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
We pulled your stinger out and stomped it flat,again!
December 21st, 2009
3:27 pm
Dawg Trainer, call SMU, they can tell you Rocky Tippers all about the death penalty. You have cheated your last time, you are at a dead end, and you hired a half baked head coach and a half soaked dad to carry your orange panties forward.
robodawg
December 21st, 2009
3:29 pm
I don’t put much stock in the Koenning rumors. You have to talk to Bud Foster, but his next job will be as HC somewhere. But there was no need for him to go public with that, except to tell the Hokie supporters “you’re lucky to have me.”
Richt will make a good hire. Not Smart (he’ll also wait for a HC job in the near future). But a good hire. No worries.
dawg gone it
December 21st, 2009
3:29 pm
Weedeater bowl….that is a funny name. Wonder what marketing genius named it?
GT, congrats on making the Orange bowl. Even though you guys lost this year vs. the bulldogs, I’m glad it’s a more competitive rivalry than it has been in the past.
Happydawg
December 21st, 2009
3:30 pm
The whole premise of this article is a farce. Georgia would not have offered him. This was Koenning’s agent playing for more money….which he got from Illinois (about $40,000 more), then Illinois wanted to pay a DC. Richt did NOT offer him the job period. This is one of those crazy rumors….and I am discusted that Bill you even wrote about it.
PMDawg
December 21st, 2009
3:30 pm
CMR has this situation under control, and he’s doing it with class. There is no need to worry b/c no one on this blog gets paid to make the decisions in Athens. Georgia’s got the money to pay a top name for dc and they will let the general public know when they are good and ready be that after the bowl season or sooner.
Hey FLMoonpie get a clue, to call UGA thug u is pretty funny looking at uf’s arrest records lately!
As for the Koening thing, it was just a ploy by his agent to get a little more money out of Ill. most coaches out there want to be in the SEC it is the strongest conf. in the nation, has the best coaches, players, facilities, and is nationally televised every week. Look at any successful coordinator in the conf. they will go a few years as coordinator then its off to be the hc somewhere.
DawginLex
December 21st, 2009
3:32 pm
Dawg trainer,
I was at the 50 teeth in the entire home section of the stadium classic in k-town in 2003. A 41-14 beatdown. It goes in cycles and Richt is 5-4 vs UT so don’t act like you are all that and a bag of beans because very simply, you are not.
In case you forgot, we beat the orange scum 4 straight from 2000-2003.
Dangerous
December 21st, 2009
3:32 pm
FLA ST didn’t miss our beloved coach in their title game as every one seems to think. They were in that game up to the very end. If SNOOP MENECE doesn’t flunk out of school and plays they win. Weinke had so many receivers drop the ball that game. No one wanted to catch it. I’m sorry but Richt wasn’t catching passes that game!
Happydawg
December 21st, 2009
3:32 pm
People stop with the rumors. Richt likely will not interview or even get serious until after the Bowl game. Please……remember Mark Fox?
History please...
December 21st, 2009
3:35 pm
Could someone provide me a run down on the DC(’s) prior to Willie, heck, how about the OC(’s)…were the previous coordinators left-overs from another coach, or did CMR hire them…just wondering because of all the faith that some in the DAWG Nation faithful have in CMR…remember he is the one who put Bobo in his position and Willie in his, and don’t forget, he gave you Joe “he gives us the best chance to win” Cox to lead the team…if this is any indication of his judgement, then better hope the AD gets involved…
Libba Birmingham
December 21st, 2009
3:36 pm
Richt is the HEAD FOOTBALL COACH. The HERAD knows what is needed…He has a :”short” list and a “long” list of what he wants and when he wants this person. (ALL HEAD COACHES do)
Now if Georgia will patientlt let him be the HEAD COACH, time will surface the right person(s) for the job(s).
On a side notr, if he is running in to troubled waters he has his contacts who will provide him the wisdom HE needs. My self, I would talk with my frienddefensive Coordinator from FSU for his wisdom and then also approach Sylvestor C, (former MSU hEAD Coach who undestands Defense, Discipline and Fundamentals, too..Also, keep faith with the Grad. Assts., They are the workhorse of the operation!
Libba Birmingham
December 21st, 2009
3:36 pm
Richt is the HEAD FOOTBALL COACH. The HERAD knows what is needed…He has a :”short” list and a “long” list of what he wants and when he wants this person. (ALL HEAD COACHES do)
Now if Georgia will patientlt let him be the HEAD COACH, time will surface the right person(s) for the job(s).
On a side notr, if he is running in to troubled waters he has his contacts who will provide him the wisdom HE needs. My self, I would talk with my frienddefensive Coordinator from FSU for his wisdom and then also approach Sylvestor C, (former MSU hEAD Coach who undestands Defense, Discipline and Fundamentals, too..Also, keep faith with the Grad. Assts., They are the workhorse of the operation!
DawginLex
December 21st, 2009
3:38 pm
history,
Brian Van gorder-currently Falcon’s DC-UGA defenses gave up 30+ points 1 time under his leadership(to LSU 2003 SECCG)
OC prior to bobo was Richt-he promoted Bobo before 2006 Tech game
Our offense is not the problem.
Todd
December 21st, 2009
3:39 pm
Hey dawg Trainer….speaking of trifectas how about 44-0….48-3 and 42-15…also know as a Hillbilly beatdown
Mike Bobo 17 INT
December 21st, 2009
3:42 pm
AltamahaDawg
I see you cut and run this year also when the season tanked. Good luck trying to land a DC and get this program back on track. CMR is still on scheduled to be fired in 2 years or less. Hello Miami.
Dangerous
December 21st, 2009
3:42 pm
DawginLex GA beat Tenn 2000-2003 because they didn’t have Dave Cutcliff, we never beat this guy, well maybe once when he was there. Tenn has one of the best coaching staffs in the SEC. They will be back in contention and I’m afraid our Dawgs will not. I’m preparing myself for the misery, maybe others should too.
Dawg Trainer
December 21st, 2009
3:44 pm
“In case you forgot, we beat the orange scum 4 straight from 2000-2003.”
Which is trumped by the NINE straight in the 90’s. Get ready, those days are returning. Sad when you can’t take us on the field, and rest yer hopes on the NCAA.
Since I work for a living, it’s time to get my staff together and have a Christmas party. I’ll play with you Dawgs some more tomorrow!
DawginLex
December 21st, 2009
3:44 pm
interception idiot,
I will only respond to you once so read carefully or get your mommy to read it to you.
I have been on these blogs all season. i hide from no one, especially a retarded tool like you.
go inflate your blow up doll date
Dangerous
December 21st, 2009
3:48 pm
DawginLex, Bobo is a problem, please get your head out of the sand and Libba S Croom may not be a bad consideration, one I never thought of .
CitizenK9
December 21st, 2009
3:58 pm
The stealth candidate is ECU DC Hudson.
Bill
December 21st, 2009
3:59 pm
Vic Koening was not offered the job. Richt said he had to wait until after the bowls before he would possible offer it to VK
UGAgrad71
December 21st, 2009
4:07 pm
Bill, thank you for your sanity and honesty in your posts and comments. There are very few thought-out comments posted. Most posts are by clueless (not to themselves) idiots who could not coach a flag football league team. I, too am dying to know who the next DC at UGA will be. I had the good fortune while at UGA 69-71, to see ER coach. My room mate in those years was a def. tackle who worked under ER every day. Most of recruits today have no knowledge of just how good a coach this man was. Keep up the good work. BW
Rod
December 21st, 2009
4:18 pm
Bill King, answer this question on your blog if you have any integrity at all. Are you saying that C Richt is a liar when he says the job hasn’t been offered? Stop hiding and answer the question! Show some integrity and explain how you conclude Vic Koening was offered the DC job.
Froggy Dawgy
December 21st, 2009
4:20 pm
The #3 and #4 players on the ESPN150 have just visited Gainesville and they just loved it. They will not be visiting Athens.
Dangerous
December 21st, 2009
4:28 pm
UGAgrad71 what are your thoughts on this program right now. I would be very interested to hear them.
Floundering Fox Hounds
December 21st, 2009
4:29 pm
Athens We have a problem !
Pugnacious Paul
December 21st, 2009
4:35 pm
Well ole Markie Boy is keeping Quiet just like when everyone was telling him that the defense sucked. Mark will go out hire the guy at North Greenville College to return a favor for lettin his boy play there. Boy y’all gonna be some stompin mad Dawgie fans!
Sly Croom is NOT the answer!
December 21st, 2009
4:37 pm
Here’s his coaching history:
1986 was the last time he coached on the defensive side of the ball,
and he was never more than a LBers coach.
2009- St. Louis Rams- Running Backs Coach
2004-2008 Mississippi State University- Head Coach
2001-2003 Green Bay Packers- Running Backs Coach
1997-2000 Detroit Lions- Offensive Coordinator
1992-1996 San Diego Chargers- Running Backs Coach
1991 Indianapolis Colts- Running Backs Coach
1987-1990 Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Running Backs Coach
1977-1986 Univ. of Alabama – Linebackers Coach
1976 Univ. of Alabama – Grad Asst.
He’s a great man, great motivator, tough-as-nails, old-school coach, but he is NOT QUALIFIED to be a Defensive Coordinator!
Pugnacious Paul
December 21st, 2009
4:37 pm
Dawgie fans get ready for that Fightin Crusader Defense……
TommyP
December 21st, 2009
4:38 pm
Bill, you have no clue what’s going on. All you do is complain on this blog 90% of the time.
We’ve had our guy for awhile now…just waiting for his season to be completed.
You’ll probably find something to complain about when he’s hired, though.
Pugnacious Paul
December 21st, 2009
4:41 pm
I say HE AL Dawgie ! HE AL Gator Demon be gone !
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2009
4:56 pm
Yea Mike, since the tech fans aren’t 80% of the comments on the Georgia Bulldogs discussion boards anymore, the grown men can carry on a conversation again.
It sounds like Bill
December 21st, 2009
4:57 pm
King has jumped off the Mark Richt ship.
Dangerous
December 21st, 2009
5:00 pm
Didn’t know Croom’s history, do now. During his press conf. he has a commanding presence and speaks like a true leader. He is no DC though. Good post, informative.
Dangerous
December 21st, 2009
5:03 pm
How about Garry Gibbs. Would he come back……….if the $’s are right!
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2009
5:04 pm
Richt should take a page from The Meyers Way in dealing with his own TBA co-ordinator questions. “I’m too busy right now”.
translation: I’ll tell you when I tell you, and stop asking me.
Dangerous
December 21st, 2009
5:14 pm
Garry Gibbs had GA ranked 9th nationally with 18 int’s in 2000.He spent the 2001 season with as LSU’s DC winning the SEC and the Sugar Bowl. He is currently the LB’s coach in KC after having spent the last 3 years as the Saints DC. A step down, maybe he’s ready to come back to college ball?
StraightJacket
December 21st, 2009
5:16 pm
Your program needs STABILITY!
HIRE BACK WILLIE “Shaken, not stirred” MARTINI !!!
PT
December 21st, 2009
5:22 pm
I am curious where you are getting your information. Don’t expect a move by Georgia until after the BCS championship game. Bank it!
Flo-Ri-Duh!
December 21st, 2009
5:28 pm
Bring in an NFL DC – maybe Van Gorder………….. er, never mind.
charles
December 21st, 2009
5:36 pm
I have lost all faith in Richt as a head coach. Martinez should have been fired 2 minutes after the WV Sugar Bowl 4 years ago. Instead, Richt put up with his incompetence and we paid dearly for it. Richt is never going to be a great coach and a great coach is what we need.
doug
December 21st, 2009
5:46 pm
This “anyone will be an improvement” is a bad mentality to have. We need a top flight DC. There are levels of incompetence. We need all the help we can get. Our strength program is a joke and a few of our pos. coaches are high school quality. Seriously!! Let get someone who can put a blow torch to our lazy wreck-less defender’s asses.
zino
December 21st, 2009
5:51 pm
Come on, man! Everybody wanted Willie fired, that’s all we whined about. Richt cut him loose. Now we are gonna start the whining about “the search”? Not me. I am shutting up and giving the man a break. If we don’t win 9 next year then I will start raising cain. Until then I’m done.
BullDawgMike
December 21st, 2009
5:55 pm
Everybody needs to get off the Muschamp bandwagon.. Please!!! He is already DC, and most importantly , he IS the coach in waiting at Texas. That’s why he makes the big bucks. Now Kirby may be a possibility. But a slight one at that. But in the end , I believe CMR will make the right choice.
Coffee Bluff DAWG
December 21st, 2009
5:59 pm
charles,
WV had an outstanding team that year. Their entire backfield – White, Slaton, and Schmitt are all playing in the NFL now.
grasshopper
December 21st, 2009
6:02 pm
Instead of banning posters who dare to speak out against some of the articles written on the AJC, yellow fuzz posters like “alldawgsgotohell” who do nothing but spam are the ones that should be banned.
I don’t believe for one second that anybody that posts on the blogs with ‘who is coming’ is a true insider. A TRUE insider would have respect for CMR and the program and keep their mouth shut. Furthermore, I don’t believe for a second that CMR has told any little hineys about his plans for that very reason — in other words he knows “Loose lips sink ships”. So dream on with your “inside source” talk. You WISH you knew what was going on.
But all of these distractions before the bowl can’t be good for the team. So keep it up beat writers… just keep negativity going about the DC. I’m sure it’s doing a wonder of good for our team to keep this BS is churning. CMR said he’d make a decision in January. Do you think maybe, just maybe, you could give him that slack and let it go until then?
Instead, how about some discussion about the bowl? Nobody seems to be discussing Texas A&M at all.
Johnny Test
December 21st, 2009
6:06 pm
Alabama Jack is actually Alabama Jackette… He is a maggot fan that is too embarrassed to show his face… He, like all tech fans pretend to be Alabama or Florida fans so they are not reminded of how the Dawgs own the maggots.
Irony of Ironies… he comes on the UGA blog everyday to say the Dawgs are irrelevant…. if they were he wouldn’t have to remind anyone would he? No but he is a maggot fan and he is hurting form thr 30 to 24 drubbing his best team in 20 years got….Iowa will make it 5 bowl losses in a row.
Johnny Test
December 21st, 2009
6:13 pm
There happens to be a number of good defensive coordinator positions available and everyone wants the same guys if they can get them. This is a complex process and most likely will not resolve itself until after the bowl games and National Championship.
The UGA job is a high profile job that will pay well and give a DC the opportunity to recruit top talent. Everyone knows about UGS defensive woos so this next DC could be a hero pretty soon. It may wind up being someone we never heard of. No one had ever heard of BVG when he was hired. Relax… Willie is gone and CMR will get a good one.
For the tech fans on this blog it won’t matter who we hire. We can beat tech with Mike BOBO coaching the defense.
Rival?
December 21st, 2009
6:18 pm
Uga a needs a DC who can recruit also. Uga needs a DC who knows the SEC. Uga needs a DC who teaches leadership and discipline. Uga needs a DC who teaches Fundamentals. NOW THE QUESTION IS: WHO IS IT? I THINK FSU GOT A GOOD DC.
Coffee Bluff DAWG
December 21st, 2009
6:20 pm
alldawgsgotohell,
There’s a key just to the left of “A” on the keyboard indentified as Caps Lock. When you use all CAPS it appears that you are either angry or moronic.
Brush up on your computer skills before coming back.
Rival?
December 21st, 2009
6:20 pm
BVG IS NOT THE ONE!