News and notes, with Smart and Grantham updates
(UPDATED 11:55 A.M. and 6:30 P.M.)
A few quick notes:
– So it has been a pretty good five weeks or so for UGA sports fans -– wins over Georgia Tech in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball, and a bowl blowout of Texas A&M.
– The enduring sounds of rivalry: the “Just Like Football” chant late in Georgia’s basketball victory over Tech last night and the “I Run This State” play-on-words from the football victory.
– OK, here’s the latest word from Kirby Smart. Reporting from Newport Beach, Calif., where Alabama is preparing for tomorrow night’s BCS national-title game, ESPN’s Chris Low says Smart didn’t completely shut the door on the UGA defensive-coordinator job Tuesday. Here’s what Smart, Alabama’s DC and a former Georgia player, said at a BCS media session:
“I haven’t really talked to Mark [Richt] much. To say I said ‘no’ to Mark … he’s not offered me anything. So that’s not really accurate. To be honest, with this game coming up, I haven’t even thought about it.
“. . . You don’t ever know what’s going to happen, but I’m certainly excited about the opportunity to be back at Alabama. We’ve got a lot of good players coming back.”
Feel free to parse those words below.
– Assuming there must be a reason –- other than the decisions by Bud Foster and John Chavis to stay put -– that the UGA defensive-coordinator search is taking so long, the best guess is that it’s because Mark Richt is interested in someone still occupied by an important game. That could, of course, be the UGA alums occupied as defensive coordinators in the BCS national-title game, or it could be an NFL assistant in the playoffs. Which brings us to Todd Grantham, the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive-line coach who has been on Richt’s radar for weeks and seemed to move up on the rumor mill yesterday. UPDATE: The Dallas Morning News’ Cowboys Blog reports today that Grantham “has been approached” by Georgia. Grantham’s resume in brief: He was an assistant at Virginia Tech and Michigan State in the 1990s and with four NFL teams (Colts, Texans, Browns and Cowboys) since 1999. His only stint as a defensive coordinator was with the Browns from 2005-07.
– A couple of items from the transactions list if you missed ‘em: The University of Louisville hired former UGA football assistant coach Jon Fabris as its defensive-line coach. Fabris was one of three defensive coaches fired by UGA on Dec. 2. He joins the staff of new Louisville coach Charlie Strong, the former Florida defensive coordinator. . . . And the Utah Jazz signed former Bulldog Sundiata Gaines to a 10-day contract, pending a physical. Gaines has been playing for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Developmental League.
– Georgia’s women’s basketball team has a chance to make some history Thursday night. A win over Kentucky at Stegeman Coliseum would give the Lady Dogs a 15-0 record, which would be the best start in the esteemed program’s history.
– Reshad Jones said Tuesday that he hears he’s one of the top five safeties in the 2010 NFL draft and that he hopes to be in the top two by draft day. The top one, of course, is Tennessee junior Eric Berry.
– Jones is the 17th UGA underclassman to enter the NFL draft since 2001. Waiting on word from the prospective 18th, junior linebacker Rennie Curran. . . .
And please follow me on Twitter for the latest UGA news and notes.
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267 comments Add your comment
SMART FOR DC!!!
January 7th, 2010
3:19 am
Gotta get Kirby Smart for the DC job! He has done a flat out INCREDIBLE job for bama this year. This would be a huge hire! Go get this man!!!
BuLLdawg
January 7th, 2010
6:19 am
ACC 3-4 in Bowl Games this year. 5 ACC teams did not make a bowl; 2 SEC didn’t (GA tek played them both.)
ACC 4-5 against The SEC all season, including the bowl games. FL beat FSU. So Car beat NC State and Climpsum Farmers. Alabama beat Virginia Tech. And, excuse me too, UGA beat GA tek 30-24 at their house.
Last year, the top ACC in Final AP Poll was Number 15, and 2 years before that, the top-ranked ACC team was Number 18 in the AP Poll. For 6 years now in a row the average AP Poll ranking for the BEST ACC team is Number 12. That’s 4 teams worse than an 8-team play-off format.
GA tek played 6 teams that did not even make a bowl game. No team in America played that many in 1 year.
It has been since President Dwight Eisenhower Ike was President that GA tek last won a Major Bowl Game. ACC is a lousy football conference.
The high school offense got 7 points last night.
7.
Now, I’ve heard it all. The ACC is good because it LOST to the Big 10 second best team.
There is only 1 team that might move up 1 place in the polls, and that would be Virginia Tech getting higher ranked than GA tek.
CHUMPS.
13 consecutive years both UGA and GA tek have been to a bowl game. UGA won 11 of those; GA tek 5.
5.
8 of last 9 and 15 of last 19 to have 60 wins by UGA over GA tek.
GA tek made Iowa look good. 7 points on Offense; what a total joke. Iowa gave up MORE to Northern Iowa, Arizona, Arkansas State, Indiana, and Northwestern to name but 5 really sorry teams – really sorry teams.
If GA tek had not played 6 teams who were not even in a bowl game, they lose those games. The ACC isn’t any good.
24-30 football.
66-73 men’s basketball.
50-56 women’s basketball.
GA tek fans, their coaches and their players, are POOR SPORTS.
You can clean up a pig, put a ribbon on its tail, spray it with perfume, but it’s still just a pig.
2007 was an illusion (Football & Basketball)
January 7th, 2010
7:05 am
Any word on a new DC at UGA? Is CMR still asleep at thte wheel?
actuarydawg
January 7th, 2010
8:19 am
It’s not Tony Dungy.
Catfish
January 7th, 2010
8:39 am
Maybe UGA needs to make Kirby Smart the coach in waiting.
Jborodawg
January 7th, 2010
9:11 am
Why are yall fallin all over yourselves over Kirby Smart? Many pundits say the Bama D is Saban’s doing, not Smart’s. Far as that goes, how different was the Dawgs’ D for the GT game (with CWM) and the bowl game (without CWM)? Just calm the heck down; CMR will make the decision when he makes the decision. And, I trust him to make a great hire.
Best wishes to Reshad. For those of you getting down on him, the pros must think well of him, seeing as how he’s leaving early because of the draft board’s projection. One bad play; sheesh.
SEC East Headlines – 1/7/09 | MrSEC.com
January 7th, 2010
11:31 am
[...] Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger are gearing up for their quarterback battle.4. Reshad Jones is the 17th Georgia player to leave school early for the NFL since 2001. 5. John Wall is winning the respect of Kentucky’s opponents.6. [...]
AceDawg
January 7th, 2010
1:25 pm
I’d take anyone that is aggressive – If Grantham helps divert attention away from Smart so he can coach his NC game, that would be fine. UGA should take a final stab at him – but then again Grantham could be a good choice in his own right. You can’t hold the Browns against a coach!! Chizik has done better at Auburn than he did at ISU, so I won’t that logic ruin my thoughts of Grantham.
Madison Dawg
January 7th, 2010
1:44 pm
Hey Nerd Central at North Avenue, your pesky Jackets got completely embarrassed on Tuesday night against Iowa, and your triple option showed it’s lack of effectiveness against an old man defensive coordinator. The Jackets’ first half total yardage was pitiful, and just because y’all beat the Dawgs in football in 2008 doesn’t mean s**t! Georgia had no business pounding y’all on the flats in 2009, but Tech’s lack of focus and looking ahead to the ACC (Almost Competitve Conference)Championship Game made them look like fools. Josh Nesbitt was so bad on Tuesday, and y’all are crazy for actually thinking that he is a Heisman Trophy canidate in 2010. He looks like he is 65 years old, and I’m here to tell you that the Jackets could never compete in the SEC. If GT beats UGA once every decade, I can live with that.
Bdawg
January 7th, 2010
1:49 pm
To the guy who said Cox stinks, we could’ve had Nesbitt. Yes your right Cox did stink, but replacing with a career 45 percent completion rate and 13 to 12 TD to INT ratio wouldn’t have been any better. For the record UGA did offer Nesbitt, they just wanted him to play safety. You know the position he’s gonna have to play if he ever wants to be a pro.
HUNKER DOWN
January 7th, 2010
5:49 pm
Why was Grantham fired from the Browns as reported on blog? Os this our man??
Who you gonna call ... next
January 7th, 2010
11:03 pm
Kirby Smart isn’t going to be UGa’s next DC, seriously. More than likely will be Texas Tech’s new head coach – his currency will be way up after the smack down on Texas tonight. Only way Smart comes to GA is if he doesn’t have the cojones to be a head man – why else leave Nick Satan – because he’s a bad man? Satan is in your face – and a program builder, and he wins Nat’l Championships, and has a good many former coaches as head men. Why go somewhere else to be DC after Bama’s Roll?! Makes no sense at all.
Tech – played softer schedule than SEC and benefited from excellent skill position players (for the option). Won’t seriously contend for Natl Titles until get more, better BIG UGLYS. Johnson’s biggest issues is that he’s overachieved his first two years. UGa’s line play is light year’s ahead of Tech’s (both had injuries … Tech much thinner).
So, who you gonna call?
Selah
invictus mon
January 8th, 2010
1:26 am
General Sherman if you’re offended by high paychecks to people who hard then either find a different job that pays better than what you work now, or move to Venezuela.
Now on to Smart. It was announced tonight that he’ll be interviewing for the Texas Tech HC position. I think he just bumped UGA down to 3rd priority and he just got bumped off CMR’s radar because of it. He’s not going to wait until all of his candidates get the chance to turn him down. Smarts priorities just went to Texas Tech (1), Alabama buys him back (2), and UGA (3).
Don’t know if I like this but I’m thinking it’s going to be Grantham.
invictus mon
January 8th, 2010
1:37 am
And again, just say no to anything coming from the Mountain West. I went to Air Force. Just say NO!
Bdawg
January 8th, 2010
10:26 am
I here Tommy Tuberville is interviewing for the Tech job too. Smart is still a candidate. Also read an article out of an Alabama newspaper where Smart said he would like to be a HC one day, but not just anywhere. Not sure if Texas Tech is where he would want to be. He might want to wait until a higher profile job comes open.
ajskeeter
January 8th, 2010
1:02 pm
What about going after Jim Leavitt? The guy is an animal and certainly could fire up our defense…of course he could stroke out too as much as he blows up.
DCLee
January 8th, 2010
2:56 pm
Just read this on a Tech blog and I know this has been said a hundred times and probably doesn’t mean anything but it is funny how Tech is worried about UGA getting Smart…Go Dawgs!
From bbuzzoff.com – Kirby Smart, DC at Bama is going to UGA. I heard this from a fairly reliable source any one know the truth to it? He is a UGA alum and best friends with Bobo but why would you leave Bama for anything less than a HC job. I know they said last night that Texas Tech was interviewing him but from what I heard he is already set to be announced DC at UGAy. Hopefully this isn’t tru….