Chavis-to-Georgia rumors still alive — and why not Garner? (UPDATE II)
Rodney Garner has been getting raises. But he never has been given a shot at the defensive coordinator's job. (Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@AJC.com)
(UPDATED BELOW WITH CHAVIS COMMENT)
(SECOND UPDATE WITH RICHT SAYING GARNER IS NOT A CANDIDATE)
When I posted a blog Tuesday morning about LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis telling one of his players that he was not interested in the Georgia job, contrary to rumors, the last thing I expected was that it would unravel into some inane and profane race debate. After becoming aware of it last night from a reader (while I was covering the Hawks’ dreadful performance), I had to close commenting and eventually deleted about 60 comments.
It’s with that, and some trepidation, that I inform you of one thing and ask another this morning:
♦ Chris Low, the respected SEC football writer at ESPN.com, posted a blog this morning with the headline, “Chavis on Richt’s radar at Georgia.”
♦ If Bulldogs coach Mark Richt doesn’t get the coordinator he wants to replace Willie Martinez, would it be so awful if he promoted Rodney Garner?
First on the Chavis thing. I wouldn’t have brought it up a second day in a row if somebody like Low didn’t report it. (Notice I wrote Low, not ESPN in general). An excerpt from the blog:
In talking to several people close to the situation, Richt has serious interest in Chavis and is prepared to throw some serious money at the veteran defensive coordinator, who headed up Tennessee’s defense for 14 seasons prior to joining Les Miles’ staff at LSU for this past season.
Chavis makes a lot of sense. He’s a proven commodity and knows the SEC well. The Tigers were 12th nationally this season in scoring defense, allowing 16 points per game. They gave up just 18 touchdowns in 12 games. Only five teams nationally yielded fewer touchdowns this season.
Low also pointed out this interesting stat:
Since his promotion to defensive coordinator at Tennessee in 1995, he’s 7-3 against the Bulldogs in Sanford Stadium. That includes LSU’s 20-13 win over Georgia this season.
If Richt has some super secret candidate on his radar that nobody has mentioned, he deserves kudos for being so stealth. There has been nothing to indicate that, however. Chavis obviously would be a strong hire. But the likelihood of him leaving LSU after only one season — when he stayed at his previous school for 20 — would be surprising. If nothing else, Chavis — like so many others — might just get a raise out of this.
Now, about Garner. He is not a coordinator. But the case can be made he is the second most important football coach at Georgia after Richt. Why? Because he’s the recruiting coordinator. He keeps getting raises because other schools keep coming after him because he keeps landing all of those 37-star recruits we obsess about.
After Martinez’s firing, there were a flurry of unsubstantiated rumors, mostly on Twitter, that Garner resigned after learning he was not a serious candidate for the defensive coordinator’s position. Garner shot down those rumors, obviously. He stayed for the Independence Bowl game and, with the aid of only two grad assistants, he directed a strong defensive performance in Georgia’s win over Texas A&M.
The fact Garner has never been the defensive coordinator — or presumably has received a strong offer to call plays for another school — has led to this perception that he is not worthy of that position. If that’s true, here’s my question: Why not? Doesn’t he deserve the chance? It’s a topic that I don’t know has been given the attention it deserves.
(UPDATE: Chavis says nothing to quell speculation)
Our Tim Tucker has blogged about Chavis’s non-denial/denial at a Capital One Bowl press conference when asked about the Georgia job. You can click the link above, but here’s an excerpt:
Asked at a Capital One Bowl news conference in Orlando about his possible interest in the Georgia defensive coordinator job, Chavis said: “Well, we’re excited about what we’re doing at LSU, and my focus has been on LSU and will continue to be on LSU. We have an opportunity to win 10 ballgames, and certainly that is what we want to do. We’ve got an opportunity to be the third team in the SEC to win 100 ballgames in a decade, and certainly that is what we want to do.
“So that is where our focus is going to be. I’ll talk as long as you want to about LSU and about our players. I’ll be happy to do that.”
In other words: no comment about the Georgia job.
Didn’t exactly put that rumor to rest, did he?
(SECOND UPDATE)
Richt told Tucker this morning that Garner is not a candidate for the coaching job. That confirms what most of us thought — that if he was going to get the job, it would’ve happened by now. Richt also said the job search could take longer than expected.
Richt sidestepped a question on Chavis. An excerpt:
Richt would not comment today on his interest in LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis or any other candidates. But he did say that Rodney Garner, the only holdover on Georgia’s defensive staff, is not under consideration for the DC job.
“No, Rodney is not a candidate for the job. He knows that,” Richt said. “We’re just still in the search.”
As for all the rumors swirling throughout Bulldog Nation about the search, Richt said: “I’m not taking any pleasure at all in what people might be going through out there. All I can say is . . . when I do have that decision made and it’s ready for public consumption, I’ll let everybody know. My goal is to get the right man for the job.”
Asked specifically about Chavis, Richt said: “I’m not going to make any comment on these things until we’ve got our man.”
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492 comments Add your comment
Jeff
December 30th, 2009
11:26 am
yep..he lands those 37 star recruits….and yet we finish 10-3…8-5…11-2…..hmmmmm
gatechfan
December 30th, 2009
11:28 am
It is sad to see that when UGA only gives up 472 yards of offense that the reporters start referring to it as a “strong defensive performance”….pathetic.
Cherokee
December 30th, 2009
11:28 am
AltamahaDawg …….well said!!! How’s things on the river?
nemov
December 30th, 2009
11:30 am
Alabama has one good season in a decade and suddenly every Red Tide troll is alive. It’s amazing how shallow people are when it comes to sports.
Jax Dawg
December 30th, 2009
11:30 am
I don’t think it’s the fact that Garner is or isn’t DC material. It’s the fact that CMR needs to make a splash on that side of the ball to keep big boosters and Dawg fan at bay.
Marcel Ledbetter
December 30th, 2009
11:31 am
Coach Garner worked with Chavis a Tennessee for a few years. Why was it that Garner left UT? Was it for money or something else? Garner would be fair, but he would have to find some incredible assistants.
Formerly Know as Dawg Tired
December 30th, 2009
11:32 am
I’ve had my identity stolen. That sucks. Run with it new Dawg Tired.
I love Garner’s loyalty. Don’t know why he is not the DC. I think having Damon would debunk any race issue. The 30-24’s and the 45-42’s seem to be slowing a bit. Hopefully that is the trend.
Denver Dog
December 30th, 2009
11:33 am
60 minutes of hell and accept nothing less. If Garner can do that fine. I’m not a big Chavis fan, and I’m not sure that I want him running our D. He has some skeletons left there also.
SOUTH GA DAWG FAN
December 30th, 2009
11:34 am
I wonder if there has been a long exaustive search for a DC i mean with all the spys watching the football world has anyone heard of an actual interview . Or do interviews even happen anymore . Maybe instead of interviews they send the resumes of all the possible DC’s to a PR firm and say now who will get us the best press? Has in really completely changed from and earned job to the winner of a beauty contest ?
just saying.
GO DAWGS
AltamahaDawg
December 30th, 2009
11:35 am
It’s also not really doing Garner any favors. I would bet that both men agree on this. UGA is not going to be a top flight defense next year, no matter who you hire, and those that think the only thing that matters is the name of the DC are not going to give Garner any respect or time to get the players we need in place. He will be perceived as just a continuation of the issues. Now a new face, especially a “name”, or even an exciting up-and-comer probably gets by a year or two before he has to assume responsibility for everybodies personal happiness.
Denver Dog
December 30th, 2009
11:36 am
Tech Fan, just as when we whipped you guys, look at the most telling statistic. The final Score! Erk Russell’s defenses always got that same statistical crap, but not many teams beat his D.
SOGADOG
December 30th, 2009
11:36 am
Why not? Because he was an integral part of the defensive staff under whose direction Georgia’s defense trended down during the last three or so years. With that said, I am just some fool alumni on a blog who has no idea what goes on in Athens except during the ball games I attend with a six pack or so under my shirt. Garner may not have been the cause of the poor performance of Georgia’s defense over the last few years, but he does not appear to have done anything to prevent the penalties, blown coverages, uninspired play, and other problems exhibited by the defense. The performance of the defense at the Independence Bowl makes you wonder though. Coach Richt knows what he is doing and he knows the program inside and out. Therefore, I will trust and support whatever decision he makes, even if he chooses Garner who I think deserves credit for his hard work and loyalty to UGA.
Lacey UnderVols
December 30th, 2009
11:36 am
Denver, if your D is on the field for 60 minutes it might be time to take a look at special teams.
exNFLplayer
December 30th, 2009
11:37 am
I’m not in Rodney Garner’s head, but the guy has the best job in college football right now. He has a job for life and UGA will keep paying him the big money to stay. Garner wants a HC job a lot more than he wants to be a DC and he can get a HC job at some point in time doing exactly what he’s doing right now. Further more, as Asst. HC he reports directly to Richt. Hell, he may even be saying to Richt, “please don’t put that DC job on me”.
DawginLex
December 30th, 2009
11:39 am
Chavis would be an upgrade from Martinez but I wonder why he would leave LSU except for more $$$$$$. Garner would be an upgrade from Martinez most likely but it would be a gamble and I don’t think Richt is in a position to gamble.
My bet is this is the pecking order he is going after
Smart
Grantham
Chavis
Garner/Diaz
If you have to “settle” for Diaz, why not promote Garner?
90 SEC Wins in 9 Seasons-Richt is #1
December 30th, 2009
11:39 am
We just don’t know much. From what Richt has said, Richt:
1) Wants a good man
2) with Championship experience
3) Richt will announce after the Bowls finish, Jan 8
4) Richt denied making an offer to Foster–no way Richt gets an ACC guy, not gonna happen
It would be an amazing move for Richt to not only help Georgia, but at the same time, weaken his SEC competition, to take away a DC from an SEC rival like Bama or LSU would be an amazing strategic move.
What we do know is Richt is the ONLY SEC Coach with 90 SEC wins in 9 seasons. A DC would love to play for a winner like Mark Richt. Nobody does it better, not Saban, not Miles, not Meyer.
AltamahaDawg
December 30th, 2009
11:40 am
Cherekee, lets just say you need waders right now. Fortunetely, as a veteran of the UGA blogs, I am already used to that.
Ronnie "sunshine" Bass
December 30th, 2009
11:40 am
Lacey,
I told you, you weren’t that good. You weren’t even the highlight of my recruiting trip.
DirtyDawg
December 30th, 2009
11:41 am
Indeed, why not Garner. If for no other reason, they can’t afford to lose him as the recruiting coordinator. Of course, they may be the reason why they don’t want him to ‘lose focus’ on recruiting, even if it is to coordinate the defense. I say give it to him and make sure he has some smart, capable assistants…including David Pollack. I mean the kid, Pollack, surely doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life, and career, standing around playing ’smiling stooge’ on those ancillary networks talking football. Be a coach man. With your enthusiasm and knowledge, along with a little seasoning, maybe we’ll develop – and keep – our own David Muschamp and Kirby Smart. Meanwhile, Rodney Garner will find out which job he wants – continued success as one of the country’s finest recruiting coordinators, or rolling the dice that the pressures and decisions (along with having to fire assistants when they aren’t getting the job done, rather than allowing the administration to lay the blame on him) of the DC are worth it and manageable. Of course, having Pollack in the wings might prove more than Rodney could stand, but it needs to be given the opportunity to prove to us and to himself that he’s more than a pleasant person.
Go for it Mark, make us all proud.
Matt
December 30th, 2009
11:41 am
How many current head coaches have worked under Mark Richt at some point?
Les Miles has 4. Larry Porter (Memphis), Bo Pelini (Nebraska), Jimbo Fisher (FSU), and Bradley Del Peveto (some Louisiana D-2)
big_buck_down
December 30th, 2009
11:42 am
No GARNER!!!! We don’t need to promote within.
DawginLex
December 30th, 2009
11:45 am
90 wins,
I totally agree with you. Only idiots want to get rid of Richt.
Go DOGS
December 30th, 2009
11:46 am
Yeah! MR has a real good eye for talented coaches. Why just look at the outstanding job BimBobo the Clown does at OC.
My GEEF contribution will kept to the minimum allowable to keep my seats on Feb 15.
90 SEC Wins in 9 Seasons-Richt is #1
December 30th, 2009
11:46 am
If Richt steals Smart or Chavis or another SEC DC, Richt not only helps Georgia, and weakens an SEC Rival, he also GAINS COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE. Chavis now has competitive intelligence about BOTH LSU AND TENN. Makes for a VERY interesting choice.
CaliDogg
December 30th, 2009
11:48 am
Great defensive display? Which game were you guys watching? TAM went up and down the field. What did they set, an all time first down mark against any Richt-coached team? How many yards exactly? But for playing like country fair clowns on special teams, fumbling, throwing two questionable (bad reads) int’s, TAM kicked our tails all over the field. A&M played a better defensive game than UGA did, until maybe the last half of the 4th quarter.
If you’re awarding the DC job to Rodney Garner (a great guy, I’m just sayin’) based on UGA’s outstanding defensive showing in that game, I’d suggest we keep looking. Not saying he can’t do it (have no idea) but that wasn’t a brilliant show out there. It was, frankly, embarrassing.
Bubber from Braselton
December 30th, 2009
11:48 am
Ronnie “sunshine” Bass: Dude! Lacey said I was her first, and her one and only. Are you tellin’ me something different?
Different Opinion Jeff
December 30th, 2009
11:50 am
Jeff
Your comment to Jdub is off. You do not have to employ Garner as a DC when you have worked to see IF he can do the job. In 9 yeras at UGA with Richt, that assessment has been made with the evaluation being he is not ready.
To place him in that position when you are sure of failure would not be fair to Garner, Richt, the players, or the fans.
DawginLex
December 30th, 2009
11:51 am
Calidogg,
I think the general concensus of opinion is that the D held up pretty well given who they were facing and the fact that 3 coaches were gone and the defensive staff consisted of 2 graduate assistants.
Nobody is ready to crown Rodney Garner “king of defense” based on the bowl game but given the fact they were held to 14 points during meaningful playing time, it was pretty good all facts considered. Most teams with interim coaches tank big time.
PMC
December 30th, 2009
11:53 am
My question would be first….is Rodney Garner interested in the coordinator job? Maybe he likes coaching the line?
Ronnie "sunshine" Bass
December 30th, 2009
11:53 am
Yeah, guess so.
She had all these animals around too. Kinda like that chick from the Beverly Hillbillies.
dap01
December 30th, 2009
11:53 am
If Garner were the man, CMR would have recognized it already. The fan base would be calling for it. The AJC press would be calling for it. Jeff would be calling for it. Apparantly, that is not the case.
Coach Garner is a very well paid part of the UGA coaching staff. His many raises are proof that CMR is aware of him great value. He is the best recruiter around. He is a major reason for UGA’s success.
But as Jeff Shultz suggest, “give him a chance” is too risky. This hire is a very important part of CMR’s future and the future of UGA football.
It is amazing how little the press knows about the search. There is little known. Either CMR has a coach in mind that will not be know for a week and one half or he has no plan at all.
Cherokee
December 30th, 2009
11:54 am
AltamahaDawg…………totally understand your point. How far south are you on the river?
SSI gator
December 30th, 2009
11:54 am
CaliDogg -
Be careful. Using logical statements on a site filled with KoolAid drinkers is not a good idea. Better to let them dream.
David
December 30th, 2009
11:54 am
Rodney Garner held the Georgia program together in the midst of the firing of Jim Donnan and the hiring of Mark Richt. He kept a very good class in place while Georgia searched and landed Richt and Richt knows that. My question is this; doesn’t everyone believe if Garner told Mark Richt he wants to be a serious candidate for this job, that Richt would do just that? I don’t think it is a question of Garner’s ability. It appears that Garner is happy as the Recruiting Coordinator and D-Line coach. It appears that he knows he is truly valued by Richt and the University. It appears that he may be able to parlay that value into another raise, and one that is deserved. If Garner really wanted to be a DC, then I believe Richt would give him the position. It appears to me that Richt will have only one stipulation for his new DC, and that is that Garner stays in his position and cannot be replaced. Garner’s job is very, very secure and I think knowing that means more to him than being the DC.
PMC
December 30th, 2009
11:55 am
Ultimately Richt cannot afford to fail with this hire.
He has to get someone who is going to put the screws to these guys when it comes to technique. They have to be the sloppiest team in the SEC if not all of major college football.
DawginLex
December 30th, 2009
11:55 am
I think the important thing is to keep Garner on the staff.
If Richt accomplishes that while bringing in a new DC, he should get lots of credit for pulling it off.
boots
December 30th, 2009
11:55 am
Garner is great at recruiting and was obviously contributing enough in Athens for CMR to keep him around – twice (when he arrived in Athens being the first time). However, I think the DawgNation is looking for a splash candidate, and nothing short of that will make everyone happy. But we also tend to drink our own kool-aid at times (like every other program) and think we are the best spot in the country. If we were, then great candidates would be beating down our door to move here. Heck, I love Athens – I’m available, Coach!
DawginLex
December 30th, 2009
11:57 am
SSI gator,
Who asked you? You have your own issues with your coach’s health and the recruits dropping like flies.
I feel sorry for Meyer but a gator kool aid drinker like you has to admit, he didn’t handle that very well.
jumbeauxtiger
December 30th, 2009
11:57 am
A year ago there were numerous comments on here that Chavis is not a good DC.
LSU was 56th in scoring defense in 2008 and was 12th this season, just .8 points per game behind Texas at 8th. Chavis made significant improvement in the most important defensive statistic.
BTW Matt, Saban hired Jimbo and Miles kept him so Saban probably should get credit too for having an assistant who has gone on to be a head coach.
Geaux Tigers
Go SEC
Elmo
December 30th, 2009
11:57 am
Garner is a fine Position Coach and Recruiter- HOWEVER You must hire the best DC available – even if the Hire could be your replacement down the road ……
GoVols
December 30th, 2009
11:58 am
As a UT fan, Chavis used to frustrate me by frequently giving up the big plays on 3rd and long. Over time, though, I came to appreciate that he was a very good DC, especially after our talent level on that side of the ball (D-Line and LB’s) began to decline. As long as someone can recruit the talent, he will coach them up.
Total aside, I think it’s funny how many Dawg fans believe Pollack would be a good coach…why precisely is that? Perhaps he would be, but no one KNOWS that.
DawginLex
December 30th, 2009
12:00 pm
Pollack isn’t ready to be a DC or even a position coach. The 2 grad assistants know more than he does. If he is financially secure, let him come in and be a grad assistant and go back to school. No one knows if he even wants to be a coach.
Jeff Schultz
December 30th, 2009
12:01 pm
Jeff (other one) … So who’s fault is that?
shannon1776
December 30th, 2009
12:01 pm
Dave pollacj said on his radio show this week that RG is NOT qualified for the job. I trust pollack’s opinion since he actually played for him.
Eskimo Joe
December 30th, 2009
12:02 pm
Our talent, is for the 4-3 defense, so we need a DC who runs the 4-3. We don’t have a big nose tackle recruit like Mt. Cody, or 2 Big Inside LB’s you’d need to run the 3-4, or 2 giagantic 6-5 275 lb DE’s to run a 3-4. We don’t have a ferocious former DE to play the pass rushing weakside LB. So if the rumor mill is about a 3-4 guy, it’s probably not true.
I think Meyer wants to run a 3-4 defense or even a 3-3-5, so Richt will likely not be targetting the same DC as Meyer. Meyer is recuruiting a guy to stop the spread offense, which Meryer thinks SEC offenses are moving to.
AltamahaDawg
December 30th, 2009
12:02 pm
Does anyone know the NFL rule on (coach) poaching before the season end? I ask because it seems to me as if Richt’s recent relationship with Tony Dungy, and his NFL connections, are probably being put to good use.
I would think its more likely that “first week of Jan”, would more likely mean NFL season, than it does bowl games. There has never been any tradition of waiting till the bowls are over to announce college coach moves.
Jeff Schultz
December 30th, 2009
12:02 pm
Different opinion — I’m just asking the question. Obviously Richt has come to his conclusion on Garner.
Meyer's Biographer
December 30th, 2009
12:02 pm
Does anyone recall the names of the bloggers here that kept insisting since last summer that Urban was not going anywhere?
pilgrim
December 30th, 2009
12:03 pm
Jeff: “…the last thing I expected was that it would unravel into some inane and profane race debate. After becoming aware of it last night from a reader, I had to close commenting and eventually deleted about 60 comments.”
As much as I enjoy them, I’ve wondered several times how these blogs could be better monitored. What’s the deal? Any way your readers could help, Jeff?
tomkat1
December 30th, 2009
12:03 pm
Why not Jeff Shultz for D.C. , since he thinks he has all the answers.