Kirby Smart’s challenge to hire an elite cornerback coach



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ATHENS – The main concern for the Georgia soccer team during the offseason is secondary, and you’d think Charlton Warren’s sudden exit would make that worse.

That’s a fair concern, but Kirby Smart has proven himself capable of developing his staff before, and it’s a safe bet the Bulldogs head coach isn’t panicking.

“To Me, that’s part of the profession, ”Smart said last year in New Orleans when discussing the hiring of Matt Luke to replace former offensive line coach Sam Pittman.

“When you win football matches…. people have opportunities. “

Warren is expected to be announced as Indiana’s defensive coordinator, news ESPN’s Adam Rittenburg first reported on Sunday afternoon.

Comings and goings

Smart has had to replace at least one assistant coach each of his five years as UGA head coach.

Inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann and running backs coach Dell McGee are the only remaining members of Smart’s original field staff in 2016.

Interestingly, McGee played the defensive back to Auburn when the Tigers went 11-0 in 1993.

Two of the Smart 2016 staff are now head coaches: Mel Tucker of Michigan State and Shane Beamer of South Carolina.

Current defensive coordinator Dan Lanning has also asked schools to talk to him about chief coaching opportunities.

Lanning recently turned down an opportunity to become the Texas defensive coordinator.

RELATED: Dan Lanning Is Ready To Relaunch Him With Bulldogs

Ask for help

Georgia seem to need all the help they can get in high school with six former starters, including US cornerback Eric Stokes and former starting cornerbacks Tyson Campbell and DJ Daniel.

Sophomore Tyrique Stevenson also started on the cornerback, moving from a nickleback position to a corner for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Stevenson appeared to lack the speed and technique to be competitive in the SEC at the cornerback before moving to Miami last week.

Georgia’s depth took a hit after last season when nickleback Divaad Wilson was transferred to Central Florida and safety Otis Reese transferred to Ole Miss.

Safety Lewis Cine is the only player to have started all of last season by coming back to full back, though Christopher Smith took over from injured Richard LeCounte in the middle of the 2020 campaign.

There won’t be a shortage of candidates for the coaching job in Georgia, and Smart likely already has a shortlist in place.

Warren and receivers coach Cortez Hankton were the only two UGA coaches returning to the field who did not get a raise after the 2019 season.

Coach of the players?

Sources have indicated that Smart is looking for more player coaches to take over high school.

Warren was known as an authoritarian with the military football experience of his Air Force Falcons.

Drilling work observed by the media in Georgia and at Warren’s previous training stoppages revealed a serious and extremely detailed trainer who left very little room for error.

Smart, former captain of the security team and All-SEC team in Georgia, is also known for his nature as a vocal trainer, which creates intense environments.

Smart has no doubt their program is designed to compete for championships every year. “Pressure is a privilege,” Smart likes to say.

So while the name, tone of voice, and nuance of technique change with a new high school trainer, Smart said the program’s identification will not be.

“I think every time you build an infrastructure in a program, when people leave, as long as you don’t change that infrastructure, it doesn’t create a lot of doubt or anxiety in the players,” Smart said. two years later having to replace Tucker as secondary and DC trainer.

Coaching chat

Smart interviewed LSU cornerback coach Corey Raymond the last time the secondary coach position was opened before he hired Warren.

Raymond is a Louisiana native who played at LSU before a six-year career in the NFL. In addition to being considered one of the best secondary coaches in the country, Raymond is also the Tigers’ recruiting coordinator.

Tennessee defensive coordinator and high school coach Derrick Ansley was another name on the radar.

Ansley, who has coaching experience in the NFL, has recently been linked with the opening of the Oregon defensive coordinator.

Would Smart be willing to create a title and pay Ansley – or Raymond – coordinator-type money, if those elite SEC secondary coaches had an interest?

The football budget in Georgia is such that money shouldn’t be a problem for Smart as he approaches candidates.

Many know that former South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp spent time with the Georgia squad during bowl practice and even earlier this month.

Muschamp, like Smart, a former Georgia goaltender, began his career as a defensive back coach in West Georgia (1998), East Kentucky (1999) and Valdosta State (2000).

But Muschamp, whose son Jackson is entering his second season on the team as a walk-on, would appear more online for an analyst role with a comfortable $ 15.5 million buyout from South Carolina.

If Smart intends to promote from within, the current UGA defensive graduate assistant Nick Williams could be considered.

Williams, like Smart, is from Bainbridge, Ga., And is already popular with current players. Williams began his UGA career as a security before transferring to linebacker during his junior season.

Smart hasn’t rushed recruitments in the past, but with high-profile players in demand in high school, prep ranks as well as the transfer portal, it’s fair to assume there will be a sense of urgency. .

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