PHOENIX — Don’t expect to hear much from Georgia’s assistant coaches once Kirby Smart gets to Athens.

For nine years now, Smart has been at Alabama handling a fairly major role for head coach Nick Saban. Yet outside the confines of the Mal Moore Athletic Facility, not a lot of people knew much about his personality or really his opinions on a lot of subjects.

That’s because it has always been Saban’s policy to not let his assistants do interviews during the seasons. That changes during postseason play because of SEC and NCAA policies. But then, there is a lot of emphasis from within for any messages to remain focused on the upcoming game and opponent.

Smart said Saturday he has been OK with that. In fact, he said he’ll probably bring the same policy with him to UGA.

Asked if he was going to allow his assistants to be interviewed by the media, he said, “Probably not. Not unless you guys can reach out to them without me knowing it. I kind of like, ‘one voice, one message.'”

That’s the phrase Saban always used when asked about his policy, which has been utilized by Bill Belichick and others.

Traditionally, Georgia’s assistants have been available for interviews by request. But that waned considerably in recent years under coach Mark Richt. By the end of this past season, no one had heard from offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for weeks. And defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt spoke only when he felt like it, which was usually after the Bulldogs’ defense played poorly.