Georgia’s next defensive coach, international man of mystery

According to Todd Grantham, we shouldn’t read too much into that job listing for a defensive ends coach.

On filling Warren Belin’s position on the coaching staff:
Obviously we can go a couple of different ways, but we’re in the process of looking at it right now and we’re gonna hire the best person for Georgia, and that’s the best fit for Georgia.

On how job listing posted on UGA site is for defensive end coach:
I wouldn’t put any stock in that. I mean, we’re gonna hire the best person for Georgia.

Greg McGarity pooh-poohs it, too.

I asked athletics director Greg McGarity about it a few minutes ago, and he didn’t seem to think it was a big deal. The ad was placed by human resources through the athletics department, which said just to advertise for a defensive assistant coach.

Either these guys are still a little slack in their approach, or somebody’s getting really good at misdirection.  Eventually it’ll all come out in the wash, I suppose.

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Georgia’s 2011 recruiting class to John Jenkins: You complete me.

You think Mark Richt is happy?  Mark Richt is happy.

“I’m kind of speechless,” Richt said. “This guy is exactly what we need to really make this 3-4 (defense) go. John is the cherry on top (of the recruiting class). That’s the biggest cherry I’ve seen on top of an awesome class that we have. First of all, John’s an awesome kid. He’s just got a great personality. He’s a hard worker and has a great spirit about him.

“He’s going to show up to work every day with a smile on his face ready to go. For a guy that big to be a high energy guy, it’s hard to find. His attitude is going to be very contagious on this defense, on the team and even our fans. Everyone is going to love this kid. He’s a big, massive guy who can play the center of our 3-4 defense. This is the first year we had to recruit a guy like him. To get a player who I think is the No. 1 nose in America is awesome.”

Make that awesomely happy.  Me too.  I told a friend of mine as we were walking to Stegeman yesterday that this signing excited me more than any other in this year’s class.  Why?  Here are a few reasons:

• Beating out Florida for a top recruit is always good for a cheap thrill, at worst.
• Just as the case with Crowell, Richt took an enormous strategic gamble by not recruiting any other immediate help at the nose position, and wound up winning big.  (Or maybe more accurately, not losing big.)
• Grantham is sold on this kid.  I get the feeling he’s already got a strong idea of how he’s going to strategize against running quarterbacks, an admitted weakness last season.
• The one person in Athens I suspect is more thrilled with Jenkins’ signing is DeAngelo Tyson, who moves to end, a position to which he is much better suited.
• Indeed, as Garner and Grantham both point out, Jenkins allows them to sort out the bodies on the defensive line nicely.
• In case you were wondering, Boise State’s starting center is 5’11” and weighs 285 pounds.  (He was a first-team All-WAC selection.)
• And the real cherry on the sundae:  “There might be a play or two [on offense] for him. If you look back, there’s been some big guys that have lined up in the backfield before.”

Welcome, Big John.

Sunday morning buffet

Not surprisingly, a little heavy on recruiting…

• Nick Saban would tell you how many kids he has on scholarship, but then he’d have to kill you.
• Here’s a look at the schools with the top number of 2012 commitments already.
• JC Shurbutt lauds Mike Bobo’s recruiting prowess.
• One more reason the NCAA needs to adjust with the times – secondary NCAA violations in all divisions have increased by nearly 50 percent over the past five years, mainly because of texting.
• I have this vision of Phil Simms crashing the set of College GameDay one day to get it on with Desmond Howard.  That would make for some must-watch TV.
• Now that Corch Meyers is conveniently gone, the Florida media continues to pull out the long knives.  Very brave of you, fellas.
• Message board thread of the day:  Tech fans weigh in on whether the Dream Team concept worked.
• If this had happened in Athens, the Red and Black would be shitting bricks:  “[Cornerback Marcus] Roberson took his official visit to Gainesville on Jan. 21, and he was hosted by Janoris Jenkins. Several hours into the visit, Jenkins was arrested for marijuana possession.” Roberson eventually signed with Florida, by the way.  Boom, MF!
• The Pac-12 manages to throw Colorado a little swag.  Big of them, since they wouldn’t have a championship game without taking the Buffs in the first place.