The first time Mark Richt formally met Greg McGarity, the athletic director had just held his formal introduction press conference and his highest-paid and most well-known new employee was waiting in a greeting line, just like everyone else.
Asked if he had time for a quick interview about his new boss, Richt replied, “I don’t wanna lose my spot in line.”
And he was serious. There aren’t many schools with Georgia’s profile where the football coach isn’t truly the boss behind the scenes. Five-and-a-half years after that initial meeting, McGarity finally made a move.
How does an AD fire the second-winningest coach in program history (by total wins) and the winningest (by percentage)? Who by all accounts was well-liked and conducted himself in a classy manner?
There were a series of things that happened over the past five years — some in Richt’s control, some not — that were ultimately his undoing:
Brice Ramsey instead of Deshaun Watson: It wasn't so much that Richt and Bobo chose Ramsey instead of Watson — there was nothing stopping them from signing both quarterbacks — but they were too slow to see Watson as a fit in their offense. Georgia did eventually go after Watson but Clemson got the earlier commitment and Watson stuck with it. Now Watson is the starting quarterback for the No. 1 team in America. Ramsey is the backup quarterback for a struggling offense.
Georgia's spending: It's not just the lack of an indoor facility. Until this year, when UGA increased the recruiting budget to more than $1.3 million, Georgia's main recruiting rivals were usually spending far more in that department. Georgia was finally on a level field for about the past year. But it was too late for Richt, who could have pushed for it more behind the scenes or publicly, but chose not to.
Mike Bobo's departure: Yes, his play-calling, quarterback coaching and overall management of the offense was missed. But so was his presence behind the scenes. By the final few years of his tenure, Bobo had emerged as the critical yin to Richt's yang. Bobo was a proud Georgia native and former player, as well as his staunch supporter, who could say just the right thing to a staffer. Bobo and Pruitt were also very good friends.
Offensive injuries: Yes, every team has them, but look at the skill position talent lost to injuries over the past four seasons: Michael Bennett, Marlon Brown, Malcolm Mitchell, Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall, Justin Scott-Wesley and Nick Chubb's season-ending injury the first play of this year's Tennessee game.
The Faton Bauta decision: It wouldn't have been that bad to elevate your third-stringer (who had no real game experience) for the biggest game of the year if it had resulted in a different, more dynamic, game plan. But it didn't, and Bauta threw four interceptions against Florida.
The 2012 and 2013 recruiting classes: Oh there was some good talent in there that has been productive (including Gurley, Jordan Jenkins and John Theus in 2012). But the 2012 class was also too thin, with only 17 enrolling. From the 2013 class of 34 signees, only 19 remain, just a handful as starters. Those two recruiting classes should have comprised this year's seniors and juniors. Instead this year's team relied on young players in a lot of spots.
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