On first blush, those of you who are frustrated with Jim Chaney should welcome this news.
The Georgia Bulldogs are set to add an analyst that was an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at multiple spots the last few seasons.
Multiple sources have confirmed to Dawgs247 that former Minnesota OC and Quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson is set to join the Bulldogs as an offensive analyst.
Here’s his bio from the U of Minnesota web site.
Johnson, who is from Lakeville, Minn., has more than two decades of coaching experience on offense and just recently completed his fifth season as offensive coordinator for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.
Johnson directed an offense that set multiple school records during his five years at Louisiana. Under Johnson, the Cajuns set school records for total offense (5,914 yards) and points (461) in 2012. Johnson’s offense finished 22nd in the nation in rushing in 2014, as it averaged 225.9 yards per game.
In 2013, the Cajuns set program records for total first downs (283) and total plays from scrimmage (883). Johnson’s offense was also extremely effective in the red zone during his stint at Louisiana, as it finished 10th in the nation in 2014, converting at a 91.2 percent success rate.
Johnson also coached and developed record-setting quarterback Terrance Broadway from 2012-14. Broadway is the school’s record holder in total offense with 9,240 yards. In 2013, Broadway led Sun Belt quarterbacks in passing efficiency and completed 62 percent of his passes for 2,419 yards and 19 touchdowns. Prior to Broadway, Johnson coached quarterback Blaine Gautier, who in 2011, threw for a school record 2,958 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Before you hyperventilate over the prospect of Kirby bringing in a little competition, so to speak, to direct the offense, note what’s missing there — any discussion of how Minnesota’s offense performed in 2016 under Johnson’s direction.
Bill Connelly is here to help with that, though, and his advanced stats profile doesn’t exactly overwhelm. Yes, Minnesota finished ahead of Georgia in offensive S&P+, but given that the Dawgs were 93rd, the Gophers’ 84th ranking isn’t exciting. Nor is the rest of what’s there a huge upgrade. Mitch Leidner was a senior and a three-year starter at quarterback who managed to finish last season with the worst passer rating of his career.
I’ll be interested to hear more about what they’re getting, but as initial impressions go, there doesn’t appear to be much to get excited about.
Get The Picture 
Yeah, but how well can he recruit? 😉
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I think only coaches can recruit.
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Only the on field coaches can recruit off campus. The analysts can exert as much charm as they can muster when the prospects are on campus for visits. Shit, even an assistant professor in the speech department can make a recruiting pitch to prospects visiting on campus.
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The speech professors I know don’t make that good an impression.
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My speech professor and I drank a lot of beer together. I had it in the spring, good times.
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You’ve got to tell us who that is. His enrollment will go through the roof.
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Never give away your source.:)
And that was a long, long time ago.
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Was. That was a long, long time ago. I hope he is well and successfully retired by now. I had some cool professors at multiple schools, he was one of the funniest.
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Only recruiters can coach.
-Tracy Rocker’s exit interview.
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You don’t see former OC/DC/HC’s winding up on support staffs who just knocked it out of the park at their previous jobs. Its always a step back for those guys. But it ain’t like a bad season flushes all the useful football knowledge out of their heads either. I like the hire.
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Zackly. He’s being hired as an analyst. He should fit that bill well and can help us.
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+1
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I like the hire, too. But I think he is more than just an analyst. He’s a back-up if Chaney stinks up the place–again.
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Not sure Eason needs a third person in three years telling him how to quarterback. Consistency on both sides of the ball would be more welcome right now.
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That’s not how it works necessarily. Analysts provide info, data, observations, allow the OC to have a key set of data to work on to coach with more of a scalpel.
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True, don’t know exactly what this guy’s role will be, but they were highlighting his QB coaching acumen. Of course, Chaney coached Drew Brees, so we know he’s a genius on par with Weis.
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Yeah. When was the last time you heard Brees give Chaney credit for developing the skills that made him All-Pro and won him a Super Bowl? I think Chaney and Weiss have more in common than just both of them being slobs.
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The only conference weaker and less progressive on offense is the Big 14. Both Chaney and Johnson are products of that conference….not excited. The problem for our offense was not lack of support staff, it is the guy in charge. I realize Kirby doesn’t have an offensive background but he cannot be this blind to what went on last year, can he? Looking North is not the solution UGA needed, we tried “one half yard and a pile of bodies” as a strategy last season.
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I don’t know how the Rocker thing came about–but he was a stud. If Kirby canned that guy–I wouldn’t think he’d hesitate to pull the trigger on Chaney.
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Why am I getting queasy in the midsection? Why does this sound like initial rebuilding instead of second year rebuilding? Are we preparing for the greatest cluster-fuck of all times at UGA? – just throw in the kitchen sink …..no, wait…we have already done all of that… the nightmares keep coming. Last night’s version saw ST players celebrating after a big play and when they pulled off their helmets, all were wearing horn-rimmed glasses.
“Fresh set of eyes” my ass. More like a fresh set of ass for the fan’s eyes. Makes you think that there is more wrong with the Chaney link than we already fear. Chaney’s silence is breathtaking; the addition of someone else to share in team O’s demise ain’t. What the hell is going on here?
I don’t care what Chaney’s O plan is for this team, just throw us a bone to chew on and quit making this an O run by committee. I want the O Coach to speak up, act like the team we are preparing in our imagination exists and, using a few plays to whet our appetite, toss us a few bones to gnaw on until Spring Game.
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This is an analyst. Not a position coach. He’s not coming in to retool the offense or be a new QB coach or tell Chaney what to do.It’s the same with bringing in BVG as a defensive analyst mid-season last year, which had nothing to do with Mel Tucker, and everything to do with putting more hands on deck and getting more man hours for game planning.
This is the new trend in CFB (see Alabama, who does this all the time – such as hiring Sarkisian as an offensive analyst before last season), not a sign of desperation.
If you want to be worried about how the offense will look next year, that’s fine. But hiring an analyst is not a reason for concern.
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I agree completely with this minus one minor piece – it’s not new, its just new to us.
I have long, long, long wanted Georgia to bring in analysts just for the reasons you discussed. Reviewing for specific detail in film or practice – something like a lineman’s foot position or pad level gives a tell in his blocking scheme, can be quickly and easily addressed – pushing the envelope. Analyst sits quietly in all staff meetings, provides the OC/DC with a list of “analysis” OC/DC nods head, takes it or leaves it.
And side benefit, you get to feel a guy out for a potential future coaching hire. We should bring in a guy on each side routinely.
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If Johnson is going to be looking for holes in Chaney’s offense, he’s gonna be one busy man.
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Exactly. Analysts analyze. You bring in people with experience to look at hours and hours of tape to find things you might not see. Also, you are trying to build a bench of future coaches. If an analyst leaves for a coordinator gig, you become more attractive to better coaches to become analysts during the off season coaching changes.
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Can anyone give a tally (or where to find it) of the analysts we now have and where they are helping out? I thought we already had several for the O and STs.
My rant was purposefully looking for comments from Chaney-watchers as to why he doesn’t have press time to talk up a plan that exceeds talk of
big bodies on the O line and that can excite us for the season and for the Spring Game that will be here inside two months.
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Correction, his name is Ray Jay Johnson. And ya doesn’t haf to call him Johnson…
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You could call him Ray, or you could call him Jay, or you could call him Ray Jay……
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