The tumultuous tenure of Todd Grantham is over at Georgia.
Grantham, the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator the last four years, has accepted the same position at Louisville. There he will join the staff of the Cardinals’ new coach, Bobby Petrino. Grantham’s departure follows Thursday’s resignation of defensive backfield coach Scott Lakatos.
Considering the performance of the defense the past two seasons, it’s hard to discern whether the Bulldogs’ are upset over the exits.
“We are appreciative of all the contributions Todd has made to our program and wish him nothing but the best,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said in a release from the school. “But at the same time the opportunity to work at Georgia is extremely attractive and there already is, and will be, interest from some very, very outstanding coaches. We have a lot of defensive players coming back, as well as some outstanding defensive recruits, and there’s going to be plenty of interest in coaching them. I’m excited about the prospects of a great defensive coordinator being on board as quickly as possible.”
Richt is in Indianapolis until Wednesday at the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) convention so he’ll have no limit in access to candidates. He did not return phone messages and texts from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Sunday.
Neither Grantham nor his Los Angeles-based attorney Michael Harrison returned messages seeking comment.
It’s unclear whether Grantham was told to seek employment elsewhere or simply left of his own volition. The Bulldogs’ defense was among the worst in the SEC this past season. They were 11th in points allowed (29.4 pg), 10th in passing yards allowed (232.8 pg) and eighth in total yards allowed (381.2 pg).
Playing with a young and inexperienced secondary, Georgia had a penchant for giving up huge plays. The Bulldogs allowed a 73-yard game-winning pass to Auburn with 25 seconds remaining and a 99-yard game-clincher to Nebraska in the Gator Bowl.
Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity said Grantham informed him of Louisville’s interest on Saturday.
“All I know is Todd called me on Saturday letting me know that Louisville had contacted him about their defensive coordinator position,” McGarity said. “I said, ‘thanks for letting me know.’”
At least one viable candidate already resides on the UGA campus. Linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti, who had 10 years of NFL coaching experience before coming Georgia with Grantham in 2010, said he is “not going to Louisville under any circumstances.” And while he would not confirm interest in succeeding Grantham at UGA, he said, “as I’ve said before, I would like to be a defensive coordinator at some point in my career.”
Because he’s making a lateral move, Grantham will be obligated to pay Georgia a buyout. He was about to enter the second-year of a three-year contract worth $850,000 a year. However, the buyout clause requires that he pay back only 10 percent of the base salary portion of that salary ($400,000) for each year left on the agreement. In this case that would come to $80,000.
ESPN reported that the Cardinals will pay Grantham $1 million a year for five years.
Grantham’s defense has not performed well the past two seasons. Despite having nine players that ended up on NFL rosters — including two first-round picks and five other draftees — the Bulldogs in 2012 allowed 357.8 yards and 19.6 points per game. This past season, the Bulldogs were breaking in four new starters. However, in 2011 Georgia finished among the nation’s top 10 in several defensive categories, including fifth in total defense.
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