ATHENS -- Although speculation about coach Mark Richt's job security has dissipated with Georgia's eight-game winning streak, athletic director Greg McGarity is sticking to his position that the matter shouldn't be addressed until after the season.
Asked Monday about the possibility of contract extensions for Richt, who has two years remaining on his contract after this one, and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who has one year remaining, McGarity said: "We don't talk about anything like that during the season. Our full focus is on our players and our opponent, and right now that is Kentucky. We'll deal with all that after the season."
Georgia (8-2, 6-1 SEC) can clinch the SEC East championship and a berth in the SEC title game by beating Kentucky in Sanford Stadium on Saturday.
Grantham's California-based agent/attorney, Michael Harrison, said he has received inquiries from NFL teams about the possibility of Grantham returning to that league as a coordinator. Harrison said he also has "gotten feelers" indirectly from colleges gauging Grantham's interest in becoming a head coach.
Grantham came to UGA from the Dallas Cowboys, where he coached linebackers, and he was the Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator before that. Grantham’s desire is to one day become a head coach -- the buyout in his contract is waived for such a job -- and Harrison expects Grantham to be part of the conversation as various colleges fill head-coaching vacancies in the months ahead.
“Todd wants to be at Georgia, though,” Harrison said. "But we’d like to get an extension.”
In two seasons under Grantham, Georgia's defense has become one of the top units in the nation. Among the 120 FBS (formerly Division I-A) teams, Georgia ranks No. 4 in total defense, No. 5 in rushing defense and No. 15 in passing defense -- up from Nos. 38, 36 and 51, respectively, in the season before Grantham's arrival.
Harrow's hit
Until last weekend, freshman Quintavius Harrow was best known by Georgia football fans as Isaiah Crowell's high school teammate and close friend. But Harrow called attention to himself in the first quarter of Saturday's game with a fierce hit on Auburn kick returner Tre Mason -- a play that Richt later called the most impressive of the game.
"It's good to go out there and make a name for myself because nobody really ... noticed me until that play," Harrow said after practice Monday night.
Harrow's hit fired up the Sanford Stadium crowd and ignited a strong reaction among his teammates on the Georgia sideline.
"I about caught a concussion they were slapping me so hard," Harrow said.
He drew a standing ovation from the team when Richt singled out the play in the locker room after the game.
Kentucky's new fans
Kentucky's football team suddenly has a lot of fans in South Carolina. That's because the Gamecocks will reach the SEC title game if the Wildcats pull a major upset against Georgia.
"I did get a text from somebody from South Carolina," Kentucky coach Joker Phillips said at his weekly news conference Monday. "I don't know who it was, 803 number ... [offering] dinner anywhere in the world if we beat Georgia."
Kentucky opened as a 29.5-point underdog to Georgia. The Wildcats are 1-5 in SEC games, beating Ole Miss but losing their five other league games by an average margin of 31.8 points.
Etc.
Two Georgia players were honored by the SEC for their play against Auburn: Center Ben Jones was named the league's offensive lineman of the week for the second consecutive week, and tailback Crowell was named freshman of the week for the fourth time. ... Georgia's Orson Charles is among eight semifinalists for the John Mackey Award, presented annually to college football's top tight end.
