In his last two games against the Crimson Tide, Smith has caught 12 passes for 208 yards and 4 touchdowns, which is enough to get any Alabama fan's blood boiling. For Smith, the reason for the likely disdain is more simple:

Family.

Smith's brother Maurice played three seasons at Alabama, graduating ahead of schedule in 2016. Maurice Smith, a defensive back, then attempted to transfer to Georgia to follow Kirby Smart, Alabama's former defensive coordinator.

Saban initially attempted to block the move (a possibility in the days before the transfer portal) on the grounds that he didn't want to strengthen an in-conference rival. The Smith family, on the other hand, felt the move was vindictive. While Maurice Smith was eventually able to transfer to Georgia for his final collegiate season, the bad blood appears to still flow.

“I feel like this game is always more personal, every time I’m playing, you know what I’m saying?” Ainias Smith said. “I don’t know what happened (between Saban and his family), it’s in the past now and I’m not able to control it, but every time I do look on that sideline I do think about what happened, and I’ll definitely be thinking about it.

It’s more personal, for sure.”

The dislike seemed to bubble to the surface when talking to the media Monday, as Ainias Smith came extremely close to taking a shot at the Alabama's current cast of characters. While the Crimson Tide has remained a force in recruiting, finishing at or near the top of the Rivals rankings the past several years, Smith indicated he didn't hold the present crop in as high esteem as teams in past years.

"My brother's class, they was nice. They was real nice," he said. "No disrespect to Alabama right now, but them boys was always 1, 2 (in the rankings). Like, it was no questions. Right now, I guess with the rankings, you could say..."

He paused.

"I ain't even gonna say it."

When asked about the 2021 matchup at Kyle Field that A&M won 41-38, Smith recounted how A&M built up a big lead only to see it vanish in the fourth quarter, which forced the Aggies to mount a comeback of their own.

"I know what Nick Saban wants, and we're gonna mess that up," he said. "If them boys got momentum, for real, we gotta take that away immediately."

Unsurprisingly, Smith's comments found their way back to Tuscaloosa, where Alabama players were willing to respond.

“When I seen that, I was kind of like, ‘What does Coach Saban want?’” cornerback Terrion Arnold said. “I’ve been here three years, and I don’t know what the guy wants. If we’re being honest, I don’t even really know."

While the bickering between the two sides may create some headlines -- though nothing close to those made by coach Jimbo Fisher and Saban last year -- both sides know the issue will be decided on the field.

"Let's have fun. Let's play ball," Smith said. "Let's go."

They will on Saturday.