UGA hires Grantham for $750,000 per year
(Updated 7 p.m.)
Athens – He last coached on the college level in 1998. He’ll make more money than Georgia has ever paid an assistant coach. He’ll change the Bulldogs’ defensive alignment to a 3-4.
He is Todd Grantham, and he is the answer to the question that dogged Georgia fans for 43 days: Who would coach Mark Richt hire as defensive coordinator?
“We have our man,” Richt said Friday as he named Grantham, the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive line coach, to fill the job that had been open since the Dec. 2 firing of Willie Martinez.
Grantham was known to have been on Richt’s radar for weeks, but at least three other candidates declined the job before it was offered to him. On Thursday night, Grantham accepted the same deal that Alabama defensive coordinator and former Georgia player Kirby Smart rejected three days earlier: a three-year, $750,000-per-year contract.
That salary will make Grantham the third highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football, behind only USC’s Monte Kiffin ($1.2 million plus a $300,000 bonus last season at Tennessee) and Texas’ Will Muschamp ($900,000). Georgia’s highest-paid assistants in 2009, Martinez and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, made $325,000 each, plus bonuses.
Grantham, 43, was an assistant coach at Virginia Tech and Michigan State in the 1990s but has spent the past 11 seasons in the NFL, including the past two with Dallas. His only previous experience as a coordinator was with the Cleveland Browns from 2005-07.
Grantham will begin work at Georgia when Dallas’ season ends. The Cowboys play Sunday at Minnesota in an NFL playoff game.
By phone from Dallas late Friday afternoon, Grantham took a break from preparing for the Vikings to discuss his new job and new team.
He said Georgia will switch from its traditional 4-3 base defense to the 3-4, meaning three linemen and four linebackers rather than vice versa.
“We’re going to an aggressive style 3-4,” he said.
He said two outside linebackers “are going to be coming … are going to be developed as pass rushers.” Two inside linebackers, he said, are “going to be downhill guys to the ball.”
Although the 3-4 will become the base defense, Grantham said the Dogs will use “multiple” defenses “to have the ability to match [the offense's] personnel.”
The end result, he said, will be “an aggressive, physical, attacking-style defense.”
Grantham, who has coached the defensive line for most of his career, said he’ll work instead with the linebackers at Georgia. He said that’s a good role for a coordinator because the linebackers coach spends time on the practice field with both the line and the secondary, depending on the drill.
The only holdover on Georgia’s defensive coaching staff is line coach Rodney Garner. Grantham said they have not met, but “I have heard good things about him, and I expect to be meeting him shortly.”
Two openings remain on the defensive staff — Richt fired three coaches last month — but Grantham said no decisions have been made on who will be hired for those spots.
“Coach Richt and I will be working this weekend and next week to try to iron some of those things out,” he said.
Grantham’s hire capped an arduous process in which Richt was rejected by three highly respected defensive coordinators: Virginia Tech’s Bud Foster, LSU’s John Chavis and Smart. Richt said Grantham, whom he did not know when the search began, was recommended highly by many other coaches during the protracted process. One known to have recommended him was Foster.
After Smart turned down the job Monday, Richt turned the focus to Grantham.
“The overriding factor throughout the entire process is I was very prayerful that in the end we got the right man for the job. And that’s exactly what happened,” Richt said. “It was not something I was trying to do at breakneck speed.
“Sometimes it’s easy to just get a person who is willing to come at the drop of a hat, but when you’re looking at the quality we were looking for, such as Todd, it doesn’t always happen overnight. I’m just thankful we stayed the course and ended up where we ended up.
“I really feel like we hit the jackpot,” he added.
Richt’s six-week search for a defensive coordinator generated extraordinary interest among Georgia fans who have been concerned about the play of the Bulldogs’ defense the past two years. The Bulldogs allowed 34 or more points in 10 of 26 games over those seasons — a culture shock for a program once known for stout defense.
“I think … we can get the defense back to the way it has been in the past,” Grantham said.
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793 comments Add your comment
Foothills football fan
January 15th, 2010
9:08 am
Pollack broke the news? Don’t get too excited yet…Was not great for the Browns but then who would be. I would be interested to know why he turned down Satan@Miami for the Cleveland job.
1eyedJack
January 15th, 2010
9:09 am
Love him or hate him apparently CMR does not let the “deadly” sin of pride get in the way of his football decisions and apparently he too recognizes the defensive genius of Nick Saban. When his first two choices didn’t work out he “went to the well” with Smart, Saban’s DC, and then Grantham, a previous choice to be Saban’s DC.
There is NFL talent on the UGA roster. Grantham can surely recognize that and coach it up for our current players as well as future recruits.
All you nerds on here trying your damnedest to punch holes in this hire just remember….you guys are about to be turned down by a 90 year old washed up has been…Al Groh!!!
Georgia Tech Alumni
January 15th, 2010
9:09 am
We can’t even beat UGA on our own “historic” field in our own little stadium! Our basketball team can’t even beat UGA! C.mon fellow Techsters let’s get our annual set of excuses in order!
I for one will continue the annual Tech tradition of whining!
jerry
January 15th, 2010
9:09 am
Has this story been corroborated?
Jona
January 15th, 2010
9:09 am
The UGALY Truth
Wait a minute….Al Groh has decided to take the job driving the daytrip bus at the retirement home instead.
Jeckyll Island
January 15th, 2010
9:10 am
30-24!!!
30-24!!!
30-24!!!
8 out of 9!!!!
8 out of 9!!!!
8 out of 9!!!!
73-66!!!
73-66!!!
73-66!!!
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 15th, 2010
9:10 am
Gt4ever:
There is no charge for dreaming…..the last 2 out of 3 games you played indicated to me that you were really coming on…really finishing the drill….in the UGA game and the Iowa game it was the offense that broke down time after time when the game was on the line and could have been won….Pugnacious Paul had just enough time for that triple option offense to come down the field running the football and score and there would have been no time left on the clock for the Dawgs….But Willie Martinez somehow got inside Paul’s head and got him to chunkin the rock when he should have been running the triple….Homeboy Nesbitt throws the perfect pass that BayBay drops, and the rest is history…Most predicted a blowout…..Just 8 wins for the Dawgs this year, what a terrible year….8 wins not bad for 98.6% of college football teams, however….IF YOU HAVE A BETTER PROGRAM, WHY DO YOU TRAIL SO BADLY IN THE WIN/LOSS STAT….JUST ASKING, DON’T GET MAD…..
DogGoneGaDawg
January 15th, 2010
9:10 am
The Other St. Simons: He might not misspell Jekyll if he had ever experienced the beauty of the Marshes of the Glynn.
Saint Augustine
January 15th, 2010
9:10 am
If Grantham was headed to georgia, you think at least ONE source in the Dalls media would have acknoledged it by now. O wait, maybe georgia and Grantham are trusting the dog nation to keep it under wraps until after they play the Vikings. Hahahahahahahahahahaha. You guys crack me up. Grantham is no more going to Athens than Smart did. It’s not worth the $750,000 they are offering even if it is the 3rd highest in the nation. $1.5 mil and you might get somebody good but only if you would allow them to live in Atlanta and commute to your cow tipper town.
Dawgie Bowser
January 15th, 2010
9:11 am
IT’S OVER! What in heavens name will we have to talk about?
NCDAWG
January 15th, 2010
9:11 am
I wonder if Grantham is the DC, would Travis Jones join him as an assistant?
The Other St. Simons
January 15th, 2010
9:12 am
Groh was holding out for unlimited supply of Ensure and Depends.
Tech Buzz
January 15th, 2010
9:12 am
5th or 6th choice, mediocre coach, worse than martinez??? Congrats Dawgs!!!! Tech will run all over his D this year in Athens–mark it down. Tech puts up 40+, again!!! It’s hard to be humble as a Tech Engineer!!!
The Grinch
January 15th, 2010
9:12 am
collegeballfan
January 15th, 2010
9:08 am
Garner could coach the defensive tackles and Grantham the defensive ends. I’ve heard he has approached Travis Jones to come as a positions coach, but that could just be speculation.
DSGB
January 15th, 2010
9:13 am
The NERD HERD is out in full force this morning. Your team didn’t exactly hire the most stellar of DC’s in the nation. See you next November between the hedges for your next beat down.
GMoney
January 15th, 2010
9:13 am
Should have hired Bob Shoop
GMoney
January 15th, 2010
9:13 am
Should have hired Bob Shoop
Techies and haters
January 15th, 2010
9:13 am
Everyone talking about Grantham need to know their facts, he eld an all-players meeting when romero crennel was rumored to get fired. It didn’t happen and Romeo fired him because of the insubordination…. Then got fired himself. the entire Cleveland staff was replaced after the 2007 season before jets boy came over.
All I know is, Donovan sure felt the pressure the last few weeks… If UGA can 1/10 of that kind of pressure next year our prayers will be answered.
Great job CMR!! Go Dawgs!
DogGoneGaDawg
January 15th, 2010
9:13 am
Correction: That’s Marshes of Glynn. No article necessary.
Jona
January 15th, 2010
9:13 am
Tech Buzz
tech couldn’t run over our two grad assistants. Put a cork in it.
I Run This State
January 15th, 2010
9:14 am
3-4 defense is the defense of the future…it’s how you stop the spread offense.
Can’t wait for next year!
The Other St. Simons
January 15th, 2010
9:14 am
Saint Augustine/St. Simons/$1.4 Million:
Hahahahahahahaha!!!!
Your offense couldn’t “hang” 35 yards on IOWA in 2 quarters!!!!
Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!
DogGoneGaDawg
January 15th, 2010
9:15 am
Tech Buzz: And who are you going to have running the ball? Did you not hear about those faithful departing for the NFL?
1eyedJack
January 15th, 2010
9:15 am
Live “IN” Atlanta? I’d rather live in an old farm house surrounded by homeless brain eating zombies. Oh wait….that practically describes the GT campus.
Saint Augustine
January 15th, 2010
9:15 am
The Grinch,
“I’ve heard he has approached Travis Jones to come as a positions coach, but that could just be speculation”.
Last week I heard “KIRBY SMART WILL BE NEXT DC, BANK IT!”
Dawg Fud
January 15th, 2010
9:16 am
Grantham seemed to be on Richt’s radar for the beginning so I don’t get the sense Richt is “settling” for Grantham. Here’s to hoping for a successful tenure at UGA.
GO DAWGS!
jerry
January 15th, 2010
9:17 am
Vegas odds: 10-1 they’ll f–k it up.
DogGoneGaDawg
January 15th, 2010
9:17 am
Oh, Tech Buzz: We got Caleb King and Washaun Ealey coming back! Now there’s a couple of backs who can take it to the house and still have enough time to stop by the Varsity for a couple of hotdogs! “Whataya have? Whataya have?
The Grinch
January 15th, 2010
9:18 am
Tech Buzz
January 15th, 2010
9:12 am
40+ points? Doubt it. Just to play it safe we’ll rename the UGA-tech game the State of Georgia Bowl because everyone knows tech can’t score much in, or even win, a bowl game. bWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Rheumatism
January 15th, 2010
9:18 am
aha…no one can just sit back and let the hire happen? once someone sneezes in UGA’s DC direction rumors start flying. can’t we wait till the, “i’m happy to be here in Athens, ever since i was a kid i always wanted to coach at Georgia.” press conference? last week people said Kirby was a done deal…it wasn’t.
Saint Augustine
January 15th, 2010
9:19 am
Dawg FuRd
“Grantham seemed to be on Richt’s radar for the beginning so I don’t get the sense Richt is “settling” for Grantham”.
NICE PLAY ON WORDS DUDE. MAKE YOURSELF FEEL BETTER ABOUT BEING TURNED DOWN 6 OTHER TIMES. HAHAHAHAHA
Groh a huge step forward for Georgia Tech | Jeff Schultz
January 15th, 2010
9:19 am
[...] comes on the heels of a report that Georgia has come to terms with Dallas Cowboys defensive line coach Todd Grantham to be its defensive coordinator. The Bulldogs are in a little different situation than the Yellow [...]
boots
January 15th, 2010
9:19 am
Great! Go Dawgs! Now, let’s hire some great assistants for the positions. Excited to have this done. We will be better coached than we were last year, and the future looks very bright in Athens.
The Other St. Simons
January 15th, 2010
9:19 am
Tennessee turned down by Duke and Air Force. They are aiming high. Who is next? Gardner-Webb, Weslyan, or Georgia Tech?
The Grinch
January 15th, 2010
9:20 am
Saint Augustine
January 15th, 2010
9:15 am
I’m not saying it will happen, I just passed along what I heard from a fairly reliable source. By the way, this source did not think Kirby was a “done deal”, nor is he David Pollack.
Cashless Clay
January 15th, 2010
9:20 am
Observer, u r brutal!
BigTimeTECHFan
January 15th, 2010
9:21 am
If it works out it’s a nice hire (higher?) for UGA – I’d take him over K Smart. Ithink UGA defense will improve under him, should be able to handle Kentucy next year but Jocker may be a good head coach, don’t know yet.
Dawgie Bowser
January 15th, 2010
9:21 am
I think Grantie is okay. But for heavens sake man, drop a few pounds and pull those britches up.
Flo-Ri-Duh!
January 15th, 2010
9:21 am
The UGALY truth is that the Cowboys are in the playoffs because of the DEFENSE. The UGALY truth is that UGA’s new DC was approached by Saban to be the Dophins DC and turned it down. Saban thinks he is good….. and that’s good enough for me. The talent (or lack of) at Cleveland was depleted…. and you can’t coach a pig to be a prize winning stallion.
Ron Mexico
January 15th, 2010
9:21 am
Wow, lots of jealous haters on this blog, I heard CPJ is going to hire someone soon too, I’m sure HE will be the answer for you guys lol. 30-24!
joop
January 15th, 2010
9:21 am
Please stop reporting this stuff until it’s official. This just give Dallas a chance to double Grantham’s salary.
Gator Bob
January 15th, 2010
9:22 am
ESPN: Cutcliffe to remain Duke’s coach
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4828327
The Vols are having a tough time.
Jona
January 15th, 2010
9:22 am
Saint Augustine
It’s called going after well qualified, well paid candidates to make yourself stronger while making your competition weaker. Tech settles for an antique just fired for not producing. Great hire.
hahahahahahahahahahahah
Dawg Fud
January 15th, 2010
9:22 am
NCDAWG,
i would bet that he brings reggie herring – LB’s coach of the cowboys with him
JESUP
January 15th, 2010
9:23 am
VIDEO…..Grantham breaking down game film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSsx-E7UEHc
Dawgie Bowser
January 15th, 2010
9:24 am
Markie promised to let us know when it happened. Has anyone heard from him yet?
The Other St. Simons
January 15th, 2010
9:24 am
Tech wanted to get a DC that was older than that POS car.
DogGoneGaDawg
January 15th, 2010
9:26 am
It’s funny, UT looks a lot like AL looked about four years ago. We shouldn’t relish too much in the Vol’s plight. They will not stay down long. And if they get Fulmer involved, well, we all remember how he would come into GA and rape the state of it’s top recruits.
Gator Bob
January 15th, 2010
9:26 am
ESPN: Groh to go with Yellow Jackets
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4828320
*
Saint Augustine
January 15th, 2010
9:26 am
jona,
Talk to me in a year dude. Groh is gonna coach not play. And he has a super bowl ring!