If you choose to read only one thing today, make it Jon Solomon’s thorough and lengthy “How a changed Mark Richt is evolving Georgia into best of ‘Bama, Bowden” piece. It touches on a number of themes we’ve already discussed here at the blog, but what it adds that’s worth your attention are several direct quotes from Richt’s brother-in-law, Kevin “Chappy” Hynes.
Here’s what he had to say about the addition of Jeremy Pruitt to the staff.
“Jeremy Pruitt has been a very big catalyst in some of the changes that have happened at Georgia. You don’t have to be an investigative reporter to know that.”
… “I think Jeremy Pruitt is wired in such a way that what happened is he came to Georgia, wants to be the best, saw some real needs and made them know,” Hynes said. “He has upped the ante.”
And here’s what he said about the support Richt’s gotten from the athletic administration over the years.
When Georgia’s $30 million indoor practice facility opens near the end of 2016, the school will be the last in the SEC to have built one. For a while, Richt hit some ceilings with university administrators who were set in “some old Georgia ways” regarding needs for the football program, Hynes admitted.
“Once (the new assistants) came here, it’s like, ‘We need this, we need that, and we came from programs that had this,’” Hynes said. “It gave Mark more wisdom, more understanding, more of a shot in the arm to say, ‘We need this.’ He ran into roadblocks, but this new staff said, ‘Let us help you push through these roadblocks.’”
Finally, a comment about the Georgia Way.
“I don’t think ‘nice’ has anything to do with whether he can win a national title,” Hynes said. “It’s X’s and O’s and Jimmys and Joes. … The academics at Georgia, the urine (drug) tests at Georgia, the facilities at Georgia — I don’t know if we’ve ever been given as good a chance as others. I ain’t crying in my Wheaties, but when you look at the totality of what (Richt) has been through, bro, that guy is a winner.”
It’s not from the horse’s mouth, but I have a hard time believing Hynes said all of that without Richt’s knowledge and/or consent. And that, too, is more evidence of a changed Richt.
Get The Picture 
When we get a NC. I am going to crow so loudly just to STFU some folks.
LikeLike
We’ll see. Richt is a good man and a good coach, so I understand why some people want to blame the administration for holding him back. I don’t buy it yet.
LikeLike
Even a blind man can tell when he is walking in the sun.
LikeLike
Well said B.R. Most coaches would love to have CMR’s ‘problems’.
LikeLike
Maybe. But not most SEC coaches. And that’s the real measuring stick here, isn’t it?
LikeLike
Time to come back to earth, Grav. Your saying most sec coaches have a better gig than CMR? So vandy, ky, scu, ut, ole miss, msu, arky and mizzou have better facilities, support, access to recruits, funding, etc.? Good luck selling that load of b.s.
LikeLike
OK, I’ll admit my phrasing was bad. Technically, “most SEC coaches” probably wouldn’t mind having Richt’s “problems”. But please do a quick count of national championships compiled by those eight programs during Richt’s tenure at UGA.
Now…let me rephrase my point. “The real measuring stick” is comprised of all of those schools you so carefully left off your list. Alabama, Florida, Auburn, and LSU have won “most” of the national championships awarded during Richt’s time at UGA. And not a damn one of those coaches wants anything to do with Richt’s “problems”.
LikeLike
Count me in among those who are not buying that stock either. Regardless of whether Richt should be fired or extended for another 5 years, damn all of these excuses. It’s almost like the national media has been reading the comments from everyone on this blog over the years and just before the big “put up or show up” game with Bama has decided to cash in on every excuse ever mentioned. Whatever!
LikeLike
How can folks like you forget how close we came to an undefeated season the year Shockley was QB? His injury/absence from the Florida game cost us a very probable shot at a NC. That wasn’t Richt’s fault. It also wasn’t his fault when that last play in the SEC championship was muffed by a tipped pass. Sometimes things happen that don’t have a thing to do with who the coach is. Most people who have played the game know this.
LikeLike
Because Nick Saban overcomes such vagaries of fate! Except, of course, when he doesn’t.
LikeLike
To me it is obvious that the teams in rhe SECW have been operating under different rules. The drug rules/staff spending were obvious…others more subtle.
I like our changes so far. This year in total will shed more light.
LikeLike
This is where I’m at as well. I really want to see Richt succeed but i remain skeptical. I get there was and still is a lot of incompetence above Richt (i don’t understand why mcgarity still has a job) but things like undersigning, our lack of talent and retention of defensive coordinators who weren’t cutting it are on the head coach. I’ll believe the hope and change when we’ve won another sec championship.
LikeLike
Right. Call me a cynic, but I’d have a hard time believing that the UGA admin went to CMR back in ’09 and said:
“Hey coach, for the next few years we want you have less than 70 scholarship players on your roster. Yea, we know that will put you at a competitive disadvantage, in which we basically will be self-imposing severe NCAA sanctions against us for no reason whatsoever; but that’s the direction we feel you should go. Oh, and please continue forward with your very casual, if not downright informal S&C program with little oversight and discipline.”
LikeLike
I don’t think it is either/or. I think Richt made a big mistake in promoting Willie Martinez in 2005, but a bigger one staying with him through 2009. I think the general philosophy around recruiting was insufficient to prevent the team from having serious roster issues. Those two big mistakes cost Richt several seasons of winnable SEC East titles, and those lie squarely at his feet.
I also think the administration had taken a stance of profit, profit, profit, more, more, more, and were unwilling to spend a dime more than they thought they needed to win. That was the old Georgia Way under Michael Adams, a president that showed he was willing to maneuver the athletics side of things however he saw fit. I don’t think it is any coincidence that things have changed so abruptly under a new administration in such a short period of time.
I think all the issues are being resolved at the same time, so it may be difficult to see a particular cause and effect, but Pruitt is a good coach, the roster is full of guys that will play, and the administration is removing any perceived speed bumps that might hinder Richt from taking the team as high as he can take them. This is what we have been waiting for since 2005… for the program to be in a position to take the next step. I don’t think a win vs Bama validates it, neither do I think a loss invalidates it. As PTC Dawg said, the year in total will let us know the progress.
LikeLike
I agree that the Alabama game is merely a data point.
LikeLike
Nice post.
LikeLike
Very cogent post (my new favorite positive word).
LikeLike
Well said. To say that there were problems above RIcht does not discount that has made (and corrected) some mistakes in the past. It doesn’t change the fact that from the top of the program we were at a competitive disadvantage.
LikeLike
+1 all the way, but it’s still nice to beat those elephants.
LikeLike
Its been well cataloged on this blog the mistakes Richt has made. Blame sits squarely on his shoulders but you can also chalk up an assist by the administration. Richt has been stubborn in the past, but his adaptability has also shown through.
While Richt was lost in the wilderness of undersigning and assistant coaching challenges, Bama paved the way and showed how a NC program should operate. Richt saw the path and is adapting (while bringing in a few of Bamas pavers).
The program is on the uptick and I am optimistic for once.
LikeLike
I would never have guessed that not having an IPF is why we have been 2nd tier in the SEC the last 8 years.
“Don’t know if we’ve ever been given as good a chance as others” is a laughable excuse as there ever is or was.
The weather in Athens tomorrow is already being set up as an excuse.
With you BR. Not buying it.
LikeLike
Anyone blaming the Administration for Georgia’s woes? At times they have been part of the problem, but I don’t think anyone is using them as a scapegoat.
We gotta win this thing tomorrow.
LikeLike
Wonder who has been practicing in the wettest weather.
I think the rain moved out of Tuscaloosa Monday morning. 😉 Now wouldnt that be a hoot.
LikeLike
Yea that would be ironic
LikeLike
If you can’t see any difference in the last couple of years from the admin side, you ain’t looking.
LikeLike
I think there’s been a change. I don’t necessarily think it will improve Richt’s success.
LikeLike
Its all true. I do know that.
LikeLike
Win or lose Saturday, I think we are on the right track. We don’t need to fire Tom Osburne in 1992.
LikeLike
I know there are many differing opinions on Richt the Coach and I question some things about that side of him from time to time as well, but this just deepens my feeling that Richt is just a straight up great guy. If/when Georgia wins a national title under him, I’m probably gonna lose my mind and run naked through my neighborhood, but I’ll be just as happy for Richt as I will be for DawgNation. Call me a Richt lover or whatever you want, but I’m rooting for the guy, and I’d probably still follow him and root for him if he ever coached somewhere else.
LikeLike
+1
LikeLike
Careful, your Ohio Police may ask UGA Police for determination if your a terrorist or just plain loco, LOL.
LikeLike
That’s a very interesting window into what gets said around the Richt family table when there’s nobody else there but the family. I have no doubt that comment about facilities, pee tests, etc. comes right from Mark Richt’s mouth. And he’s right. But you know what? We’ve been a fingernail away from winning the big prize anyway, despite those challenges. And we’ve got a chance to take a big step forward in oh, about 31 hours or so.
LikeLike
You cannot be a true winner unless you are a survivor first. He is the epitome of a survivor. GoooooooooooDawgs. Just win it.
LikeLike
There is no question that with He Who Should Remain Forever Nameless in this venue as president, there were walls erected even Mark Richt could not climb, but Richt stayed and prospered.
If there really has been a change in the institutional will in Athens, and the indications tend to support that, I think we are still a couple of years away from completing the turn.
We may not win the national championship this year or the next, or at all, but one thing I know in my bones….If we play well, not kill ourselves with mistakes and turnovers, we can sure as hell beat Bama on Saturday.
In the words of an old testament prophet: GET AFTER THEIR ASS
LikeLike
It’s not so much that Richt has ‘changed’. Rather, we’re seeing his continued evolution as a head coach, one that speaks to his competitiveness and willingness to learn new things and change his approach in order to win. That hasn’t changed since he started in 2001. What has changed is that he’s got competent assistants from programs who have won at a high level, and an administration more willing to support the football program than in years past.
As far as the Georgia Way, I’m of the opinion that it’s more of a cop out for the administration and a boogeyman for disgruntled fans than a legitimate reason for Georgia as the bridesmaid of the SEC. That’s not to say that I agree with the draconian policies (especially when it comes to weed), just that there are much more likely reasons as to why Georgia hasn’t gotten to the next level. And I’m sure if you ask Richt, he wouldn’t even acknowledge that discipline and winning should be considered on the same level. He believes he’s doing the right thing, and even if I don’t agree I certainly respect him for it.
I honestly think that Richt will get there. Is that… optimism? It’s a strange feeling for this Dawg fan.
LikeLike
Nope the “Georgia Way” has always been until Jere Moorehead took over, do everything on the cheap or for nothing. EVERYTHING Hynes talks about is very true. I do know that.
LikeLike
Richt > 97% of all other head coaches in college football at their craft. If my son grows up to play college ball, I would want him to play for a man like Coach Richt.
LikeLike
I love this quote, “when you look at the totality of what (Richt) has been through, bro, that guy is a winner.” I believe that statement and I also believe that CMR is evolving into one of the best coaches in the country. We see the Spurrier’s, Saban’s & Myers’ of the college football world and get somewhat jealous but winning the MNC is a process that usually takes a good while, history bears this out. I believe that CMR will lead us there within the next 5 years.
LikeLike
Except that history doesn’t bear that out. Of all the coaches to win a bcs championship none had been at his respective school longer than 8 years. Also if you want to try and compare him to Osborne, Bowden, & paterno, those guys had at least played for a national championship 14 years into their careers and more importantly they didn’t suffer blowout losses (14+ points ) on a practically annual basis. I like Richt but there’s a very real possibility he never wins the sec again.
LikeLike
Actually fact checked and never mind on Osborne Bowden and paterno. That being said Bowden is the only bcs championship coach who had been at his school longer than 8 years.
LikeLike
What are the probabilities you reference. You have quantifiable evidence that supports that last sentence? Seriously, Richt has made errors as coach, but that’s some stupid shit you wrote.
LikeLike
You want quantifiable evidence over a guys opinion on whether Richt wins the SEC again? Really?
LikeLike
Lol. Yep. That can’t never can shit drives me nuts.
LikeLike
Well richt’s sec winning percentage is 68.953% with a standard deviation of 14.325% or translated into wins is 5.51 sec wins a year standard deviation of 1.14 wins. The winning percentage of an sec champ is 89.12% including the SECCG with a standard deviation of 5.78%. So therefore if assume winning probability follows a bell curve (which it is not) then Mark Richt would need a performance 2.1 standard deviations away from his mean which has a 13.54% chance of occurring in any given year. Given be probably has 8 years left in his career that means there is a 56.7% chance of this not occurring over 8 simulatoons ( seasons) this representing a “real” possibility. 😉
LikeLike
Or you are just a dipshit and wouldn’t know a good coach if you saw one. I seriously hope that we win the SEC several times in the next few years so dumbasses like you and the other malcontents on here will STFU.
LikeLike
A) the numbers above are completely fictitious. It’s a joke. B) i would be ecstatic if we won an sec championship. Double that if Richt was the coach who won them.
LikeLike
and here I thought we were only TWO YEARS away when the savior arrives from the west.
LikeLike
Interesting and some valid points. The reasons UGA under Richt has not won a title are these: After Van Gorder left he made poor choices for several coaching positions especially OL and DC but also at other positions. These affected the on field results but also recruiting. UGA has not been deep and talented at most positions on both sides of the ball as a result. The defense has had some very good players like Ogeltree and Geno and Jarvis Jones but never has been deep and is why we lost to LSU and Bama in back to back SEC championships. Couldn’t get one stop in the 2nd half against Bama because we had zero depth on defense. Couple that with the off the field incidents that led to players leaving and our scholarship numbers being less than full. He also has handled special teams poorly as well as the strength and conditioning was pathetic. Fast forward to last year and everything changed. Todd Grantham was a clown. Will Friend and Stacy Searles before him couldn’t recruit. The position coaches weren’t much better. Jeremy Pruitt, Kevin Scherrer, Tracy Rocker, Mike Ekeler and Mark Hocke are LIGHT years the best staff we have ever had defensively (and Hocke in S&C). Add Rob Sale, Thomas Brown and possibly Schott they are better recruiters on offense and look like better coaches. The results were immediate. And they have continued into this year. There is a reason we have played 21 freshmen and after the class last year, they know how to recruit. They get playmakers. Next years class will be the best ever. We have less busts. We have less discipline problems. Zero this year. And now finally these next few years we will have a deep and talented roster on both sides of the ball. They have hired a ton more support staff, started a branding campaign with videos and billboards to get to kids in Atlanta much earlier, have become much more aggressive in recruiting, finally opened the checkbook to build an IPF that is the biggest and best in the country….it doesn’t change Richt and his gameday decisions but at the end of the day you win or lose with talent. Every coach makes poor decisions at times. But talent helps overcome those bad mistakes. Its why Saban is 4-5 vs Top 25 teams since Pruitt left. Its why Ole Miss and A&M are making a case. Its why Auburn is in real trouble. Its why Ohio St is back. You have to have talent and have the right ones that fit your coaching philosophy. It starts this Saturday.
LikeLike
Great post.
LikeLike
I agree with everything you said above. Let me add (and this is just my take) that I believe the bonehead calls on O that cost Georgia games at the end actually were Bobo’s calls. I haven’t seen any end of game screw-ups, or for that matter any offensive screw-ups at all, yet this season. If those mistakes disappear–look out everybody else.
LikeLike
Sooo…you’re saying that Bobo does have a crayon? 😉
LikeLike
Excellent post. I agree with you. Has CMR made some poor choices over the years: yes. But the man knows how to coach and how to win.
LikeLike
What he said – a very succinct analysis of our times AVG (After Van Gorder)
LikeLike
Well its only since Jere Moorehead took over that the coffers have opened to hire first rate coaches.
What the article talks about is very true. Hynes knows because he has been there every step of the way.
LikeLike
I really like this post. I don’t know if the planets are all aligned for us this season. All I know is if we win this game, look out (that is if we can keep from laying an egg like Georgia is known to do). Anyhow, I’ll always hope and I’ll stay positive. Go Dawgs!
LikeLike
One thing I think we forget because Richt has been here for so long is that this is the first and only head coaching job Richt has ever had. That’s not an excuse but it takes time and experience to become a great head coach. Saban, Miles, Spurrier and Myers all coached at different programs for years before they won national titles. Richt is still learning and I respect that he is still willing to learn from his assistants and others. Maybe it’s taken him longer than the other coaches I mentioned but I think he’s coming into form as a head coach. I definitely think UGA is on the rise and that has a lot to do with the experience Richt has gained over the years through firing and hiring assistants, dealing with administrators, etc.
LikeLike
Urban was in his sixth year as a head coach when he won the national title (and he had a perfect season in his 4th year). Spurrier was in his 13th year counting his USFL tenure, and it was also the year of his 5th SEC title in 6 years. Miles was in his 7th year (through dumb luck, and honestly, I don’t think he’s any better than Richt when it comes to wasting talent). Saban was in his 10th season. Richt is in his 15th and hasn’t won an SEC title in a decade.
LikeLike
I think I’ve seen new Mark Richt the last 2 years rather than the last five or at least a program change in the last 2 years, and that has more to do with new staff than with a new Richt, IMO. And why is Chappy Hynes being interviewed anyway? I doubt he’d even have the job as team chaplain if not for his relation to the coach. The cynic in me says that the athletic dept. set up this interview to give Hynes some credibility since he’s been under fire in the media for holding a basically useless position with the team.
LikeLike
Somebody had to take Van Halen’s place
LikeLike
You just answered your own question.
LikeLike
Yeah, but that raises other questions…….
LikeLike
Take a deep breath Walter.
“Chaplains are common in many public institutions, including the US Congress. The football team chaplain isn’t a (pick any of the 15 schools under “media” fire) ________ employee, and participation in activities he leads are voluntary.”
LikeLike
Nope you would 180 degrees off base but keep guessing.
Not a useless position. Hynes has helped a LOT of the athletes not just football players and not just at our University.
But keep thinking that the Athletic Dept. supports him.
Those dang Christians -should just burn them like torches or nail them to crosses…oh that’s what ISIS is doing. Might as well join them right?
LikeLike
Who said anything about burning Christians? Oh wait, that was you. Are you equating my thinking that Hynes position as chaplain is useless with crucifixion? That’s pretty ludicrous. Maybe you have some inside info on all the great things Hynes has done. I’ll take your word for it that he’s a good guy and does a good job and leave it at that.
LikeLike
AHD,
Richt is a self professed evangelical Christian and I have no problem with that. I’d rather have Richt running a clean program than have UGA turn into a win at any cost team like Auburn. It’s pretty obvious that Richt just threw his brother in law a bone and got him the chaplain gig.
I really don’t care if Hynes is in an unpaid position or paid by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes or whomever. I just personally think his position is unnecessary. If UGA failed to have a chaplain, how would it affect the team? IMO, it would have little effect. Richt can lead the team in prayer as can any number of other people. If these kids need some spiritual guidance there are over 100 houses of worship in town, many within walking distance of campus. Therefore, I think Hynes position is basically useless. Should he be fired, as some groups are asking? I really don’t care one way or the other.
LikeLike
But, but the time say 20-30 minutes to call and lead a team for prayers will lessen the time needed to review films by Richt and his meeting with other coaches. Just saying. And that can mean more bad calls from him more than he had, LOL.
LikeLike
Lots of comments here about CMR making bad decisions etc…on hiring CWM…anybody ever consider he was told point blank that he would do that?
UGA’s admin until Jere Moorehead did EVERYTHING on the cheap. Until we started to actually support the program this past year and half…almost ALL programs in the SEC had passed us terms of spending on the program Most notably Bama’.
Ignorance is bliss I guess. UGA doesn’t foot a cent for Hynes.
LikeLike
Some fine “sub-tweeting” going on in this article between #teamricht and #teammcgarity.
“For a while, Richt hit some ceilings with university administrators who were set in “some old Georgia ways” regarding needs for the football program, Hynes admitted.”
“I would say the level of detail has increased on the staff,” McGarity said. “We weren’t at that level probably because we did not have a model, so to speak.”
LikeLike
I hope so, what coach in a major college has not won their conference in 9 years?
LikeLike