Four years ago, after Kirby Smart (Alabama), Bud Foster (Virginia Tech) and John Chavis (LSU) all did the dance with Georgia but got raises and said no, Mark Richt hired no better than his fourth choice for defensive coordinator: Todd Grantham.
In that sense, the fact that Georgia didn’t string together top 10 defenses for the next four seasons shouldn’t have been surprising. (Annual rankings: 23rd, 5th, 32nd, 45th.) But the regression witnessed under Grantham in the last two years was stunning. The Bulldogs’ starting defense in 2012 included seven NFL draft picks but was pushed around far too often. This year’s young team showed little improvement from Games 1 to 13 and was ranked 60th nationally against the pass, 78th in points allowed and 109th (out of 123) in takeaways. (The Dogs had 15, one less than Army and one more than Florida International.)
This is Georgia.
This is Georgia, isn’t it?
Whether you take recruiting rankings as gospel or just view them as an offseason amusement (guilty), Georgia’s talent level should result in top-20 defenses annually. But that talent doesn’t always develop, certainly not to the degree that’s expected. A player’s individual skills may develop, which is why NFL scouts often are lured to Athens, but those same players often don’t seem to play hard or play together. After opponents’ long touchdown passes, defensive backs could be seen pointing and/or looking at each other.
Too often, the sum is less than the parts.
Whoever takes Grantham’s place needs to get Georgia back to an acceptable level of effort and efficiency. Defenses can’t appear fractured. Otherwise, it won’t matter how many great offensive players Richt brings in — the Dogs won’t sniff a college playoff berth.
“Something has been missing,” said David Pollack, one of the most decorated defensive players in Georgia history.
He pointed to two things: He doesn’t see Georgia’s defense always giving the effort equal to their opponents; nor does he believe players have developed as they should.
“We had some really good players when I was there and guys played hard,” he said. “And they weren’t all five-star guys. Odell Thurman was looking at going to Middle Tennessee State. Thomas Davis was Grambling. Tim Jennings was South Carolina State. The targeting rules have changed things somewhat but we had some guys with bad intentions. We had guys who just didn’t like people very much. I’m OK with that.”
Pollack himself was a “three-star” recruit — and a fullback, at that.
Georgia will return 10 of 11 starters next season. There’s an assumption that a coach with a 3-4 scheme would make for an easier transition, given that’s how the Dogs have been recruiting. But fitting a coach to the previous scheme shouldn’t be the priority. This isn’t about a one- or two-year fix.
There’s a chance Richt will merely promote one of his two assistants, Kirk Olivadotti or Chris Wilson. But Georgia needs to shoot higher.
Here are some suggestions:
• First priority: Make the same calls. Contact Smart, Foster and Chavis again, in that order. Smart and Foster not surprisingly said no four years ago. They were viewed as superstars and figured to leave only for head coaching offers. That might still be true. But it's 2014 and neither is a head coach yet.
It’s conceivable that both now feel they may need to get out from under the shadows of their respective bosses (Smart/Nick Saban; Foster/Frank Beamer). There’s also a chance Smart also could be worn down from working for Saban and he could convince himself that if he proves himself at Georgia, he would position himself to eventually replace Richt as head coach of his alma mater. I don’t believe it’s as much of a long shot as most do.
• Second priority: Seek a proven commodity. Grantham wasn't that. He was most effective as a position coach. Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi is the flavor of the month after the Spartans finished second in total defense and third in scoring defense. He'll likely get a raise from his reported $557,000 contract. Georgia can easily top that. Only potential risk: Narduzzi's coaching resume was built in the Midwest and Northeast. He's never coached in the Southeast. Another long shot would be Florida State defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.
Here are two outside-the-box potential candidates: Gene Chizik and Randy Shannon. Both excelled as defensive coordinators but fizzled as head coaches. Chizik’s fizzle came after he won a national title at Auburn with Cam Newton. He collected a $7.5 million buyout this year but he sat out last season and a high-profile coordinator’s job in the SEC could attract him. Similarly, Shannon coordinated some of the nation’s top defenses at Miami for six years (2001-06). He has coached linebackers the last two seasons at TCU (2012) and Arkansas (2013).
• Third Priority: Look to Vandy: Why not former Vanderbilt defensive coordinator Bob Shoop? He's expected to follow James Franklin to Penn State but the Georgia job would afford him a better chance to stand out and he's obviously familiar with the SEC. Vandy's defense outplayed Georgia in every major category — and did so with lesser players.
Regardless of who gets the job, Georgia needs the on-field results to be commensurate with the talent level. That wasn’t the case under Grantham.
About the Author
