Fans fret about UGA coaching search
Mark Richt isn't talking about Georgia's coaching search. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
While off last week, I managed to keep a peripheral eye on the goings-on in Athens concerning the hunt for a new defensive coordinator.
Looks like a bit of a mess.
First came the brief media hubub about Virginia Tech’s Bud Foster, who publicly acknowledged “talking” to UGA before announcing he’d gotten a sweeter deal to stay put. Not surprising; you get a lot of folks using your job search in that way who have no intention of making a move. I’m sure Mark Richt wasn’t at all surprised by that.
Then came the Vic Koenning affair, which was a much muddier picture. Apparently the Kansas State co-defensive coordinator had expressed interest in the UGA job, but Georgia dithered while Illinois made it clear it wanted him. Then at the last minute Richt reportedly made an offer to Koenning but he decided to stick with Illinois.
Whether Koenning was the right choice for the Georgia job or not (and I’m not sure he was), what disturbs some Georgia fans about that scenario was the fact that Richt apparently wasn’t sure whether he wanted Koenning or not and then made a move after it was too late.
Of course, we don’t know the whole story since Richt isn’t talking. Maybe Georgia’s initial hesitation about Koenning had more to do with negotiations with some other candidate than it did with indecisiveness about whether Koenning was the right man for the UGA job. If that was the case, the late offer to Koenning probably means things weren’t going well on the other front.
You expect Richt to be talking to more than one candidate, and a lot of Georgia fans are hoping that Alabama’s Kirby Smart is still in the mix. But the reports of an offer to Koenning, if they’re accurate, would seem to indicate things must not have looked good elsewhere in the search.
We have to keep in mind that media leaks during these searches are often self-serving (a la Foster) and quite frequently much ado about nothing (as in the stories earlier this year about Bobby Knight and the Georgia basketball job).
Still, if what has leaked out is true, it’s bothersome that Richt apparently felt the need to make a late offer to Koenning. It gives the impression of desperation.
How do you feel about what’s transpired so far in the DC search?
Elsewhere, a couple of big woofs are due Mark Fox’s basketball Bulldogs for the weekend win over Illinois. It’s likely to be a loooong season for the undermanned Dogs, but they beat a good team under what was essentially road game conditions at Gwinnett Arena. Hopefully the confidence they gained will pay off down the road in the SEC wars.
Go Dogs!
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348 comments Add your comment
BuLLdawg
December 21st, 2009
10:39 am
Is there such thing as “wasting cyber space?” WTH?
Dawg stuck in Bham
December 21st, 2009
10:40 am
I hate being patient…but what choice do I have? CMR has hired well in the past. I’m assuming he’ll do the same this time.
Just a reminder Techies…
1. 30-24
2. 8-1
3. Enjoy your once every decade big/BCS bowl. We’ll take this year as a reminder and motivation that we play in the BCS or big bowls almost yearly.
4. Prediction: Iowa 34 Nerds 24
C. Strickland
December 21st, 2009
10:40 am
You know Bill, It was refreshing to have a real Georgia blog when you first started writing. You have since become just another pot stirrer for the nations worst staff of sports “journalists” ever assembled and are a disgrace to the bulldog nation.
Hooch
December 21st, 2009
10:41 am
Hey Cuz, I have a male cousin whose boyfriend has a sister whose uncle knew someone who had a class with Mike Bobo who told someone that had a class with my female cousin who knew someone on Alabama’s scout team. The next DC will not be Kirby Smart.
the dawg truth
December 21st, 2009
10:42 am
Thank you C. Strickland your words couldn’t be any more accurate.
Bill please take these comments to heart, as we really did like you before you started taking “Blog Response” lessions from peons named Schultz, Bradley, etc….
GaTruth
December 21st, 2009
10:43 am
Dick Bumpas (TCU) would be the best hire. So what if Patterson got an extension (contract, not male enhancement). The guy has a rock solid defense, shuts down every team he is supposed to and some he’s not. He has to recruit against Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Ok St, Colorado, LSU, and Arkansas. Pay the guy a pile of cash. I will say this, the UGA coach-recruiting process is TERRIBLE! We get used, show our cards, wind up with egg on our face (Mack Brown), every single time. Hire a high-octane consulting firm to keep everything under wraps until its a done deal. And especially don’t listen to all the wind-bag bloggers (this one included), who don’t know squat but think they do.
Cameron
December 21st, 2009
10:43 am
Bill:
Like you said, nobody really knows what has happened. The guy saying that you should get a subscription to Rivals is lying. They repeatedly publish things as fact on a whim, just to try to sell subscriptions. They are wrong so much that they lose credibility as much as they get something right.
However, I don’t think Koenning was offered the job. Again, this is just speculation but I will tell you why. Richt has publicly stated that he hasn’t offered anyone the job. Richt doesn’t lie often. Not to recruits, not to his players, and not to the media. Instead of lying, he will sidestep the question if he doesn’t want to share the information publicly. He didn’t. He answered and answered truthfully.
Koenning has been itching to get back to the south since he left Clemson. Zook is in a win-or-your-fired situation at Illinois. They love him up there, but he has underachieved the past couple of years. He saved his job by firing his staff and hiring a new one. Do you really think Koenning would have chose to go to that situation instead of UGA if he had a UGA offer? I don’t. It isn’t about being a man of your word. It is about not being offered the UGA job.
Richt has said that it will be until the first or second week of January until we hear anything. I believe him, his track record says you should as well. The only way we won’t until then is if someone falls into his lap that we weren’t expecting (i.e. Tubberville, Groh, etc.).
RealDawg
December 21st, 2009
10:43 am
Bill –
Personally I would like a guy under the radar with a proven record from a smaller program that is hungry and eager for a chance on the big stage. It’s not so common that you manage to land a big name assistant from a program of equal prestige to do the exact same job. And besides, those types are nomads anyhow. You want someone that truly wants to be in Athens and is excited about the job and opportunity.
GO DAWGS!!
Hardy Boy
December 21st, 2009
10:44 am
The only mess has come from the media. Go figure
Cameron
December 21st, 2009
10:45 am
GaTruth:
Patterson is the brains behind that defense. Why don’t any other schools come after Bumpas, but repeatedly go after Patterson?
BuLLdawg
December 21st, 2009
10:45 am
SHREEEEEEEVEPORT, BABY!
We pulled your stinger out and stomped it flat
December 21st, 2009
10:46 am
I said it the day after the first game, Richt will do it, and in his own time. With class he relieved the defensive coaches at the end of the year. With class he will hire the qualified candidate and he will be ready to change the course of the D when he gets here. The top candidates are in the bowl mix, or in the NFL. That is unless he is supposed to hire someone that is out of work. We would all like to know the candidate list, but that is not going to happen. They are not hiring someone to work in the locker room, they are hiring somone to run part of a multi million dollar operation. They will get who they want.
Bill King
December 21st, 2009
10:47 am
Dawg Truth and C Strickland:
Chill out, guys. I’m not stirring the pot to get response. I’m telling you how I felt about the Koenning thing and what I’ve heard other fans say about it. I hope you’re right and that no real offer was made to him. But there’s been no official statement one way or the other. Like I said, if you’re pleased with the search so far, that’s great. Some folks aren’t. This is a venue for that discussion. If all you want is the official party line, check out Georgiadogs.com.
Here's hoping
December 21st, 2009
10:47 am
Just find somebody that says go after the @$&! ball rather than say let the ball come to you as in the past regime!
JB
December 21st, 2009
10:47 am
Alabama Jack, if somebody knows about being irrelevant, it’s Bama from 1995 to say 2006. Ya’ll get to sit with the rich folk for a year or two and have a brain fart from the last 10 years or so, while Mark Richt was winning more games than ANY SEC program. Jack that up you pipe.
Valdosta_Dawg
December 21st, 2009
10:48 am
I am fine with how coach Richt is handling this situation. I will wait and see who is hired before getting worried.
EmoDAWG
December 21st, 2009
10:51 am
Close source tells me Richt is making Van Gorder tell him NO face to face. Smart will be the next DC.
Joe
December 21st, 2009
10:53 am
I think the most concerning thing to me is this article and our lame fans that think they have to know everything and print and blog there opinions about what Coach Richt should or should not be doing and giving there opinions about what a mess we are in. do you think any coach would want to walk into this crap. I wish you would just shut up and let it happen. You are a pot stirer and a good part of the problem
Navigator
December 21st, 2009
10:55 am
Maybe as fans we really need to get a grip on who is available and who wants to step in after a defensive staff just got fired. It is a different situation when your defensive coach leaves for a head coaching job or maybe to the pros, but when you fire the staff that sends up red flags all over the country. I wonder if Richt was forced to fire these coaches or did on his own accord. If he was forced, look for Richt to leave on his own accord in the future, as this may be the beginning of some difficult times in the future.
GT IS A 4TH RATE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM
December 21st, 2009
10:56 am
HAS ANY YELLOW TICKS VISITED THE WATERLESS URINALS OF CALLAWAY GARDENS LATELY, THEY MAY BE HAPPY TO KNOW THAT THEIR CLASSY MASCOT IS RIGHT AT THE END OF THEIR STREAM. JUST AN APPROPRIATE PLACE FOR THEM IN THE ORDER OF THE UNIVERSE. HAHAHHAHAHAHHHAHAHHAHA EVEN SANTA SAYS HOHOHOHOOHOHHOOHOHOOHOHOHOHOOHO FOREVER AND EVER.
We pulled your stinger out and stomped it flat
December 21st, 2009
10:57 am
Hey Jackets fans, Shrieveport full of Bulldog Fans will be better than a half full orange bowl. Well Iowa will bring twice as many from three times the distance. Tech should win though, they have way too much team speed and Iowa is missing the starting QB and the starting RB. Should be a great win for the Techies. TOO BAD you couldn’t handle the only real team on your schedule this year.
SEC East Headlines – 12/21/09 | MrSEC.com
December 21st, 2009
10:59 am
[...] no ball hogs on this team,” Jeff Demps said.5. According to The AJC’s Junkyard Blawg, UGA fans are worried about Mark Richt’s search for a defensive coordinator.6. Georgia graduate assistants Mitch [...]
hammerhead
December 21st, 2009
10:59 am
If Diaz is “the man” we’ll know before sundown. Otherwise, I think we’ve got a deal with Kirby Smart.
DTC
December 21st, 2009
11:00 am
I hope Mark Richt does not read any of these blogs. I think he has a little bit more sense than to do so. By the way Bill, your opening comment of “looks like a bit of a mess”, qualifies any and all of these bloggers to be a bit exasperated with you and your comments. You are the one that needs to chill.
Denver Dog
December 21st, 2009
11:03 am
The word in the Rockies is that his agent was contacted by Richt about the LB job. The LB job at UGA would have paid more than the DC job at U of I, but then it would not be a coordinators job. It is said that Foster was contacted for interest or recommendations. If you look at it from that point of view, you can ease your mind and know that this is going to be a good, yet predictable hire for UGA and CMR.
papadawg
December 21st, 2009
11:05 am
Forget Van Gorder, he’s after a head coaching job not another DC job especially somewhere he’s already been
DawgGirl32
December 21st, 2009
11:06 am
Man, there sure are a lot of experts on this blog today. I, for one, respect Mark Richt a lot for keeping this whole thing on the DL because that’s the way it should be. I am not worried at all. Quite the opposite actually. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to get a guy totally out of left field that hasn’t been mentioned at all.
coaching search
December 21st, 2009
11:06 am
We should fret. The fact that no one seems to be interested enough to take the job speaks volumes. What it says is that people don’t want the job because they don’t think Richt will survive more than 1 or 2 seasons. Would you make a move if you were worried that the head coach may get fired in 1 or 2 seasons? Believe it or not it is a real possiblility and coaches are factoring it into their long term thinking. Can any of us really think Kirby Smart would come? I’ld go nuts and do flips if he did but it would be a crazy move. The Bammers will match whatever we offer him and why would he leave a program about to win a national title and come here where Richt gets fired possibly in a year or 2?
Terry
December 21st, 2009
11:12 am
I checked on Iowa’s QB a week ago and he was practicing with the team same with RB looks like they will play against Bugs.
Kirby Smart
December 21st, 2009
11:12 am
Let me stop the talk now, I’m not comming to UGA. Its my Alma Mater but I believe the program at UGA is having problems. I’m in a very good situation here at Bama, get along with everybody, and we are moving up. Next few seasons should be great at Bama.We have some prize recruits on the horizon.The fans here are great. You folks must understand, when V. Dooley came to you from Auburn he gave up his loyalty there and became a bulldog. I’ve done the same here. The only reason I would ever leave here would be to accept a head coaching job elsewhere if offered. Good luck to UGA.
atl-xmen
December 21st, 2009
11:13 am
richt knows what he wants to do and where to go for a DC and that is the only guy i trust to pick uga next DC….its not a mess at all, the only i mess i see is this blog with fans on here that think they know more than coach richt…bill find something else to blog about because this topic brings out all the crazies..reporting things that you know might be false is not cool at all. i think you should blog about what this program was like before richt was coach and what it is now…that would really quite down the crazies…
Doug
December 21st, 2009
11:15 am
This is absurd. You take two stories you know nothing about, combine them, and decide you’re not happy with “the search.” Really? That’s all it takes to have a blog these days?
Preston
December 21st, 2009
11:15 am
I’m not worried a bit. I’m glad coach is waiting for the right situation. I still hope Ellis Johnson is in the mix too.
Stinger
December 21st, 2009
11:16 am
The fans should be fretting. NO ONE and I mean NO ONE of any substance wants the friggin job. WOULD YOU want a job where the fans are always calling for you hide? You may as well face it, you have no talent on defense and it really doesn’t matter who your coach is.
hedaman
December 21st, 2009
11:16 am
Pollock: ‘Outside the Box’ Hire for DC @ UGA
Most great coaches agree coaching starts with understanding people, and the ability to motivate players to reach their greatest potential.
It’s a hunch, and indeed would be an ‘outside the box’ move by Mark Richt. Nevertheless, I believe the best hire for DC @ UGA is in our own backyard. It’s David Pollack, former All American standout at UGA.
He’s young, extremely energetic, very bright, extremely motivated, motivates others, played ‘outside the box’ himself on every play, and would do so as DC.
In addition, he lives on a high moral plane, and would lead with a great example.
He brings the intangibles and instincts that no experience in that position would ever, could ever bring. He would have the fan base behind him overnight.
Not to mention the sensational recruiter he would be.
Richt, go ‘outside the box’. Hire David Pollack. I think he’s Erk Russell with hair, and possibly even more.
Terry
December 21st, 2009
11:17 am
Has it occured to anyone that it’s possible Richt only offered Vic Koenning a job as a position coach ?
Once we have a DC, he still has to hire a defensive ends coach. Moving from Kansas State co-defensive coordinator to DC of an SEC team is one HELL of a jump. It’s very possible he was NEVER considered for the DC position at UGA, and so he decided to go ahead and take the DC job at Illinois. It’s also possible that Richt has already come to an agreement with the next DC, and the reason it took him so long to talk to Koenning about any job is he wanted to discuss the move with the new DC first.
And since any and all contact between Richt and Koenning has been more media speculation than anything else. It’s very possible that this is what actually happened.
See I could be a “journalist” too ……
DirtyDawg
December 21st, 2009
11:17 am
If we’ve never gotten ‘the true story’ about how the Erk Russell ‘non’-hire went down, then I doubt that we’ll ever know what transpired with this guy Koenning – and I care a lot more about Erk than this other guy. Various, long-time, Bulldogs – ones a lot closer to the program than anybody posting here, I’ll bet – are hinting that CMR has his guy and we’ll be pleased. I’m willing to go along with that. What’s the point of agonizing over speculation about who’s playin’ who?
Frankly, I’m more worried that the questioning of Coach Richt will shake his comfort level with being as UGA…the last thing we need is a few ‘hun-yuks’ rousing the rabble and getting him to thinking ‘What’s the point?’ and thus being open of other offers.
dawgcrzy
December 21st, 2009
11:18 am
thanks kirby for setting the record straight,i’m so relieved and so is everybody else. can you please suggest a replacement for martinez?
Denver Dog
December 21st, 2009
11:19 am
Coaching Search, you don’t hire coordinators from programs that are currently preparing for bowls or NFL schedules. I don’t think anyone on this blog has any idea about the candidates. I’d expect to see a coach hired that will bring “60 minutes of hell” to the opposing teams. So far, no candidates have been mentioned, save one that would do that. THere are two sided to this. One is that there is a bowl game in which UGA is playing. Look at the distraction going on right now with no DC on the horizon. Think about the distraction if we had a new staff coming in to run things. As this moves forward, there are a few schools looking for a good coordinator, UF, and UGA for one. ND, and some others. We screamed to free Willy, and now we are not happy becuase we haven’t replaced him when all the good people we want are still coaching end of the year football. Let’s find something else to blog about. How about something like the 4 year record of this team, or the QB for next year. Here is a reall good one, Why did Blair Walsh not make All American?
Preston
December 21st, 2009
11:19 am
C’mon guys. Pollack hasn’t even coached pee wee league yet. He hasn’t even been a DE coach for ANYONE yet. Get real. Love the guy for how he played at UGA but if he wants to coach, he needs to start at coaching DE’s under a brand name DC for a while before taking over an entire defense. Stop dreaming. PLEASE.
FLMoonpie
December 21st, 2009
11:19 am
Funny how all the best candidates in the nation are lining up and knocking the door down at Thug…..UHhhhhh Dawg nation. The cowpastures at Athhhhhinzzzz aren’t full of opportunities, but full of meadow muffins.
We pulled your stinger out and stomped it flat,again!
December 21st, 2009
11:22 am
Hey Stirnger, we have enough talent to keep your team in the hole, at your Grunt Field, Dudd Stadium. So we are talentless, but we must have alot more than your little bumbling bees.
1eyedJack
December 21st, 2009
11:27 am
NO WHITE SMOKE FROM THE CHIMNEY YET
Sports Anchor Crash Nagurski: We go now to the Athletics Offices of University of Georgia Coach Mark Richt. (Camera goes to Buzz Nutman eating a jelly doughnut and drinking coffee. Buzz does not yet know he is on camera.)
Buzz Nutman: Nice tie coach…is that a clip on?
Coach Richt: No…and get your hands off of it…your getting jelly on it.
Crash Nagurski: (speaking into Buzz’s earphone) Buzz…you IDIOT!
Buzz Nutman: Thanks Crash, we’re here with Georgia Bulldogs coach Mark Richt to talk about the state of the Georgia Bulldog football program. Coach there is some concern out there in the BullDawg Nation about who you will choose as your next defensive coordinator. Would you care to enlighten the BullDawg faithful?
Coach Richt: Well Buzz…
Buzz Nutman: Ooooh….that’s a big stack of papers you got there.
(Buzz Nutman spills his coffee all over the papers on Coach Richt’s desk as he tries to get a peek.)
Coach Richt: You…id…you… (Coach Richt snatches away the papers)
Buzz Nutman: Sorry coach.
Coach Richt: That’s….alright…Buzz…. These are resumes…as you can see I have received quite a lot of them from coaches at top football programs throughout the country, …(looks sideways at Buzz who is playing with the 2005 SEC Championship trophy)…and I want all those in the Bulldog Nation to rest assured… I will leave no stone unturned in finding the next man to lead us back to playing Georgia Bulldog defense. (Takes trophy away from Buzz)
Buzz Nutman: That’s great coach…I’m sure those top five or six weren’t viable candidates anyway. They weren’t in alphabetical order were they?
Coach Richt: Yes….by school.
Buzz Nutman: Why don’t we take a call or two from the audience…here’s a fan from Ludowici…goes by the name “Delbert D”.
Delbert D: Coach Richt…I’m a Georgia Tech fan…and I was just wondering if you would be willing to share some of those resumes with Coach Johnson?
Coach Richt: Well, shucks, Delbert …I’m sure Coach Johnson is happy with his defensive coordinatior… but if you know Coach Johnson personally tell him I have a really good friend that could use a job.
Buzz Nutman: Coach…let’s take another call. This one’s from Watergirl Wants To Know…hey, from right here in Athens!
Watergirl Wants To Know: Coach, would you prefer that your next Defensive Coordinator be bald or have a Buzz Cut?
Coach Richt: Well, Honey, I would prefer someone who knows how to run the Tampa 2 and play man to man…but if I had to make a choice I kind of like the old Beatle’s cut.
Buzz Nutman: There you have it Crash….RINGO STARR is the new Defensive Coordinator of the Georgia Bulldogs!!!! And now a word from one of our Sponsors…
Coach Richt: Sonofa…!!! That’s not what I……
(Fade to commercial)
theTruth
December 21st, 2009
11:30 am
Bill, don’t take things personally. I too was told by an ‘inside source’ that VK wasn’t offered by a ‘very reliable source’. They would have offered BF if he had some interest. They just called to guage his interest. That would have been sweet.
Only a ‘few’ know if all things are true or not.
UGA 2010
December 21st, 2009
11:31 am
Hey Bill, quick question…. Who did LSU hire as D.C.? i thought i saw something on tv the other day.
NuKeese
December 21st, 2009
11:32 am
I hope whoever UGA gets to coach will let me transfer there.
I am tired of sitting in this jail cell.
Topp Dogg
December 21st, 2009
11:32 am
Ellis Johnson would be the one at the top of the list.
Bad Dawgie
December 21st, 2009
11:32 am
This is gonna be ugaly!!!
Carlos Dunlap
December 21st, 2009
11:34 am
I want to personally thank Coarch Urban Meyers for reinstating me to the team for the bowl game.
he man of class
Charles Hanes
December 21st, 2009
11:36 am
Hey Mr. King!
I heard from a very trusting source that UGA is waiting for the LSU bowl game to conclude before hiring the DC. Once the game has concluded then Chavis will agree to come and coach the Dawgs as the DC. This is an impressive move to me by CMR, as John Chavis has reeked havoc on the Dawgs while he reined at UT as their DC. Look at the scores that Chavis’ D held opponents to at LSU this year. The average per game was 16 points! Compare that to Willie Martinez’s D that gave up more than 26 points per game! Chavis’ D only gave up 24 to Bama, 13 to UF and 13 to our own UGA…..Good Job CMR, this DAWG will hunt!