(The Birmingham News/ Mark Almond)
Otherwise known as your rumors and innuendos roundup:
- With the return of Bo Davis to the fold, essentially Texas and Alabama have swapped defensive line coaches this offseason. The move is of interest for a couple of reasons. One, Chris Wilson had interviewed with Saban for the position. Two, Kirby Smart was evidently not even in Tuscaloosa when the hire was made.
- Speaking of Wilson, per CoachingSearch.com, USC head coach Steve Sarkisian reached out to Wilson when Davis jumped ship. Wilson turned him down.
- And speaking of Smart, there is plenty of crazy talk out there about his return to Athens. And when I say crazy talk, I mean “5 years at $1.5 million/year” crazy talk. Honestly, that doesn’t surprise me. It’s silly season right now. What does surprise me is that it feels like Smart is an overwhelming favorite among the fan base for the job. I wonder how everyone will feel if Kirby leverages the situation for another raise out of Alabama. Again.
- If you’d like to put your name in the hat, here’s where you can apply. Note that the positions currently available are defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Since there’s no posting for secondary coach, I assume that means they’re leaving options open for Grantham’s replacement.
Get The Picture 
Smart would be great, for recruiting even more than actual coaching. Narduzzi would be the top pick. He currently makes (only) about $550 on a three year deal. I would think if we threw the same Granthan Louisville deal at him it would be very hard to turn down.
LikeLike
Narduzzi would the be dream hire, honestly. Smart would be a great story, but quite possibly not a great hire. Hear me out though. Narduzzi’s defenses have been nasty for years, and he is credited with all of it. Smart is considered a good defensive mind, but others have expressed the whole “where does Saban end and Kirby start” question. Its a legitimate question too. Smart would make the fanbase happy, but Narduzzi could silence them.
LikeLike
Plus, you don’t have to pay Bama prices for him. Just throwing it out there.
LikeLike
Narduzzi’s is great but he runs a 4-3. We’ve been recruiting to a 3-4 for while and have a lot of guys who are striclty 3-4 guys. Where does a Leonard Floyd fit in a 4-3? Not neatly but he has to be on the field. The advantage of Kirby is continuity of scheme and recruiting.
LikeLike
If you read into Narduzi’s background some though, he is familiar with the 3-4. Enough so, that I think (hope?) he could adapt to whatever is needed to get stops. One thing I know pissed people off about Grantham (to a degree) was his inability to adapt or find the right spots for the right players. He talked a good game, but didn’t always follow through (see: Swann at the nickel spot). Narduzzi is supposedly a great in game adjuster, and GREAT evaluater of talent. You may be right, and he might not be the best possible fit. However, I’d dearly like to find out.
LikeLike
You nailed what constitutes good coaching. Grantham merely had Saban’s green notebook not SEC DC chops. Smart may be more of the same as opposed to a Muschamp.
LikeLike
I do not think scheme should dictate the hire and that it is easier to move from the 3-4 to the 4-3. The real missing link going to the 3-4 was the lack of a monster NG. Hell, how much actual 3-4 did we play this year? We played a lot more 4-2-5.
I think Floyd can play DE or OL in the 4-3. He would make a great OL once he learns how to play coverage (which he has the speed for).
LikeLike
I think we probably were in a nickle most of this past season anyway.
LikeLike
I would say a “leonard floyd” fits in nicely in a 4-3, as a DE, b/c it would immediately improve our defense if he was rushing every play, not wandering about in coverage where he is lost, and a non-factor. Remember the 3rd and forever against Lsu? he was 30 yards downfield, just hanging out. i would turn that monster loose every single play.
LikeLike
Narduzzi would be great, but I don’t think he is leaving MSU for anything but a HC job.
LikeLike
I don’t get the whole concent of hiring a HC, OC, or DC for “recruiting”. Kids ultimately go where the winning is, you get the best coach you can get period
LikeLike
They also go to schools that pipe players at their position into the NFL
LikeLike
Explain Ole Miss
LikeLike
$? and the girls at the Grove? oh yeah and the quality education.
LikeLike
well explain Butch Jones at uT?
LikeLike
Ultimately, Kirby will take this job due to his head and his heart. What we have done is make sure his wallet is NOT the deciding factor. If his plan was to take the offer back to Bama, he probably was not going to seriously entertain the job offer.
I don’t think it is at all a surprise that most are excited about the hire. Those of us who were mature enough to understand his rationale for not taking the job in 2010 have no reason to hold that against him. Publicly, the program was not on a positive trajectory whereas the Bama dynasty was clearly ascending. Saban basically told him he would not support his candidacy as a head coach if he left for UGA. Well, the last 4 years have only reinforced all of the good reasons as to why we would want him in Athens. He has not landed an elite head coaching job in the SEC. Auburn, UT (twice), and UF have all hired new coaches over that time period. Additionally, Arkansas and Ole Miss (and Vandy and Kentucky for that matter) have as well. Garner is gone. Our S&C program is not starting from the depths of the Van Halanger malaise. it is no longer clear that Bama’s program is in ascent. further, notwithstanding the bad breaks we had this year and some of our silliness (read:special teams), our program does not at all appear to be going backwards. we have a lot of talent on defense for someone to coach. oh, and Mark Richt is 4 years closer to retirement. If I am Kirby Smart, that is a lot of positive factors that were not present in 2010.
I have NO IDEA if he will or won’t take the job. I am ecstatic about the possibility!
LikeLike
Correct me if I’m wrong (and I may be since it has been 4 years), but didn’t the ill feeling many Dawgs have with Smart come, not from the fact that he turned us down, but from the way he handled the whole thing? I thought he had agreed in principle, then spoke with Saban and changed his mind and withdrew from consideration. Again, I may be remembering incorrectly, but that is a bit different than simply turning us down.
All that said, I can totally understand why he didn’t come back before. Had things not worked out the way they did, Richt would likely have been shown the door, and Smart would have been at the top of the list to replace him.
And as for the potential for his taking the job now, I would be excited about his recruiting ability, but I’ll reserve excitement about his coaching ability until I see it in action on a sideline that doesn’t also have Saban on it.
LikeLike
Exactly what he agreed to or not is not clear to me. I do know that Saban made the pitch that said something to the effect of , “if you take this job, you are dead to me. I will NOT SUPPORT your career going forward if you make this lateral move. that said, you will have my endorsement for any head coaching position you want.”
that was a big factor in his decision, particularly given the state of UGA football at the time.
the notion that Saban calls their defense is absolute garbage. He gives Kirby the broad outlines of what he wants (3-4, tight man coverage that pushes everything to the sidelines, no tampa 2 non-sense, play physical, etc.). it is kirby’s job to scheme it. Mcelwain and nussmeier had similar strategic mandates. run the football first. develop physical offensive lines that reduce the risk of losing. the difference between saban and most other head coaches is his attention to detail and willingness to hold everyone accountable for doing their jobs. while the “process” has become a bit of a cliche, I imagine it is grounded in truth. Nonetheless, that does not mean that Kirby smart is not highly capable of scheming a defense, understand had to motivate players, and demand that his position coaches produce players with good fundamentals.
LikeLike
Exactly. I have no issue with him turning the job down – none at all.
He should have done it the first week, though. Not stretched the courtship out only to pull back at the last minute, leaving UGA with egg on its face.
THAT’S my problem with it
LikeLike
Scott Cochran follows closely with Smart….I think
LikeLike
The numbers aren’t that crazy though. If we’re going to go after a Bama DC, we have to pay Bama prices, and that’s the price it’d probably take considering what Bama is already paying him (since I can’t see us going any hire, and have a bit of a hard time seeing us offering that much to begin with).
LikeLike
If we higher anyone we will have to match what they are currently paid and then some.
just sayin’
LikeLike
thank you pocket repeat.
LikeLike
How do you remain so obtuse? You have totally missed the subtleties of my post. LOL.
“Reading is a subtle thing, and its subtleties are artifacts of a venerable medium.”
LikeLike
No on Smart…not after the way he left Richt hanging last time…not after the things he has said about his alma mater and our staff to certain HS coaches and recruits….not after seeing that D against A&M and Auburn…he’s hanging off Saban’s coattails and will be exposed as an in game coach sooner rather than later
LikeLike
You know this how? Because you have first hand knowledge of what he says to recruits and spend time in the Bama meeting rooms. however he “left Richt hanging last time” must not have been so bad that Richt would offer him a second time.
LikeLike
I believe you still have to have questions about Smart as a DC long before you entertain him as a HC candidate in Athens. He has a reputation as a recruiter, but don’t recall Saban deploying him on any top flight talent to bring them in the Bama fold. If both Wilson and Davis were interviewed yesterday at Bama, what does is say that your DC is not in the room. The Saban coaching tree (Muschamp, Dooley & McIlwene) have not distinguished themselves after stepping out of Nick’s shadow. Further look at the Bama coaching turnover in the past 4 years, it does not appear to have disrupted them, All these factors to me make K Smart suspect as slam dunk hire/upgrade.
Your original post opening paragraph makes sense, but remember Kirby’s agent is only considering his pocketbook. I believe Kirby’s agent will take full advantage of the opportunity, he will come out of this with more coin in his pocket from one side or the other. If I had to paid north of 1.5 million for a DC ( and I don’t think we will), I would make sure it was a slam dunk, Narduzzi or Foster.
LikeLike
there are NO SLAM DUNK hires. there are only hires for which the logic is a slam dunk. for all the talk of narduzzi and foster, neither has had to coach in the SEC for a full season. i feel safe in asserting that there is not a single person in the UGA online community that has watched Michigan State play more than Alabama over the past several years. No doubt Narduzzi’s track record is good, but its certainly not any better than Kirby’s.
Kirby is widely regarded as a fantastic recruiter, and without taking the time to dig into rivals player profiles, I am reasonably confident that he had a hand in much of talent they brought in. the notion that he is relegated to less important recruits is laughably stupid.
as for the Saban coaching tree, I think it is of little relevance, as we are not hiring Kirby to be head coach at this time. that said, Fisher just won a national title, and you might want to check how mcelwaine did in year 2 of taking over a dumpster fire.
LikeLike
+1000 The other part that so many are missing is that Kirby has the advantage of coaching some of the most elite athletes on the D side of the ball, because Saban is a D man. Georgia, while getting some great D players certainly does not have the overwhelming depth of the Alabama D. I think you hire a guy who does a lot with a little. Kirby has been one who does a lot with a lot. Don’t kid yourself if Kirby wasn’t at the interviews Kirby is the DC in name only. Remember by the end of 2013 Christian Robinson the GA was signaling in the UGA D.
LikeLike
mdc – You are assuming that Richt HAS offered a second time. I am not so sure.
LikeLike
if you are a ugasports.com sub, you know that Dash and Jake are good journalists and follow protocol. with that said, click on the following link and draw you own conclusion.
http://uga.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=859&tid=197108132&mid=197108132&sid=878&style=2
LikeLike
While I wasn’t in the room, I know for a FACT he stated that Richt was lazy, that we recruited bad kids and that we don’t take care of them when they graduate…all two a south Texas HS coach and a kid he was recruiting…and who said he has been offered? link please
LikeLike
meant Sounth GA
LikeLike
I’m so sick and tired of this song and dance. We make ourselves look like such fools when we chase Smart every few years. He’s already turned us down twice — why are so many people in our fan base itching to go crawling back to him?
And the idea that we should be prepared to hand him a quasi-coach-in-waiting tag — when, as Dawgfan Will pointed out, we don’t have conclusive proof he can accomplish anything outside Saban’s sphere of influence — is beyond ludicrous.
LikeLike
So…you and Dawgfan Will are relying on the basic premise that Saban would be dumb enough to pay someone $1.3M annually (the highest salary for a defensive coordinator in football) and take up a space on his staff with someone that can’t really coach and is just a Saban puppet?’
Welp.
LikeLike
I never said Kirby “can’t really coach,” so I’ll be happy to engage with you when you stop putting words in my mouth.
LikeLike
You’re right. You just implied it with the ‘outside of Saban’s sphere of influence’ garbage. No need to ‘engage’, Mav. The pattern is full.
LikeLike
Well, then, I apologize for besmirching Kirby’s honor so. But the fact remains that for every Saban acolyte who’s gone on to great things (Mark Dantonio, Jimbo Fisher), there’s another (Bobby Williams, Derek Dooley) who flopped once they had to fly on their own. I’m perfectly willing to believe Kirby could be the former and not the latter — but I don’t see why UGA should rush out and pay millions just to be the laboratory where we figure that out.
LikeLike
You’re right, of course. I am simply parroting what has been said on blog after blog. It is the equivalent of people who say that Bobo needs to get out from under Richt’s shadow at another program before we consider him for head-coaching material. I don’t think it is a deal-breaker; it’s just something I’ve considered.
As far as intelligence being linked to a willingness to pay someone an exorbitant amount of money that they may not deserve, I would point to one Todd Grantham going to Louisville. 😉
LikeLike
Hiring decisions have never been Petrino’s strong suit. Zing!
LikeLike
You can put me in the “meh” category about hiring Smart. I think he’s done well as a DC, and I think he’d do well in Athens. But he’ll be thinking about his next (HC) gig from Day One, and I’m not at all convinced he’s so far superior to other quality candidates that it justifies the extra $, the “will he leave next year” syndrome, constant distracting bright lights of the media (just think of the media frenzy if Smart bolts Bama for UGA) or the sure to be disappointed expectations of fans who think he’ll be the next Erk.
Give me a guy whose current, very hungry, ambition is to prove himself as a highly successful coach at a great D-1, preferably SEC, program, who will be thrilled to have the opportunity to come to Athens (assuming he’s not already on staff) and work with a Coach Richt, who is a teacher and motivator, knows how to recruit and is committed to integrity. I admit I don’t have a name I am certain fits into that template, although the more I hear about Chris Wilson, the more intriguing he sounds.
LikeLike
this is a classic case of signing a free agent vs. drafting and developing the talent in house. the rationale for signing free agents is they are proven at their craft. with all due respect to the “it’s saban’s defense arguement”, i am pretty sure Kirby is calling the defense in the many Bama games I have seen over the last 5 years. when they flash to the sidelines, he is signaling the defense with a laminated card strapped to his belt. I think it is reasonable to assume that he prepares that card and not Saban. so we are signing a free agent here. is there as much “value” to the university as getting a guy for $400K and allowing him to prove himself. of course not. that said, why do we care about the money.
further, you hire the best people you can regardless of what their next move is. if he is here for two years and helps restore great fundamentals to our players, don’t you think that helps. Do you think Stanford is upset that Harbaugh left? i can assure you they KNEW he was NFL bound the minute he had success, as I run every morning with a former trustee of Stanford, whose emails to Shaw get returned by Shaw.
why is chris wilson intriguing? he has been a coordinator at MSU for a short stint and did not keep the title. he did a very good job with our DL this year, but what about him suggests he should be our DC?
if kirby says no, there will be plenty of time to try to identify a guy with the attributes you described. let this play out.
LikeLike
THANK YOU! Why are we worried about the difference between $500K and $1.5M? One million dollars per year for how many years? Maximum of $5M dollars if it works or doesn’t work. And our reserve fund sits there collecting dust and we sit here whining that we aren’t winning championships. Either pay the money or keep whining. I say spend the money on someone whether it is Kirby or Narduzzi or possibly someone else but these are my top 2.
LikeLike
Every minute we spend on smart, narduzzi or the fsu guy is a wasted minute. It just ain’t happening
I dont get the allure of smart at all. I understand the allure of the other 2, but dont think it is realistic to expect either of them to make lateral move (at best) to come coach our defense and think either would just use our offer to get more $$ out of their current employers
LikeLike
that is nonsense. we don’t think the most qualified candidates will accept the job so we are not going to offer them the opportunity to say no. how is that logical?
LikeLike
Because we can spend the next Several weeks letting those guys negotiate their raises while NSD comes and goes or we can cut to the chase and talk to candidates that realistically might accept the position
But hey, you go keep asking that hot supermodel out. Just because you can does not mean she will ever say yes
LikeLike
we are two days into the process with a goal of having someone in place around 1/17. There is a mandated policy that prohibits any formal announcement prior to 5 days from either late Saturday or Sunday (i.e this thursday or friday). I don’t know how 2 days became several weeks with NSD coming and going. additionally, what makes you think that we have not had communication with other candidates should Kirby not accept our offer? do you think the only reason they won’t come to UGA is negotiating their extensions. Bama just hired a coach who had just accepted a job at USC. if another candidate wants the job, he is going to take it.
we offered Kirby the job. presumably, we gave him a deadline to respond. if he accepts it, we have our man. if not, we move on. hard to see downside.
the lack of logic is astounding.
LikeLike
Have we actually extended an offer to smart?
Cindy Crawford – lets go out Saturday night. Please let me know by noon Friday. Thanks
Yeah, that logic makes a ton of sense.
LikeLike
there have been several reports including those by some of the most reputable beat writers that cover the team that confirm that an offer has been made. i am confident in typing he was offered the job.
additionally, your analogy of asking a super model to a date is flat out stupid. we are talking about a guy who has coached in athens under Richt before. additionally, one of his closest friends is on the staff. he and his wife are from GA and played sports at UGA. thus, its not like some random guy trying to get a message to a supermodel who has never heard of him. it is a group of coaches who know each other well and are pondering their next move.
i have no idea how to estimate the probability that Kirby will take the job. None, but I can say with 100% certainty that if we don’t offer him the job, he can not take it.
Do you really think that the time we spend pursuing him hurts our ability to identify and hire other candidates?
LikeLike
What I think is that smart and narduzzi aren’t coming. I hear your logic of “if you don’t ask you don’t get”.
But I also think most of the poster who keep speculating one of these guys is coming are not realistic about how our job compares to their current job and how “willingness to pay” varies at their current job vs at UGA
Yes, I do think any time we spend talking to these guys comes at the expense of something. The clock is ticking on NSD and there are other job openings out there.
You probably have a better memory of the 2010 DC search than I do, but it sure seemed like it dragged on while we waited for smart, foster and Chavis to negotiate their raises
LikeLike
The Georgia job is better than the MSU job.
LikeLike
why?
LikeLike
because a one loss UGA team plays for the national title, and a one loss MSU team watches from home. not to mention, whats our record last year with a competent D, who knows what plays they are in and know how to tackle? We don’t lose 5, i assure you. Narduzzi, Pruitt, or Smart. UGA is a high profile coaching gig, not to mention those first two only made 500-600K last year.. we paid CTG upwards of 800K.
LikeLike
A’int Wasting Time No More, I assume.
LikeLike
Smart’s defenses have been smothering and carried his team to 3 national titles, that’s the allure. The guy is young and a UGA grad, so I get why everyone wants him.
I’d be happy if Smart came, but I like the idea of Narduzzi just as well. I saw MSU play twice, and that defense was aggressive and fierce.
On another note, if it’s true what was posted earlier about Saban browbeating Smart 4 years ago, then Saban is a complete and total cock. He bailed on Miami when something better came along, so he’s got some stones standing in the way of his assistants.
LikeLike
All this wishing and hoping seems to be grounded in the assumption that our DC position is somehow more attractive than that of ‘bama or MSU.
Can someone explain in a rational way why they believe that is the case?
LikeLike
$$$$
LikeLike
And you don’t think Alabama or MSU will spend it to retain their coaches?
We know McG is frugal and I don’t see him getting in a bidding war
LikeLike
MSU won’t spend $1 million a year. They just gave him a big raise to $550k.
LikeLike
Well, our DC job IS more attractive than MSU’s. Everyone knows the SEC is the premier football conference, and Ga is much more fertile recruiting ground than Michigan. Plus we can pay more.
As for Bama, it’s not objectively more attractive. But a) Smart grew up in state, went to UGA, and is good friends with Bobo, and b) he may well feel like the “he hasn’t proven anything without Saban” notion is why he isn’t getting primo HC job offers. If he turns things around on UGA’s defense, all the credit will be his. And he’ll have HC offers aplenty; and he MIGHT be set up as heir apparent to Richt.
LikeLike
I live on Amelia Island. I could live in a shithole, but I don’t want to because I love it here on Amelia Island. I moved here because I could.In this parable Amelia Island = Athens. Tuscaloosa is the shithole.
LikeLike
Or East Lansing.
LikeLike
Richt should give the ol’ UGA boy Muschamp a call and offer him the Defensive coordinator position…just to mess with Florida.
LikeLike
Evil Richt could troll them so hard with just one phone call.. lol
LikeLike
IMHO, Narduzzi feels like a home run. Smart is more like a solid double. I have always admired Mich St. The way they play football would easily fit into the SEC and Narduzzi seems hard-nosed without the Grantham histrionics. We should at least ask to interview him.
LikeLike
I don’t care who we hire, and Mark Richt does not care what I think about who he hires.
All I want is that at the end of the next season of tackle football in Athens that the damn defense is better than it has been the last four years.
All this angst about who we hire is meaningless…the end of next year is the touchstone.
LikeLike
Exactly. I don’t even care if they hire from within if it means results.
LikeLike
Slightly of topic, but has anyone considered that Grantham bolted because the HC’s philosophy was to intentionally give up 3rd and longs to avoid a mistake on the punt block/return/safe/do nothing team? He knew he would never get a better gig with this philosophy making his stats look bad. I heard this is what he and Richt butted heads over. Maybe he wasn’t that bad….
LikeLike
This might be the dumbest comment I’ve ever read.
LikeLike
Pretty sure it was tongue in cheek…
LikeLike
“All this angst about who we hire is meaningless…the end of next year is the touchstone.”
Not really. Some recruits are fickle just like fans. You can’t afford to whiff on a recruiting class…I think all of the hemming and hawing over the 2010 class this year would be evidence of that…
It’s a little bit of a chicken/egg problem…but you really can’t afford to underwhelm on this hire if the goal is to compete at a championship level each year. It’s irrational, but it is also reality.
LikeLike
I don’t think 1 recruiting class will make or break a program if everything else in place is solid. Our problem was the attrition/lack of a 2010 recruiting class and the fact the freshmen on the field weren’t coached up adequately. That’s 2 recruiting classes being screwed up imo.
LikeLike
Kirby Smart had the chance to come home and rescue Georgia’s defense in 2010 and he didn’t come home. He’s not a Bulldog anymore. He’s a coach, and he’s positioning himself for a head coaching job. As much as fans want to say the “perception” of him is that Saban actually runs the defense, this is ridiculous and it’s not going to affect his pursuit of a head coaching job. Coming to run Georgia’s defense makes even LESS sense this time around. He isn’t coming, folks. He may love UGA somewhere in his heart, but not the same way we do. Wearing red and black isn’t his main motivation in life.
LikeLike
I do think Smart has some emotional ties to the current UGA coaching staff (i.e. Bobo) but I tend to agree that he will make his next move based on career advancement. For Smart, coming to UGA as defensive coordinator is a lateral move at best (most people would say a step back given Alabama’s recent success). I don’t think he comes just like I doubt Bobo would to to Alabama to be their Offensive coordinator just b/c Saban came calling. But, I guess, you never know
LikeLike
I see it the exact opposite. Kirby apparently hasn’t received a head coaching offer from an upper tier program. Could this be because everyone continues to assume Saban runs the defense and Kirby is a placeholder? If he came to UGA and the defense improved dramatically, then every AD in the world will know Kirby was the architect and he will have proven that he is a great defensive coach. It is a no brainer if he ever wants to step out of Saban’s short, albeit heavy shadow.
LikeLike
Like any good red blooded American I just want an awesome smothering defense that grinds the other team into submission. Is that to much to ask for?
LikeLike
Those days are gone with the wind.
LikeLike
Dawgphan,
We need to recruit the Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator and players to Athens
LikeLike
Randy Shannon.
LikeLike
AMEN. He is great Defensive coach and a heck of a recruiter in an area we need to control. I don’t know why we even consider Kirby, if he was so great he would be a HC by now. He doesn’t even coach the DB’s for Bama Saban does. Watch some of the specials and see who’s out there coaching the DB’s it’s Nick not Kirby.
LikeLike
I have one comment today…Can the collected wisdom of the punditry, journalists, commenters, and trolls please stop with the whole ‘when Saban/Richt steps down, Smart/Bobo/Etc. will be in a position to take over’ meme. It is 2014. Do we really expect Georgia or Alabama to name a successor without doing a national search? We’re sitting here talking about a cut-throat business and we gloss right over the fact that there is zero guarantee that anybody would ever be handed the keys at a place like UGA or Bama.
Gundy at OSU, Dabo and Clemson, Jimbo at FSU. Fitzgerald at NW. Shaw at Stanford. Whittingham at Utah. Bielima at Wisky….errrrrp…
You’ve got only two examples on that list of guys that took over when the legend retired. One was contractual and the other had his old boss named the AD. The odds of a clean tranisition of power at Georgia or Bama when either Richt or Saban ends their time there are so low…it’s amazing that this idea gets run anywhere, but especially by established journalists.
LikeLike
Good post
LikeLike
From the behind the “paywall” insiders Pruitt at FSU is very much in play. Notice those jobs posted were for a DC & LB coach(not a DB coach to replace CSL)? Pruitt was DB coach under Saban. Word is Coach KO is taking an admin position to spend more time with his family, so that’s why one of the positions open is a LB coach… 😉
LikeLike
I don’t think that’s accurate regarding KO. Grantham was the DC and OLB coach. That may be why that is listed.
LikeLike
Mudcat this isn’t texting. There’s no character limit here. Quit with the friggin’ initials and speak English. Pretty please.
LikeLike
Mudcat is probably otherwise occupado with putting the wax on and taking the wax off his Impala so let me take a stab at it:
FSU=Florida State
DC=Defensive Coordinator
LB=Jarvis Jones
CSL=Lactose Intolerant
DB=Doobie Bros
KO=Keith Olberman
LikeLike
Coach Olivdatti’s daughter, who they found had cancer within the first few months of coming to Athens, was declared cancer-free before beginning this past football season.
Coach O was noticeably tight-lipped about the whole process, and I believe he is a serious internal candidate
LikeLike
I don’t want Smart b/c I am too proud to beg. He isn’t worth what we would have to give and he would likely be gone in 2-3 years if he is successful.
Randy Shannon:
LikeLike
+1000 It’s so easy even we should be able to figure it out.
LikeLike
Randy Shannon’s bonafides as a recruiter might be overstated. The U is the home team for just about every kid south of Tampa (which is a shit ton of kids) and the recruting p
Another troubling issue, when he was coaching under Larry Coker, there were stories that the U did not conduct player evaluation themselves but merely relied on Rivals and other sites. We’ve been down the road of poor evaluation for nearly a decade and I’m not convinced we’ve arrested the slide. Need to be careful of the evaluation talent of our next DC.
LikeLike
As Neidemeir was to Bluto, DEAD!! So too is Smart to me.. DEAD!
LikeLike
Heard that Neidemeir had his camel shot out from under him at Fallujah and his chromed helmet turned up in Syria. Many think he roams the desert eating snakes and scorpions. Others think he is behind the latest attacks on Karzai’s troops in Fallujah.
LikeLike
The dollars thrown around now are mind boggling.
I think Smart and Pruitt would both be good choices. Both could field adequate defenses (the days of the ’11 ‘Bama defenses are gone) and both are great recruiters.
As a ‘Bama fan, I’m good either way. I don’t want Smart to leave, but the fact that Pruitt is talking with UGA means he could be moved from FSU.
LikeLike
I read somewhere on the internet (so you know it’s true) that the job listing has to be up for a minimum of 3 days before a hire can be made per Georgia law. But if the posting was made Monday, we shouldn’t hear anything announced until Wednesday/Thursday if that is actually true. My 15 secs of Google searching couldn’t find anything about that though.
LikeLike
Offensives that gave KS a hard time …Texas A&M, Auburn, and OU. Care to look down the road and the schedule during the repeat infatuation time. The reality, unlikely KS will have a “mama called” moment or decision.
LikeLike
At least the job opening has been officially posted at the B-M Hdqtrs. 2 minute clocking is running. Waiting for CMR and AD to put the hire on the board!
LikeLike
Curious. Did Strong & Company or Petrino & Company go through an official hiring process or did they just give a call to say come coach with me. Or like Franklin take 2 coaches and 2 recruits on the trip up. Or process is like the rain game in Jax. How about getta her done this time and let’s not have a process like the 8-5 season.
LikeLike
Remember reading that GM always has a list of coaches readily available. guess that is why the private jet is fueled and someone is ready to move start the engines.
LikeLike
Tidbits…Weiser noted that Richt has gone to UGA HR for proper permissions to announce hires. May already have someone mind for offer coming from coaches convention.
Don’t be surprised to see Duane Akina fromTexas take our DB coach position as soon as DC is announced. Good for recruiting west of Mississippi and created with developing “DB University” while at UT.
LikeLike
“credited”
LikeLike
If the rumors about Pruitt are true (and they’re getting stronger today), Akina won’t be coming to Athens.
LikeLike
+1
LikeLike
Amazing how these rumors get started. 😉
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Pruitt
LikeLike
Meh…got it half right.
LikeLike
As know-nothing as I am, I can see that Kirby Smart will not be our next DC.
LikeLike