In a nutshell, time met opportunity for Tony Ball.
Ball, a longtime assistant football coach at Georgia, confirmed on Friday that he is leaving the Bulldogs to accept a job with LSU. He will coach wide receivers as he has for the last six of his nine seasons at UGA.
“The nine years that I’ve spent here has certainly grown me,” Ball said as he relaxed at home on Friday. “I’ve grown as a person, as man and as a coach. Really and truly, the nine years I’ve spent here has prepared me for this move. The opportunity presented itself and the timing was right for my family. The timing was just right and it was a great opportunity. Like Georgia, LSU is a top program and it’s another challenge that I wanted. So I’m looking forward to it.”
Ball’s two children, Anthony and Keshea are now grown and out of college. Ball, 55, earned $260,000 a year at Georgia. LSU wide receivers coach Adam Henry, who left to join the staff of the San Fracisco 49ers, reportedly was earning $320,000 in Baton Rouge.
“Money was not the issue,” said Ball, who will relocate to Baton Rouge next Wednesday. “The number one thing was the opportunity. I wasn’t just going to leave here and to just go anywhere. But you have an opportunity to go to a program that’s like a Georgia and take on a new challenge. That’s what it boiled down to.”
Ball has been with the Bulldogs since 2006, joining coach Mark Richt’s staff first as running backs coach and moving to receivers in 2009. A former running back from UT-Chattanooga, Ball has coached running backs or receivers most of his career, which includes stints at South Carolina, Louisville and Virginia Tech.
Ball leaves behind a wide receivers group that is very much in flux. The Bulldogs return only two players with significant experience in seniors Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley and will look to blend four signees — including 5-star Terry Godwin — with a group that includes Reggie Davis, Isaiah McKenzie, Kenneth Towns, Shakenneth Williams and Blake Tibbs.
“You know, that’s always the toughest thing, really and truly,” Ball said. “The toughest thing in this profession is leaving behind a group of young men that you’ve asked to trust you and believe in you and believe in the program and what you’re teaching. Then to have to go for whatever reason is always the toughest part when you’ve got the young guys and you’ve been instrumental in them choosing a college. That makes it very, very difficult.”
