According to this report, he’s lost control over his Miami career.
InsideTheU has learned through multiple sources that Richt informed school officials on Sunday that he plans to retire. The news comes just a few days after the Hurricanes were rolled by Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl.
I wonder if he comes back to Athens in retirement.
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UPDATE: Life comes at you fast.
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UPDATE #2: Per Bruce Feldman ($$),
A person with direct knowledge of the matter told The Athletic on the condition of anonymity that a big reason for Richt’s exit is that he was under pressure to remove his son Jon from the Hurricanes coaching staff. Jon Richt was the Hurricanes’ quarterbacks coach.
This is why there’s a good reason for anti-nepotism rules.
While I’d rather have seen him redeem himself, at least he’s going out on his own terms. Good dude. Good coach. Probably not meant for what Saban and Meyer have brought to the sport.
It’s not surprising to me that so many college football coaches are awful people. It’s part of the job description these days unfortunately. CMR no longer fit.
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DGD … I hope to see him truly honored at Sanford in the near future.
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20th anniversary of the 2002 SEC Championship isn’t too far way.
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15th anniversary of the 2005 SEC champions is closer 😉
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17th anniversary of the 02 SEC Championship game is next season, and so is the 14th anniversary of the 05 Championship cuz math.
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I think he should be recognized exclusive of a team reunion, but I don’t think he and the Water Girl would want to be recognized by themselves at Sanford.
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Glad you got this comment in first Derek. CMR gave his all at UGA. From paying his coaches out of his own pocket (when UGA refused) to setting up the The Paul Oliver Network, his commitment to the welfare of the people around him will be his legacy. He was not a ruthless, win-at-any-cost coach; that some (I’m looking at you AJC DawgNation commenters) can still find fault in him for that says more about them than the man he is.
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The idea that Marc Richt is some how a “better dude” than Saban is just laughable. I am tired of hearing people say “but he is good man”. At the end of the day it seems to me the guy was tired of coaching and simply was not doing the job he was being paid MILLIONS to do. Good men don’t take pay for half efforts. There is an argument in my book as to whether or not he was ever a good football coach but there is no argument that he checked out about 10 years ago. As a dawg fan I am glad he is gone from UGA and there might be some misguided fool that would want to hire him back but such a fool would best be served by keeping his thoughts to himself.
Kudos to Richt for finally doing what he should have done years ago.
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Saban brought Jonathan Taylor on campus and didn’t ask one person (nor did anyone else with Alabama) at UGA or the police about Taylor. Then he beat another girl in Tuscaloosa.
Saban had more medical redshirts in his first two seasons than the rest of the nation had over the prior five.
CMR kept Albert Hollis on scholarship for his entire term well after it was known that he’d never recover sufficient to play.
You can be tired and be wrong. Fine with me. Saban is an asshole.
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Best description that epitomizes Richt versus Saban is…
Richt is the man you want coaching your son
Saban is the man you want coaching your team.
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This too: https://www.instagram.com/p/BsB0D1EHbE9/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=16jwrk503z9vz
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Very impressive cat, that CMR. He also seems like he can set aside his ego in pursuit of truly generous pursuits. Were there any chance of he accepting an administrative role at UGa I would deem that a worthy idea.
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I don’t know if Mark and Kathryn sold their house in Oconee County, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the SEC Network in the near future.
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BORING
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Did Mark Richt beat you up as a kid and take your lunch money?
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Obviously, Richt did.
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Tried to watch the coaches film room last night. Had to turn it to the regular broadcast because it became clear neither Mac Brown nor Herm Edwards could operate a replay device.
If CMR can manage it next week, I might tune in.
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Apparently you have never heard richt at the podium (pre or post game) trying to make sense of strategy (X’s & O’s) in a coherent and interesting manner. How would this translate to watchable TV?
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If Gene Cheat-zik can do it, I imagine Richt can figure it out.
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He did a fine job diagramming a sandwich.
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He’s been retired for years.
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Lol.
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Not sure of the contract implications, but after seeing his team play this year, it was the right thing to do.
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Think he just signed a 5 year deal after the 2017 season. I’m sure they will renegotiate the buyout.
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https://www.dawgnation.com/football/team-news/mark-richt-still-hasnt-signed-new-contract-but-uga-says-it-will-honor-4m-deal
Only if CMR remembered to sign it. 😉
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Buyouts don’t apply if he quits
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It depends on who initiated the retirement conversation and the performance clauses and negotiations involved in separation. The AD was adamant about changes after the game. The U of Miami is a private institution so we will probably never know what settlement took place.
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And that….is that!
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Saban always needs a QC analyst…..
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That’s hilarious, and 100% would never happen. There is allegedly NO love lost between Saban and Richt.
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I wish him all the best.
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Man. I really hate this. I was ready for him to go when he was shown the door in Athens but I still wanted good things to happen for him elsewhere. For a minute there it seemed like everybody won with us doing so well under Kirby and Richt initially having some success down there. I’m glad he just decided to leave rather than getting canned. I do hope he comes back to Athens. He’s a great guy and it would be cool to see him at games and around town. I think Derek may be right that the sport just became too cut throat for a guy like Richt.
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Maybe he can take over the Paul Oliver foundation. I wish him well wherever he goes.
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That would be a great job for him.
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Saw it in his face against Wisconsin …. tired, just unable after many years of coaching to bring the energy
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I agree. Sort of related, it’s amazing and a bit scary that Saban can still bring that energy.
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11 million a year and multiple national titles will do that for you
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I think it’s that the former (along with some other traits) leads to the latter.
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Peak Richt. He would rather quit than fire friends and family to improve team. UGA should sue him for 5 years back pay.
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Aw come on, man.
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If nothing else, I give you credit for consistency.
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Ass-holeishness never waivers.
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What will people say about you when you’re gone?
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“He would kick a man when he’s down.”
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Damn I’m putting that on my tombstone!
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“Even got good with his left foot too.”
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Nothing quite like the bravado from an anonymous keyboard warrior. Have you ever considered switching to GT football? You’re a natural fit.
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A great man who I was always proud to root for through elation and heartbreak. God Bless,coach.
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Dude retired. He didn’t die
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Is this Tony Barnhart?
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I was hoping he would have great success at Miami.
CMR is a DGD who has done a lot of good in this old world.
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He brought us back to relevance and for that, I will always be grateful. In the end, his stubbornness did him in. Both at UGA and at UM. He hadn’t looked interested or engaged for some time and he knew it was time.
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Since 2007 to be exact.
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I think he was pretty interested in 2012.
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Did we win the NCG in 2012? No? Well then the season was a complete failure.
/s
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Mark was stuck. He wanted to coach with emeritus status, but he wanted to do it at the highest level. Those things are not compatible.
He’d be a fantastic fit down the ladder somewhere. Maybe even FCS. His field acumen would more than off-set the energy/[patience he has right now for things like recruiting and major program management
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Yep. Richt would be excellent at any level where you more or less coach up what comes through the door and there’s not tens of millions of dollars riding on what hat a 17yr old throws on his head.
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Great dude. Didn’t see the point of Miami hiring him as I thought he was worn out coaching . Also kept waiting for him to carve a new chapter a la Bill McCartney.
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Great guy. Would love to see him in some type of ambassador (or chaplain) role at UGA
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He would be great as an offensive QC staffer or QB specialist staffer or whatever they name these positions now. Richt hired Kirby in 2005; time to return the favor.
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I want him no where near our program.
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Yep.
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I want him as coordinator of fake kicks. He’d be a darn sight better than whoever is doing that now.
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Lol
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Do you always have to be such a tool?
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Agree. The last thing UGA needs is Richt holding team prayer meetings on Sundays. Good guy, but good luck and good riddance IMO.
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DGD. Hoped for better things for him down in Florida.
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“Fire your unqualified son, and hire an OC”
“Peace out”
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Lane Kiffin is going to love it there
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Lol. And he’d be perfect.
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Mel Tucker should have waited..
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or Manny Diaz.
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Diaz’s move to Temple didn’t matter. – I am surprised.
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I bet they hire Mario Cristobal
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When a post here a few days ago noted that FBS needed a national “Commissioner” figure to navigate fairly through such thorny issues as player pay and playoff expansion, I immediately thought of him. (Even though I think the idea of a college football commish wouldn’t work.)
Whatever he does in future, he could turn out to be the Jimmy Carter of the college football world – – a decent and morally-upstanding man within a short-sighted and often corrupt arena, who is actually much better suited to leadership after retirement.
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Good coach
Great man
Wish him well in the future.
As someone above suggested, him becoming the face of the Paul Oliver Foundation would be a perfect fit for all involved.
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Good man with good intentions, but college football got to the cut throat stage he is not suited for. Really believe he will be very happy in some sort of charitable or benevolent work. Appreciate that he got us back to a competitive stage personnel wise to allow Kirby to come in running.
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Some of you may recall I predicted several months ago that CMR would retire at seasons’ end.
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I hear they are looking for a new Miss Cleo…
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Grateful for all he did at UGA.
I remember the 90s. I liked the 2000’s much better.
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On a purely selfish note, this should help us seal the deal with Tyrique Stevenson
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Coach CMR raised the bar for UGA football after years of malaise. DGD. I hope he finds his way onto the CFP committee to counter the Tech and Florida bias.
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Now that’s a good idea.
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How about CMR as “head of sec officials?”
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The more that this sort of stuff happens, the more I appreciate how David Cutcliffe decided to just be content at Duke..and even Larry Fedora at Southern Miss. They both could have “moved up”, where they could get filthy rich while gaining stomach ulcers. Instead, they enjoyed smelling the roses. When you get old, this makes sense.
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Fedora did move up and went to North Carolina in 2012 until this year when he was fired.
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Playoff committee is a good idea
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Agree with coach Smart.
A great man with a lot of class and character.
Think he was a credit to UGA, and has been a successful coach.
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A coach with no class.
Think i have to put that Wisconsin coach at the top of the list.
Leading 28-3 and clock almost out. No taking a knee or victory formation.
Nope let’s run up the score.
At some point in the future that will come back to Wisconsin.
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The “Georgia Way” encapsulated in one post ⬆️
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If you will recall almost the exact same thing happened with Jim Donnan at UGA. Donnan’s kid was QB coach at Georgia. After the 7-4 regular season Mike Adams told Donnan to make some asst coaching changes and one was to replace Donnan’s son. Donnan refuses. Adams fired him. True story.
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Too bad he didn’t force Jim Harrick’s hand.
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^^This
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I’ve done a complete 180 on Harrick. Now think of him as a martyr and a prophet.
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I bet he stays in the Miami area. He’s a Cane, not a Dawg (even though a DGD). The weather alone, while being on the beach or out on the water, is enough to make you forget Oconee county. It worked for me!
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Unless he goes in a total direction away from university athletics, I think he will be back. It’s doubtful he has any meaningful relationships at UM from the last 3 years with not a lot of success. He could still come into Butts Mehre and have a position like what was offered to him 3 years ago. The guy has a lot of strengths and I think he could be useful. Kirby is smart enough to realize that.
His coaching days are completely over unless he goes to a much smaller program. No way he has any position coaching the Dawgs.
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“ambassador” would heal a lot of wounds.
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The guy is a multi multi millionaire. Excuse me if I do not she even one tear for him. GO DAWGS beat ut.
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Nice one on the anti-nepotism. Most following this blog won’t get it. Keep up the great work
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“Most on this blog won’t get it”
LOL – pretty sure the people here read actual books.
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Yes, please, what does that mean? LOL
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He was throwing shade at the 4 Trump idiots, and rightfully so. DJ, Eric, Ivanka and Jared
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MAGA…
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“Morons Are Governing America”?
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Got it.
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No surprise on that final update. You know he wasn’t going to fire his son. And yes, he shouldn’t have hired him to begin with.
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Brilliant…don’t fire your Son, just quit..now both have no job.
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I have zero respect for a guy that fires his own son unless he believed the son deserved it.
Didn’t Lane Kiffin fire his own dad? That is even shittier. Honestly I couldn’t live with myself. Richt actual has some principles. I hope he literally told the UM folks to fuck off on the way out.
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Well, if your son is unqualified and shitty at his job, you’re not really doing anyone a favor by keeping him around.
Ask Bobby Bowden about Jeff for some context.
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UM should have done better due diligence 3 years ago when they hired him instead of just assuming their lottery numbers hit. That’s on them.
The son may be unqualified and should be fired but if Richt doesn’t think so I at least respect he doesn’t puss out and do it.
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And I hear what you are saying.
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Agree. The last thing UGA needs is Richt holding team prayer meetings on Sundays. Good guy, but good luck and good riddance IMO.
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Posted in the wrong spot
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Well said.
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Senator,
Allow me this opportunity to thank you for turning me on to The Athletic. Well worth the subscription. The writing is excellent and rarely has any grammatical or spelling errors (as opposed to DawgNation, which normally can’t get through a paragraph without an error).
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I’ll stipulate that the UGA–Richt relationship had grown stale and that we’ve advanced considerably since his departure. And I’ll certainly stipulate that hiring his son was a dumb decision that blew up in his face.
But even with all that in mind, if you can gleefully piss on the man’s grave today after all he did for our program…you’d do well to avoid my tailgate. I got no use for you.
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If there was a major chink in his armor…not hiring the right assistants and staying with them when they clearly weren’t doing a good job. Hiring his son to be the QBs coach? IMO not a good move. His son still had a way to go much less at a place like Miami. There is a reason the QBs there weren’t producing.
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Agree. I’ll always remember how he botched 2 defensive coordinator hires, and then brought in Schottenheimer to replace Bobo. Now…a lot of folks didn’t like Bobo, but you can’t deny that he had good results….setting offensive records at UGA the last 3 years he was here. Other than that? Meh…..
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Not to defend Schottenheimer who was a bust with us but …. anyone notice that Schotty is OC in Seattle?
https://www.seahawks.com/news/after-early-season-struggles-seahawks-offense-is-rolling-we-re-pretty-difficult-
Of course as counterpoint – there is some evidence that Schotty’s scheme isn’t as efficient as it could be and he is holding them back.
https://deadspin.com/how-are-russell-wilson-and-the-seahawks-doing-this-1831321738
With all due respect to Richt, Schottenheimer and Pruitt, whatever went wrong that year was due to the circumstances and personalities and not because they are not quality coaches.
There is no way Carroll, who is one of just 3 coaches to win a NC & Super Bowl, would hire Schottenheimer if he sucked.
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Amazing, some of the folks on here. Richt must have pissed on your leg or something like that. At least a number of you are consistent in that you are assholes.
Now, if I were at Miami, I would bring in Kerwin Bell as OC.
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Not at all…. honest assessment. I know the man on a personal basis. He had a hard time making those type decisions. He also wanted to help his coaches etc…to the point he hurt himself. A very selfless guy. I have had these conversations with people on his inner circle. Those aren’t easy conversations. I still talk to them traded texts yesterday.
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UGA would not be in the position we are in had it not been for what CMR accomplished, and established, when he came on board. I will always believe that Katharyn’s cancer is what took the fire out of him as a football coach, he never seemed to have the same level of intensity again. But from where we were, no appearances in Atlanta, no SEC titles in 2 decades, we went to Atlanta four times, won 2 SEC titles, and finished in the Top 10 nationally about 5 times. All done doing things the right way. We owe him a lot more than he ever received but he never fails to send his best and let everyone know how special Athens was to him, and his family.
Like all others, I was always proud to have him as the face of the UGA program. Everywhere I traveled I had fans of every program tell me Georgia was their 2nd, or third, favorite team after their own school; and a lot of that was due to Mark Richt Shame he had to put up with some of the worst fans in the country among those wearing red and black. They are a small, but obnoxious and embarrassing group. Fortunately, the vast majority of Dawg fans recognized how lucky we were.
Best wishes and blessings for Mark Richt, Katharyn, and family. You were, and are, DGDs, and we are appreciative as a fan base. Enjoy your life and continue your mission to help all you come into contact with.
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Agree 100%.
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It’s all fine and good for Richt to do ministry. But, why did he need to get paid $4M/year to do it? If the results on the field went down (no SEC champ since 2005, like 1 win over a top 10 team after 2012…), why did his salary rise? Why all the cronyism like paying DVH a 6 figure salary to deliver a weekly report on guys in the NFL? Who here wouldn’t like/couldn’t do that job? Look at how lazy, for lack of a better word, he got with recruiting. All the while Dabo was building a national power without the instate recruiting base Richt had. If only he had retired after 2014…
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There are a lot of dumbasses that will never truly appreciate what Richt did for Georgia after two decades of irrelevancy. I hope he makes it back to Athens as an administrator one day. I’d take him as Athletic Director right now.
That said, my #1 criticism of Richt has always been his loyalty to a fault when it came to assistants. Miami’s qb play was absolutely horrific this season. Now it all
Makes sense.
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An AD?
You have to be kidding. Richt is an awful CEO. From hiring his son, to keeping Martinez too long, to Seares. I want him in no position to tell Kirby how to run a football program.
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Football coach is already hired and he knows what kind of facilities are necessary to win in this league. I’m not saying he’d be an all time great, but he’d damn sure be better than McGarity sight unseen imo.
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Richt it’s demonstrated he’s not a good hire and manager of people. And that he’s not hard enough to be in an executive position. if he hires his friends and family as a coach the sky would be the limit as an entire program manager.
And remember he’s in charge of all Athletics in this scenario.
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We currently have an AD with no spine who is controlled by donors and had to be forced by Tennessee’s coach to build an indoor facility about ten years after he wasted the time and money to construct a 30 yard “multi purpose” facility that wasn’t worth a damn.
He also preemptively suspended AJ Green and Todd Gurley instead of supporting his school’s most talented football players.
I could go on, but you get the idea.
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D, JD
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I get your point but I don’t think he is controlled by donors, I think academics have more sway on taking their money and not reinvesting. I do think that UGA’s top donors were asleep at the wheel and many had no clue exactly how far behind UGA had fallen behind in facilities, locker room, weight room, IPF, and recruit hosting areas. A few good big donors acting in agreement could have many program forward light years under Richt but they had no agreement and/or a clue.
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Richt lover thread for sure….figures, he had y’all on the long Con…Miami wanted none of it.
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Richt was the Houston Nutt, often referred to as the Right Reverand, of the Eastern Division. Both nothing more then average college football coaches. Say want you want about Saban, but he is one of the best ever. His record speaks for itself.
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How many average coaches win two SEC titles? Or go 145-51 at an SEC school?
If you’re simply trying to say that Richt is no Saban, then just say that. To call him average sounds like you’ve got an axe to grind.
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I think the game just changed on him. He was a product of the 90’s and did not or would not adapt to the aggressive roster management Meyer and Saban brought to the SEC. I think he waited too long to adapt his defenses too
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Miami was third in defensive yards per play this season. Defense was about the only thing that went right for the ‘Canes in 2018.
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Well, Blowtarsky, that’s the way I see it. Happy New Year. Axe
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Back atcha, man.
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The Richt Interregnum at Miami highlighted Richt’s biggest shortcomings as a football coach: he prioritizes being a good person more than he values being a good football coach.
I’m not saying that Richt is disinterested in being a good football coach or that he doesn’t value winning football games. I am saying that Richt places a higher value on the moral character of himself and the players he coaches. “Big time college football,” unfortunately, is about money (and the winning necessary to keep that money flowing) not about preparing some kid from South Georgia to be a good father or a good husband or a good accountant. Richt’s value system no longer fits college football at its highest level. That’s an indictment of the NCAA, ESPN, and the folks who’ve helped make folks like Urban Meyer or James Franklin more valuable commodities than Mark Richt.
Richt probably shouldn’t have hired a D-II back-up with zero coaching experience to be his QBs coach. That may have been an ok decision in 1968 or even 1998, but in an era where literal victories vastly outweigh the moral ones, it’s an incredibly stupid hire compounded by the stupidity of not finding a quiet, non-embarassing way of letting him go (honestly, there weren’t any FCS schools in need of a head coach or an offensive coordinator that wouldn’t have hired Miami’s QBs coach?)
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Lotsa Truth in here.
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