One week from tomorrow the University of Alabama will be
playing for another national championship.
One player who will not be playing for the Crimson Tide and could have,
but is relegated to watching is Maurice Smith.
Coming out of high school, Maurice Smith was a 4-star recruit with
scholarship offers from almost every major college. Maurice committed to play for the Crimson
Tide in the 2013 signing class. After
three years with Alabama and being on a national championship team, Maurice
decided to be a graduate transfer and play his final season with the University
of Georgia Bulldogs following defensive coordinator Kirby Smart to UGA. Maurice was allowed to transfer after a bit
of a summer controversy (more about that in a moment). The Bulldogs had a somewhat disappointing
season. They were predicted to finish
10-2 and second in the SEC east division.
They actually finished the regular season 7-5, placing third in the
eastern division and with a conference record that was tied by Kentucky.
For his part, in a mid-season interview, Maurice reported
that he did not regret his transfer, but we might expect that response. Over the course of the year he had three pass
deflections, a sack, and a pick-six in UGA’s victory over Auburn. To start on an SEC team is an accomplishment
by anyone’s standards. However, Smith is
not a hot commodity when it comes to the NFL draft. Which brings me to the point I want to
make.
Last August, Nick Saban was attempting to prevent Smith’s
transfer and convince Smith to stay at Alabama.
At SEC media days, Coach Saban reported that he and his staff told Smith
if he stayed at Alabama he would be a significant contributor this season. Saban knows something about the attrition
that all major college football teams experience and a player of Smith’s ability
and experience would be a great benefit to Alabama.
Smith’s mom was quoted in the AJC as saying, "The University is continuing to be
resistant to any request to release my son. That's where we are. In [Saban's]
mind, the best decision is for him to stay here. And he doesn't think anything
other than that is best for the kid." Let no one be mistaken, Saban’s motivation was
not entirely altruistic; he was not solely thinking of Smith’s well being. He was motived by both the interest of his
team and the individual player. However,
Coach Saban did believe that Maurice Smith’s best choice was to stay at Alabama
and play his last year with the Crimson Tide.
Six months after the dust up last August, Maurice Smith had
played his last game as a college football player. He played his last year on a team that was a
bit of a disappointment and could be described as average. He will not get the opportunity to play for a
national championship. He may be
selected in the upcoming draft, but is not considered a top pick.
Is it possible that Nick Saban knows more about college
football than the coach at UGA, Maurice Smith, Maurice’s mother, any of his
advisors and possibly anyone else alive today?
Very likely. Maybe what was best
for Smith was to stay at Alabama. It
might have been a symbiotic relationship that benefited them both. The moral of the story is when you have the
best expert in the world it might be wise to follow his advice.
I face that same issue daily. I have an agenda for how I will live my
life. I have a plan in which I will set
the agenda and try to find my own way.
But I really should listen to the guidance of the One who lived a
perfect life, died a sacrificial death, and rose in glorious victory. I would be wise to follow His advice; He does
know what He is talking about.
(P.S. I am not attempting to equate Nick Saban with Jesus,
myself with Maurice Smith, or life with football. I am a BAMA fan, but I ain’t stupid.)
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