“It was great”: When Alabama star Julio Jones opened up about his relationship with Nick Saban and Kirby Smart

Julio Jones spoke about his relationship with Nick Saban and Kirby Smart ahead of the 2018 College Football Playoff national championship game. The athletic wide receiver played at Alabama from 2008 to 2010 under the leadership of the two coaches.

Smart left Alabama for Georgia following the conclusion of the 2015 college football season. In the 2017 season, he led the program to the national championship game against his former boss. With both teams holding a 13-1 record, it was expected to be an exciting game.

In an interview in January 2018, Julio Jones gave his view on what to expect in the game. The wide receiver made known the level of relationship he had with the two coaches competing for the national title during his time in Tuscaloosa.

“It was a great, great relationship with those guys on the defensive side of the ball,” Jones said. “And I know Kirby's going to have those guys ready too, defensively. So, hopefully, it'll be a good game.”

As Julio Jones anticipated, it was a great game between Alabama and Georgia at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Bulldogs led 13-0 at halftime, but the Crimson Tide came from behind to win the game 26-23 in overtime.

Nick Saban tells intriguing story about Julio Jones’ familiarity with Alabama's culture

On “The Pat McAfee Show” in October 2024, Nick Saban told an intriguing story about the leadership quality of Julio Jones and his familiarity with Alabama's culture.

“We were having seven-on-seven in the summer, and coaches are not allowed to be out there,” Saban said. “So, Julio Jones happened to be there rehabbing (an injury); he hadn’t played there for 10 years. This was probably 2019.

“And Julio is watching seven-on-seven, the receiver drops the ball, kicks the ball, cusses the quarterback, gets into it with the (defensive back) that was guarding him. Julio called the guy over and said, ‘That’s not how we do it here.’ He hadn’t played there for 10 years, but still he understood the culture and how things got done.”

Jones’ leadership quality was evident throughout his career at Alabama through to the professional stage. This ensured he was able to have a significant impact on the lives of several teammates in his 16-year career on both stages.