ATHENS — Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham on Tuesday said he's focused on preparing his unit for Kentucky's offense and will leave contract negotiations to his agent.
Grantham has 14 months remaining on a three-year contract he signed in January last year. His annual salary of $750,000 ranks among the highest in the country for assistant coaches.
Grantham's agent and attorney, Michael Harrison of Stevenson Ranch, Calif., said Sunday that Grantham wants a contract extension. Harrison said he has received inquiries from some NFL teams about the possibility of Grantham returning to the pros and the same indirectly from colleges gauging Grantham's interest in becoming a head coach. He also said Grantham wants to remain in Athens.
Asked about his agent’s comments on Tuesday, Grantham said, “What I do is you hire people to do a job for you, and I let him handle that part of it. My focus is on getting the defense to play well and getting ready for the Kentucky game, and getting ready to win the SEC East, truthfully.”
Grantham’s defense is No. 4 in the nation statistically for a Bulldogs team that has won eight straight games. A win over Kentucky on Saturday will clinch a berth in the Dec. 3 SEC Championship Game in the Georgia Dome.
Grantham, 45, acknowledged he would like to become a head coach some day, but he said playing in the title game is currently dominating his thoughts.
“I think everyone wants to become a head coach,” he said. “First of all, I have a very good job. I was excited to come here because of the vision I had about what I felt you could do with the type of players you can get at the University of Georgia. I’m very excited to be here. Truthfully, I just focus on every situation that’s coming up.”
Crowell late to practice
Tailback Isaiah Crowell was late to Tuesday's workout, and running backs coach Bryan McClendon said Crowell was detained by some training-room issue without elaborating, other than to say it was "no big deal."
Crowell, a freshman from Columbus, has missed a game and part of another because of disciplinary punishment and dealt with a string of injuries since taking over as the Bulldogs’ starting tailback. Through it all, he remains Georgia’s leading rusher and the SEC’s third-leading ground-gainer with 821 yards and five touchdowns.
Fumbles not an issue
Crowell lost two fumbles against Auburn this past Saturday. He earlier fumbled a ball that South Carolina returned 55 yards to set up a touchdown and lost another one out of bounds against Tennessee. Nonetheless, coach Mark Richt said not all of the fumbles have been his tailback's fault.
“The first time I saw him carry the ball in a live drill for us, my first thought was, ‘That guy has good fundamentals of securing the ball,’” Richt said. “Our problems with him [have] been the exchange. Not saying the QB was wrong or that [Crowell] was wrong. But once he’s gotten it tucked, it might have come out only once. So we’ve just got to make sure we keep doing a good job of that.”
Georgia has lost just six fumbles all season and is second in the SEC with a turnover margin of plus-9.
Sturdivant set for Senior Day
Trinton Sturdivant's football future is unclear, but he's set to participate in Georgia's Senior Day festivities on Saturday.
Sturdivant, a former freshman All-American offensive lineman and starting left tackle for the Bulldogs, has undergone three anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgeries the past four years. The latest occurred this past spring when he tore the ACL in his right knee in a practice
Sturdivant has talked about applying to the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility and coming back as a tight end. Yet nearly graduated from the Terry College of Business, Sturdivant also is considering going to work or possibly attending law school.
Richt couldn’t say what Sturdivant will do.
“I’ve talked to him over the course of the season and he’s kind of bounced around a little bit like a lot of guys his age trying to decide what’s best,” Richt said. “He’s just a real smart guy who has a bright future, and we are going to help him realize whatever goals and dreams he has. Who knows?”
Etc.
Noseguard Kwame Geathers (ankle) did not practice Tuesday, but is expected to be available on Saturday. ... CB Jordan Love (broken hand) is out this week. ... Georgia has either won or shared the Eastern Division title five times: 1992, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007. ... Georgia had Twitter take down a fake account for Grantham this week. There are also fake Twitter accounts for Richt and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, but associate athletic director Claude Felton said those advertised themselves as "satires" and UGA has no issue with that.
About the Author
