all they had to do is, let's say they coughed up to one hundred thousand. You talk about that versus the publicity that they're getting. I mean, they were a featured story today on First take they're here on your show. That equals billions of dollars A bad pub because why would any player in their right mind go play for Barry Otam and UNLB Right now.
That's exactly how I feel. I think they were absolutely silly to take this public the way that they did, and to conduct themselves the way that they did. And why would you want to go play for the program? If I'm ana play, I wouldn't think about playing for the program. Last question here Alabama Georgia. Who you got? What score?
I like Alabama?
Uh and uh. I can't lay the game out for you. I think Georgia will start off slaughter. I think Alabama could be very explosive. I see them getting a reasonably good lead. I think Georgia might come back. But that that minus too that Georgia is favored by I know a lot of my friends in Alabama are jumping all over that.
I don't blame them.
I don't know. If you notice my man Deon Sand's Prime Time Colorado. I mean three and one onder you three one of you? I mean they're going against UCF. I know they're gonna have some problems. I mean it's gonna be a big deal. But I'm just wondering, Paul, how are you feeling about that right how you feel about the job that Prime Time is doing right now? Paul five bong.
Yeah. I may be begging you to uh with my hat in my hand in a couple of.
Weeks saying Stephen Day, can.
You get me, can you get me an audience with Pope Dion because I need to get down on my knees and say I'm sorry.
Right, okay, go hold you it, poor farm baumb. Appreciate you buddy as always, man, thanks so much, thank you staving that one only poor Farnbaumb right here. When the stephen Ate Smith Show over the digital it was a YouTube and of course iHeartRadio
