Mark Richt is a good man. He is also a good football coach. But that is all he is: good. He was never going to reach greatness at Georgia and probably won’t at Miami or wherever he lands in five or six years after he is canned in south Florida. It was time for UGA to make a change.
Kirby Smart was that change. He has breathed new life into the program at a time when it needed it the most. He should win a lot of games in Athens but how dangerous is Kirby Smart as the new head coach for the Georgia Bulldogs?
PEDIGREE
If serving under a head coach is like going to college, then Kirby Smart graduated from Harvard with honors. He got his first major assistant job under Nick Saban at LSU as secondary coach in 2004. After a year coaching running backs (?) at Georgia, he rejoined Saban with the Miami Dolphins, and followed him to Alabama. There he served as secondary coach for a year before being promoted to defensive coordinator, a title he carried for eight seasons and four National Championships. If there is anyone who has learned more about The Process® than Nick Saban himself, it is Kirby Smart.
It is hard to say how important it was to hire a former UGA player, but Smart fills that bill. Not only did he play for the Dawgs. He was a pretty darn good player. As a defensive back, he was a first-team All-SEC selection as a senior and finished his career with 13 interceptions.
ASSISTANTS
One of the most important things a leader can do is surround himself with good people. Hiring Mel Tucker as his Defensive Coordinator was a slam dunk choice. He has a long resume which includes stints as an NFL DC as well as Interim Head Coach. Smart and Tucker served together on Saban’s staff this past championship season.
Jim Chaney as Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach is not such a clear choice. The 54-year old spent much of his coaching career specializing in offensive linemen until Derek Dooley brought him in as OC/QB coach in the failed experiment at Tennessee. He followed that up with two seasons in Arkansas and last year at Pitt.
The rest of the staff:
Sam Pittman, Offensive Line – Chaney disciple.
James Coley, Wide Receivers – former offensive coordinator at Miami (Al Golden) and Florida State (Jimbo Fisher). Grad Assistant under Saban at LSU during 2003 national champion season.
Dell McGee, Running Backs – former Auburn defensive back.
Shane Beamer, Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator – son of long-time Va Tech head coach Frank Beamer.
Glenn Schumann, Inside Linebackers – former Grad Assistant and Director of Player Development/Associate Director of Personnel at Alabama.
Kevin Sherrer, Outside Linebackers – former South Alabama assistant. Tight end for the Crimson Tide from 1993-95.
Tracy Rocker, Associate Head Coach/Defensive Line – former Auburn All-American.
35 member Support Staff.
PLAYERS
A big knock on Richt was that he was able to assemble a stacked roster but couldn’t quite put it all together. For his housewarming party, Smart has been showered with a pretty good set of football players.