Kamari Lassiter might want to start brushing up on his new head coach’s background when talking trash about the University of Alabama in the locker room.
Lassiter, the Houston Texans’ first pick in the 2024 NFL draft, is not only a dominant cornerback in man coverage but also a proud Georgia alum. He loves Athens, loves Samford Stadium and will always pull for Kirby Smart and the Dawgs in a new era of SEC football.
DeMeco Ryans might have something to say about that as not only a proud native of the state of Alabama but was also an All-American for the Crimson Tide. On Friday, Lassiter found out the man he’ll be learning up under in hopes of becoming a bona fide superstar, played for “the other team.”
“Coach went to Bama? I ain’t know that,” Lassiter said between laughs from the media. “But those two programs, very high-profile programs.”
Lassiter, a second-round pick, faced Alabama three times before declaring for the NFL draft last offseason. In Round 1, the Crimson Tide pulled off the upset to win the SEC Championship in 2021 behind Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young.
In Round 2, Georgia got the last laugh en route to claiming its first national title in four decades with a 33-18 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Alabama, however, broke the tiebreaker in Lassiter’s career with a 27-24 win over the Dawgs last December to claim one more SEC title under Nick Saban and a College Football Playoff berth. Lassiter still has respect for the attention to detail at the program back in his hometown.
He also notices some similarities between Smart and Ryans given their background on the defensive side.
“Coach Smart does a really good job of just making sure that everyone buys in, and I think Coach Ryans does a great job of doing that, as well,” said Lassiter. “That probably comes from his background of being at the other place.”
All in all, it was a fun moment between the two sides. Perhaps Lassiter and Ryans can have a bet come Sept. 28 when the Dawgs visit Bryant-Denny Stadium to take on the Crimson Tide.
Neither will be able to attend the game since both will be preparing for a Sunday showdown. Maybe on Monday, the loser shows up in an outfit designed by the other?
