On the 14th signing day under Mark Richt, the Georgia Bulldogs, as ever, cleaned up. (Rivals rated Georgia's class among the top 10 in the nation.) But here we step away from recruiting to note, not for the first time, that the one thing Richt hasn't done in 13 mostly excellent seasons is take his team to the national championship.
We note also that Richt, who turns 54 on Feb. 18, no longer is the dashing young man who arrived from Tallahassee in January 2001. He’s the dean of SEC coaches. He’s not yet to the point where recruits are asking if he’ll be around for the duration of their Georgia careers, but the question will surely occur to someone soon.
“I look so young,” Richt said Wednesday. “If it weren’t for these extra 40 pounds I’m carrying, I could pass for 40.”
He smiled as he spoke, but there’s a touch of gray in Richt’s hair and eyebrows now. He did look heavier, though it’s not unusual for football coaches to gain during the fall and winter and reduce over the spring and summer.
“Coach (Bobby) Bowden was 80,” Richt said, still smiling. “I’ve got 27 years to go. I’m young compared to a lot of head coaches. Some of them go deep into their 60’s and 70’s.”
Bowden was nudged aside at Florida State at age 80. Joe Paterno was 84 when dislodged at Penn State. Bowden was 64 when he won his first national title; Paterno was 56. Tom Osborne took his first at Nebraska at 57. But none of those men worked in the SEC, which is a meaner realm.
For Georgia, the 2013 season was a disappointment, but not necessarily a retreat. The roster remains loaded. The injured Bulldogs should all heal. The schedule is kinder. Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt surely is an upgrade over Todd Grantham. Even without quarterback Aaron Murray, the Bulldogs will be ranked at or near the top of the SEC East.
Said Richt: “We know we were very close to being a championship team (in 2013).”
Also this: “When change (meaning the defensive staff) does happen, it fires you up. I can’t tell you how many people wanted to coach at Georgia. If nobody had wanted to jump on the boat, that would have been disappointing.”
Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has worked alongside Richt since 2001. Asked if he sees a coach on a downward glide, Bobo said, “I agree with what he said earlier today: He’s more excited than he’s ever been.”
A guess: If Richt is to win the one thing he hasn’t, it will come before the signing class of 2014 exits UGA. He and the Bulldogs have come close three times. It’s time — past time, actually — to do this.
About the Author
