Georgia candidate Koenning hired by Illini

By Tim Tucker

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATHENS -- You can remove another name from the list of candidates for Georgia's open defensive coordinator position. Vic Koenning was hired Friday for the same job at Illinois.

Koenning, the defensive coordinator at Kansas State this season and previously at Clemson, acknowledged during a news conference in Champaign, Ill., that he talked with Georgia about its job as recently as Thursday.

“There was some dialogue, and it made for an interesting last 16, 18 hours, you might say," Koenning said. "But when  push comes to shove, the character and the drive and the enthusiasm that [Illinois] coach [Ron] Zook exhibited makes sure there was no doubt in the outcome."

A couple of hours before Illinois' press conference, Georgia coach Mark Richt declined to provide specifics on his interest in Koenning.

"I think everything is just -– this whole search stuff -– I'll just say there is nothing to shed," Richt said. “I’ve got nothing to shed on it.”

Koenning will be paid $325,000 per year at Illinois. That's comparable to what Georgia paid former coordinator Willie Martinez ($325,815 plus bonuses). Indications are that Georgia is prepared to go well beyond that for the right hire.

Richt said Friday that many prospective candidates are committed to completing the season with their current teams. That would apply to college coaches whose teams are in bowls, as well as to NFL coaches.

"It's just a really crummy time of year to be trying to do what we're doing here," Richt said, "but that's just part of it right now."

UGA ticket sales slow

Georgia has sold about 6,000 tickets -- half of its allotment –- to the Dec. 28 Independence Bowl against Texas A&M, associate athletics director Alan Thomas said.

Demand has been stronger elsewhere. Texas A&M sold out its allotment of 12,000 tickets and the Shreveport, La., bowl sold all of its 25,000, according to John Cordaro, the bowl's assistant executive director of ticketing and business operations.

Cordaro said the bowl's  sales were fueled by the proximity of Texas A&M fans to Shreveport.

"You have a lot of A&M fans in east Texas," he said. "In the parts of Texas between Shreveport and Dallas, and between Shreveport and Houston, there are a lot of little towns with a lot of A&M fans. And then you have those bigger markets -– Dallas, Houston, College Station -- buying a lot of seats."

College Station, where Texas A&M is located, is about a 4-hour drive from Shreveport.

Sales have been slow at Georgia by comparison, although Thomas said they have exceeded the "doom-and-gloom" forecasts.

"I think the date is the toughest thing," Thomas said. "People are working on Dec. 28th," a Monday.

Graduation day

The Bulldogs -– minus 12 players who were at UGA's commencement ceremonies –- practiced for 45 minutes in a cold and windy rain on Friday morning.

"[Offensive lineman] Justin Anderson said it was the coldest he's ever been at a practice in his entire life," Richt said. "All those seniors who graduated today were doubly blessed because . . . today's practice was a good one to not be at."

The  players graduating Friday: defensive end Rod Battle, safety Stephen Braue, quarterback Joe Cox, defensive tackle Ricardo Crawford, safety Bryan Evans, kicker Andrew Jensen, cornerback Prince Miller, split end Mike Moore, defensive tackle Jeff Owens, offensive tackle Vince Vance, linebacker Marcus Washington and defensive tackle Kade Weston.

Former All-SEC linebacker and 12-year NFL veteran Randall Godfrey also received his degree.