Three coaching candidates to replace Mark Richt

Mark Richt is still the football coach at the University of Georgia. Although Richt’s job is safe in my opinion, many national writers including Bruce Feldman, Dennis Dodd, and others have said that his seat is hotter than some would suggest. For what it’s worth, I’m of the mindset that Richt has run his course at Georgia and it is indeed time to part ways with the Bulldog coach of 15 years.

The obvious question that most fans have regarding the coaching situation at Georgia is “who would replace Richt?” Again, Richt seems likely to stay, but if Georgia were to part ways with him, they would need to be certain that they can land a coach who will be better. That’s easier said than done. A new coach at Georgia would need to be able to do two things that Richt has, at times, done with great success.

First, any new coach at the University of Georgia must be able to recruit the peach state to perfection. With the number of four and five-star recruits exiting this state every season, UGA is in a prime location to reload every February. A new coach wouldn’t necessarily have to be a “Georgia man” per say, but he would have to be able to connect with in-state high school talent.

Secondly, whoever Georgia chooses, he would have to be able to balance the expectations at UGA while managing the strict (by SEC standards) academic and disciplinary standards that the school upholds. Georgia is one of the only schools in the conference with a mandatory one-game suspension for marijuana-related infractions. It is rules like this that some coaches wouldn’t want to deal with. I’m looking at you Jimbo Fisher.

Here’s my list of three potential replacements for Mark Richt. These are not based on anything except my feeling that each of these guys would “fit” at Georgia based on their personalities and coaching talent. To be clear, I’m not suggesting any of these coaches will be probable candidates, but they would all be great choices.

1. Brian Kelly- Notre Dame
Kelly would be a huge “get” for Georgia. His ability to recruit the state of Georgia from schools like Central Michigan, Cincinnati, and now Notre Dame prove he is capable of keeping Georgia’s recruiting successes going. Kelly has had to deal with strict regulations at Notre Dame and still managed to play in a National Championship game. Everett Golson, the former Notre Dame quarterback who was kicked out of school for academic reasons, actually graduated from the school. Yet, the school more or less forced Kelly and the Irish to move on without their star QB. This is the kind of act that Kelly would likely not have to deal with at Georgia. Winning is important at Notre Dame and winning is important at Georgia. However, the conduct standards at Georgia, while strict compared to SEC schools, do not compare to the rigorous academic standards that could easily hinder winning at Notre Dame.

2. Kliff Kingsbury- Texas Tech
Called the “Ryan Gosling” of college football, the Red Raider head coach has revamped the Texas Tech program in a few short years at the helm. Kingsbury would certainly be a hire for Georgia that would shock the entire college football world most notably because he is a major proponent of the spread “run-n-gun” offense. Obviously, Georgia has traditionally ran the pro-style offenses throughout Mark Richt’s tenure. But a change at head coach (regardless of the coach) almost always means a change in philosophy. Perhaps a change in offensive strategy is exactly what Georgia needs to spark the program. And although Ryan Gosling was horrendous at corner back in Remember The Titans, the guy gets his. Like Gosling, when it comes to scoring points, the 36-year-old Kingsbury gets his.

3. Mike Bobo- Colorado State
I know, I know. This name still haunts lots of Georgia fans simply because those fans probably have a vendetta against the draw play, Bobo’s signature play call while in Athens. Despite his having pissed many Georgia fans off throughout his time as Georgia’s offensive coordinator, Bobo recruited the hell out of this state while seeing his offenses average over 40 points a game multiple times. With Bobo would come familiarity. He’s familiar with the state, the program, the donors, the players, the fans, and the rigors of an SEC schedule. He wouldn’t be a “splashy” hire by any means, but if Georgia wants a guy who can develop quarterbacks, there are few better than Bobo. It just so happens that a guy named Jacob Eason is set to matriculate to Georgia this January. Perhaps Bobo and Eason could combine for magic in 2016 and beyond.

Georgia Trying to Find Balance Between Depth and Discipline

Richt and Pruitt are cleaning house.
Photo Courtesy: John Kelley

This off-season, like many for The University of Georgia football team, has been a tumultuous one. Transfers and suspensions have decimated an already unimpressive defense. Josh Harvey-Clemons, Shaq Wiggins, Paris Bostick, and now Tray Matthews have all left the team. This leaves first year defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt with a lot of work to do in very little time. But the work being done may be happening outside the lines as well as within them. It isn’t just a personnel overhaul in Athens; it’s a full blown culture transformation.

It’s a fine line. That line between keeping talent and cutting troublemakers. It is a line on which UGA coach Mark Richt seems to live every waking second. His recent dismissal of safety Tray Matthews came after the safety was arrested (with 3 other Bulldogs) on fraudulent check cashing charges. Those players face arraignment Thursday.

But before Matthews came Josh Harvey-Clemons, then Paris Bostick, and then Shaq Wiggins: all of whom were/are considered top talents. Richt stressed following the Matthews dismissal that Georgia is “trying to make room for guys who want to do things right.” It was a rather blunt and unenthusiastic response to losing one of your most talented secondary players, but hey, the man is probably over all of this.

The revolving door that seems to be Georgia’s secondary is merely the microcosm of a larger issue at Georgia however. The issue of institutional standards directly conflicting with athletic expectations is one that has seemingly slipped the minds of Dawg Nation.

The University of Georgia has long been recognized as a school that has a harsh, and sometimes unrealistic disciplinary philosophy. It is a philosophy that, as Bill King says, is “less flexible… than other SEC schools, such as Auburn and LSU.” No doubt. But that isn’t a knock on those two schools, nor is it a knock on Georgia, but it is an undeniable disadvantage for UGA.

It is easy to say that Mark Richt and co. are recruiting “thugs” or “punks” but that really doesn’t tell the whole story, contrary to what some will tell you. Richt deals with recruiting battles for nearly every top player he gets between the hedges including Wiggins, Matthews (who not surprisingly is considering Auburn as a transfer option), and Harvey-Clemons. It isn’t Richt’s job to project which kids will mature and which guys won’t be able to handle the spotlight (i.e. Crowell). Instead, it’s his job to recruit solid players with good discipline and high character coming out of high school. All of these now dismissed players fit that mold. So why is it that UGA is always the school losing its top talent?

Easy. The standards, as well as the temptations, are much higher in Athens than any other top program in the SEC. I want to be clear. I am not using UGA’s discipline standards as some sort of an excuse for declining behavior at Georgia. Rather, I’m suggesting that perhaps the reason for all the dismissals and transfers is the decision of Richt and his staff to abide by those rules. 

Mark Richt has quite obviously lost patience with those players not willing to adapt to the “bulldog way.” He has bid them good riddance. It is guys like Shaq Wiggins who, after his transfer, so eloquently stated: “I am looking for a team who will embrace my personality, someone who is a jovial, carefree and a bit of a jokester.” Well that sounds just delightful Shaquille, hope your happy with such ‘jokesters’ as Bobby Petrino and Todd Grantham up in Louisville.

The balance of keeping depth and enforcing discipline has caused much attention in the football program, but it’s on the right track I believe. You can’t keep guys like Wiggins and Matthews around, unless of course you reside at the helm of another SEC institution. Then, no problems. The UGA secondary will suffer (again) because of guys unable to adapt to the strict standards at Georgia, but that is the price you pay for playing under Richt, under Pruitt at Georgia. And I for one am perfectly alright seeing those standards upheld. Besides, with Matthews at Auburn (possibly) next year, alls the Dawgs have to do is throw Hail Mary after Hail Mary towards the safety, he’s bound to botch it, as he and Wiggins did last year on The Plains.

Grantham Continues Antics in Louisville

For some reason Todd Grantham is still talking about Georgia more than a week after he bolted from Athens. Grantham was talking with the Louisville media Thursday afternoon when he began spouting at the mouth once again. Grantham said that his defenses at Georgia were “the backbone of getting to those conference championships.” Grantham referring to 2011 and 2012 of course. TG went on to hint that Georgia OC Mike Bobo may not have been a “dynamic” enough play-caller and that UGA AD Greg McGarity did not have the “vision for the resources needed moving forward.” What in the hell are you talking about man? That defense you are referring to was gashed all year in 2013 and was obliterated in both of those championship games you are referring to. And I’m not even sure what the Athletic Director comments mean, except to once again deflect the blame from yourself on to anyone else.

The real reasons why Grantham left UGA are pretty obvious; obvious to anyone besides Todd I guess. First, he could hire his brother Tony as a defensive assistant. At Georgia their are clear nepotism laws/regulations that would have prevented that from ever happening in Athens. Secondly, the Georgia fan-base and media alike were becoming more and more restless with the Georgia defense. Missed tackles combined with a general look of confusion were commonplace for the UGA defensive unit under Grantham’s watch. In the end, Todd Grantham is gone (apparently to his dream job) and the University of Georgia, much to Grantham’s surprise, has yet to burn down.

Pruitt The Womanizer?

 

Georgia’s new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt was the subject of some flat out strange allegations early Wednesday. According to Rick Ballou, a Jacksonville based sports talk host, Pruitt was quite the ladies man while in Tallahassee. According to Mr. Ballou, Pruitt “made himself available” to women around the FSU campus. Ballou goes so far as to say that Pruitt actually carried on a relationship with a “young lady” working in the football offices. The ‘story’ goes on to say that Pruitt’s current fiance gave him an ultimatum to either move away from Tallahassee or call their wedding off. Hence, Pruitt to Athens.

I have two responses to this. First, who cares? Secondly, no freaking way. Mark Richt would never be so blind as to hire someone like this if any of this was true and Jimbo Fisher certainly would not have allowed it to go on right under his nose for a year plus. But even if this were true, which I firmly believe it isn’t, Pruitt must be one hell of a guy if he can pull that off, win a national championship, nab a fiance of his own, and then get a healthy pay raise to an SEC school. My kinda’ dude there; truly a “Dawg On Top.”

Rick Ballou’s Pruitt Allegations