PHOENIX — Just ran across something very interesting regarding to Kirby Smart.

According to Matt Zenitz of Al.com, Alabama’s outgoing defensive coordinator and Georgia’s incoming head coach has a secretary at Bama who is helping him handle all his UGA business. And there’s a great story behind it.

Writes Zenitz:

In 1994, Alabama coach Nick Saban — then the Cleveland Browns’ defensive coordinator — was hired as Michigan State’s coach with several weeks still left in the NFL season. With Saban staying with the Browns through the end of the season, then-Cleveland coach Bill Belichick gave Saban a secretary to take any Michigan State-related calls during the day while Saban focused on the Browns. Later in the day, Saban could then return the calls and handle any other Michigan State-related matters. Saban said that helped during that process.

As a result, Zenitz reported, Saban gave former Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain a secretary back when he accepted the Colorado State head coaching job amid a national championship run in 2011. And so, Saban gave Smart one, too.

Must’ve helped as Smart’s Alabama defense shut out Michigan State 38-0 in the national ssemifinal. We’ll see how they do Monday against Clemson’s high-octane offense.

But Saban said at his news conference in Tuscaloosa this past Wednesday it’s all about making sure the Alabama players are getting every bit of commitment from Smart as they would had he not accepted the Georgia job.

“I think we’re all doing this in honor of the team and the players,” Saban said. “That’s something that I think everybody should have a tremendous amount of respect for in terms of what everybody on this staff is doing to try to help this team do the best they can in this particular game.”