New LB coach ‘looking forward to’ competing ‘for SEC and national championships’
Warren Belin
The Georgia football team’s defensive coaching staff is whole again.
The final opening on the staff was filled this afternoon, when UGA coach Mark Richt hired Warren Belin from Vanderbilt as a linebackers coach.
The addition of Belin, following last month’s hires of Todd Grantham from the Dallas Cowboys as defensive coordinator and Scott Lakatos from Connecticut as defensive-backs coach, completed the makeover of a defensive staff that was decimated by Richt’s Dec. 2 firing of three assistants.
Belin is a 20-year coaching veteran who spent the past eight seasons as Vanderbilt’s linebackers coach. He also was Vandy’s recruiting coordinator the past two years and special-teams coordinator in 2006-07.
“I’m looking forward to the next step in my career with Coach Richt and the opportunity to compete for SEC and national championships,” Belin said in a statement late this afternoon.
A former Wake Forest football player (1987-90), Belin coached at SMU, William & Mary, Cornell and East Tennessee State before going to Vanderbilt, where his work drew Richt’s attention.
“Warren has had some of the best linebackers and tacklers in the league for years,” Richt said in a statement.
Richt added that when he and Grantham interviewed Belin, “we were very impressed with his knowledge of the game, schemes and fundamentals. He’s going to be a perfect mentor for our players as well.”
Belin will share the linebacker-coaching duties with Grantham, who plans to convert Georgia’s defensive alignment from a 4-3 to a 3-4, meaning three linemen and four linebackers rather than vice versa.
Grantham said last month that he will coach either the inside or outside linebackers with the final hire –- Belin -– coaching the other. Georgia didn’t announce their specific assignments today.
The linebacker position added a player earlier this week when Richt confirmed that Richard Samuel will move there in spring practice. Samuel was Georgia’s starting taiback at the start of last season but had fallen well behind Caleb King and Washaun Ealey at the position by season’s end.
Grantham, Lakatos and Belin join the only holdover on Georgia’s defensive staff, Rodney Garner, who will coach the linemen. Garner also is the recruiting coordinator.
“I look forward to working with Coach Grantham, Coach Garner and Coach Lakatos in installing the new defensive package,” Belin said. “My wife and family are excited about the opportunity to become part of the Athens community, Bulldog Nation and the great tradition at UGA.”
Belin and his wife, Yolanda, have three daughters: 7-year-old Camryn and 4-year-old twins Morgan and MacKenzi.
Please follow me on Twitter for the latest UGA news and notes.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
503 comments Add your comment
ARTC
February 6th, 2010
11:40 am
Louie “are you that stupid”?
hope
February 6th, 2010
11:42 am
We have some D coaches now! Great Hires for UGA!
go dawgs
Larry Munson at Clemson/GA. GAME
February 6th, 2010
11:42 am
OH MY THEY ARE CARRYING DANNY FORD OFF THE FIELD !!!!!
Real Munson at klemson/ GA. Game
February 6th, 2010
11:49 am
“Butler gonna try a long one” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT’S GOOD!! FELT SO DAMN GOOD ,HUH TIGERS.
Real Munson at klemson/ GA. Game
February 6th, 2010
11:52 am
” And we just hit Gibson over the middle and he just outrun Justin ( mr. speed ) Miller for a touchdown” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Final score
DAWGS 30
klem-son 0
Papadawg
February 6th, 2010
11:53 am
Vol Fans, now what was your record last year?
Meyer & Saban rejected by Grantham?
February 6th, 2010
11:53 am
I guess you guys heard, Grantham not only rejected Saban, Grantham also rejected Urban Meyer. That’s the word.
Louie
February 6th, 2010
11:55 am
artsie- easy now.
Got to go for now.
Lane Kiffin
February 6th, 2010
11:57 am
If anyone knows any really good 8 – 10 year old football players, have them contact me for a scholarship offer to USC. I figure we may be off probation by the time they get to college. I just love talking to young boys on the phone late at night after Layla has gone to be. Of course, we ONLY talk about football ( wink wink )
brucemac
February 6th, 2010
11:57 am
Dawgs are 38 and 17 against Tigers and much worse than that lately. It ain’t even a good rivalry. We have to listen to crap from the Gators as appropriate. But Clemson, Please. You do not play big boy football, stay in your sissy league and go to Duke and Maryland web site where you actually have something to talk about.
Saban Faithful
February 6th, 2010
11:59 am
dont know about Meyer,but grantham never in the equasion at BAMA.
Try your lies elsewhere.
Go to Go Gators.com and see if they believe.
Diamond Dog's Parole Officer
February 6th, 2010
12:02 pm
So, if Urban wins his 3rd NC, then UGA fans will concede that he’s a great coach. But if Richt doesn’t win a NC but averages 10 wins per year, then he’s a great coach?
We’re fixin’ to be national champs! Book It. woofwoofwoofwoofwoof
Can't Stop the 2010 Dawgs
February 6th, 2010
12:04 pm
Gonna be hard to stop the Dawgs in 2010. The Dawgs have too many proven weapons.
TE- Charles & White both average over 15 yards a catch
WR- Green- 16 yards a catch, Wooten and T. King- 20 yards a catch
RB- C. King 5.2 ypc, Ealey 5.8 yards per carry
Wildcat- Branden Smith averages 12 yards a carry
O-Line- returns all5 starters, with depth at every position
QB- Murray & Mason Parade All-Americans, Zach & Gray top 10 ranked QB’s
Kick returns- Boykin and Smith both proven barn burners
Punter- All-Amercian
Kicker- Hit 4 out of 5 from 50+ yards, only missed 3 field goals in 2009
brucemac
February 6th, 2010
12:05 pm
Saban tried to hire Grantham when he went back to Bama from Miami. That is a fact and Saban even said so. Smart and Muschamp (Saban’s boys) recommended Grantham as the best to CMR. Never heard Myer offered because I don’t think UF would pay him like UGA, doesn’t sound right to me.
Danny Ford
February 6th, 2010
12:05 pm
brumac
You quit playing us remember.
Go back in time,AD Dooley wanted off because another blimish each year would hurt too much.
Go look at your calendar,we meet again in 2013.
CLEMSO…N going up, georgia going down.
FLA DAWG
February 6th, 2010
12:08 pm
This is a Super Hire. This guy is a proven success. He brings that success to our LBs and Special Teams AND HE ADDS to recruiting…………………………………………………now, about Bobo.
Paddy
February 6th, 2010
12:09 pm
Has Clemson hired a head coach yet?
brucemac
February 6th, 2010
12:13 pm
Yea, that is close. How did Ford end his career at Clemson? Real class program, huh?
The Wreck Effect
February 6th, 2010
12:14 pm
Cant stop 2010 doggies?
Are you fricking kidding me.?Are you 8 or 9 years old or what, Red shirted qb’s and long lost Logan (top ten rated)
No you cant stop a doggie. He isnt moving to start with. What a moran.
Diamond Dog's Parole Officer
February 6th, 2010
12:17 pm
Speaking of class programs, does the name Jim Harrick ring any bells?
Who was the coach during the Jan Kemp era? Oh yeah, V. Dooley. And he was rewarded by getting the AD position.
UGA… Klassy with a K.
Danny Ford
February 6th, 2010
12:19 pm
come on son, how many more NC’S have you won than CLEMSON?
Out recruit us every year, don’t you.
Here’s a trivia question for you.
Name the youngest coach to EVER win a NC.
I’ll be here waiting on your answer.
brucemac
February 6th, 2010
12:23 pm
Diamond, nice try. Jan Kemp, really. She sued because she was fired. She claimed Dawgs had tutors and help from teachers. Now there is some real news in NCAA football. So, you think your program doesn’t help the players? Jim Harrick is another matter, he was scum bag and I don’t see any Dawgs on here bragging about how great he was. See the difference, probably not, huh?
josh
February 6th, 2010
12:27 pm
GO DAWGS
Danny Ford
February 6th, 2010
12:32 pm
WAITING ON YOU brumac
Up on Ol Rocky Top
February 6th, 2010
12:37 pm
I think Clemson’s program is further along than Ga.’s right now.
Dabo is a very good recruiter and will do well in time.
They will overcome Georgia Tech and win the ACC championship.
Gator's Brantley = Zero Experience
February 6th, 2010
12:38 pm
Brantley has 28 passes of experience.
Grantham will toast him.
Florida’s QB Zero advantage over Georgia’s.
SUPER DAWG
February 6th, 2010
12:39 pm
Goldtimer, go post on a tech board, you can probably be first! No one wants to hear your negative comments here anymore. You are such a LOSER. Dawgs are going to blow tech’s doors off again in TEN!
brucemac
February 6th, 2010
12:42 pm
Danny, sorry didn’t think that justified an answer, mythical NC are not the only thing to me. If that makes you happy, be happy. We have 2 Mythical NC. Conference championships that are earned on the field, we have 14. Bowl victories earned on the field we have 24. All time victories earned on the field we are number 11. Enough said, go back to Duke web site please.
Grantham Rejects Saban
February 6th, 2010
12:45 pm
Chris Low, of ESPN, reported that Grantham rejected Saban. Absolutely true.
As Chris Low reports, Saban has brought Grantham in for years to teach his defensive coach.
http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/8165/richt-zeroing-in-on-cowboys-grantham
Blunder Dawg
February 6th, 2010
12:46 pm
So it took this freakin long to hire a coach from Vandy? You got to be kidding me? I guess the purse strings became really tight after Damon’s Big Raise to hire this clown. The program once again has dipped!
Danny Ford
February 6th, 2010
12:51 pm
bumac.
Iguess i’ll answer the trivia question for you,son.
I was, and still am the youngest coach to EVER win a NC.
How was 1981 mythical ???
Go back to Vandy web site and get worked up, ok son.
xtenshun
February 6th, 2010
12:56 pm
Congratulations to the Dawgs lead by Coach Richt for their latest hire, Coach Belin. It’s so easy to caught up in the nonsense of writers and their target audiences of dolts, who together create the nonsense and trouble needed to create interest and circulation. You can’t always compare your program to others based on the occasional blip in wins/losses. How many Kiffinesque (and the obvious others)programs would have targeted a coach at Vandy and been willing to wait until AFTER Vandy’s recruiting was solidified to hire away that important cog in Vandy’s process. This is a telling and only small sample of the integrity and honor Coach Richt and his staff brings to UGA. All is well at our school and consistency is generally a good thing when managed by the right person. I would not trade the leadership at our program for any of the Kiffin, Saban, Carrol, Petrinos etc of the world. We will have a solid to really good year this year, be back playing in a New Years Day type bowl and all will be good. As a fan, be proud of our players and coaches ( and future recruits ). Go Dawgs!
UGA's 2 QB's Both Better Than Florida's Brantley
February 6th, 2010
12:57 pm
Georgia:
Murray- 4000 yards, 51 td’s (25% better than Brantely)
Mason- 4500 yards, 55 td’s (40% better than Brantley)
Florida:
Brantley 2800 yards, 41 td’s
Georgia's Percy Harvin?
February 6th, 2010
1:02 pm
Branden Smith was ranked the #1 athlete by rivals.com, #1 fastest DB. If he doesn’t get 10 touches on offense every game, Bobo should be fired.
brucemac
February 6th, 2010
1:02 pm
I forgot, there was a 16 team playoff system in 1981. How stupid am I? Thanks for the education Dad, you are the smartest guy I know.
4WhatIt'sWorth
February 6th, 2010
1:11 pm
Up on Ol Rocky Top’
What are you doing up there? Smoking weed or drinking white lightening?
ECB
February 6th, 2010
1:11 pm
All of you that bash his recruiting of coaches and players, will be the same ones saying what a great job he has done. I am willing to bet that maybe one or two of you played college football, the rest of you “Al Bundys” should just shut the hell up! Go Dawgs
Louie
February 6th, 2010
1:14 pm
Well, I’m back, where do I start.
jackhammer, where the hell are you???
Get back in here.
TO extenshun…
Alittle too much kool-aid, don’t you think.
cmr could care LESS about Vandy;’s recruiting class when he made his hire.
This is war we are talking about.Did he care about U Conn’s recruit’s when he made that hire??
Hell no and this hire is no different,
Forget about New Year’s Day bowls
Louisianna in December is quite nice, don’t you agree??
STILL L M F A O
Be back later…………….
Ray Goof days are here again !!
February 6th, 2010
1:15 pm
Wow back to the 90’s for the 2010 era. Shreveport, hiring fiasco ,recruiting fiasco and a coach from Vandy. Oh and UGA fans kidding themselves like South Carolina fans. ROTFLMAO !!!!!!!!
UGA'S 2 NEW QB'S
February 6th, 2010
1:18 pm
WE AINT SNIFFED THE FIELD YET , BUT WE GONNA BE GOOD. BOO BOO STILL TELLIN US THAT.
UGA'S 2 NEW QB'S
February 6th, 2010
1:23 pm
AND WE GOT TO FACE FLA., KY., S.C., GT.,AU., AND VANDY TOO??
HOLY ROTTEN SOCKS BATMAN !!
AND THERES TENN. AND GOD KNOWS WHO ELSE ??
jasont
February 6th, 2010
1:26 pm
Seriously, you people crack me up. If you think hiring a guy from a school that normally has a horrible record is any indiacation oh where the program is then you need to look no further than Tennessee. They swung and missed on Cutcliffe who didn’t want to leave Duke, thats right the whipping boy of the ACC. Strike two, swung and missed on Troy Calhoun from Air Force a usual 7 or 8 win team each year. And had to settle on a coach who hasn’t been in the running for any high profile jobs and had a loosing record in the WAC where there is one good team (Boise State). Hiring a LB’s coach who consistantly has his players in position, has them knowing their assignments and gets the max effort out of them is bad. Tells everyone how un-knowledeable you are about football.
Leave Vandy Alone
February 6th, 2010
1:26 pm
I just think its funny that a Clemson fan would even try to criticize the Georgia program. wow. How many BCS bowls have you been to lately? How many 10 win seasons do you have as of late? Oh and keep making fun of Shreveport Tech fans because I saw you playing on that blue field a couple years ago, and I saw you lose your first BCS bowl in 50 years, and I saw you get blown out by LSU. So, until you can win get to a bowl game and actually win then you should probably keep quiet because the team we blew out in Shreveport almost beat the Longhorns who almost beat Bama.
brucemac
February 6th, 2010
1:26 pm
To say we are gonna be great is just as stupid as saying we are going to be bad. As usual, we will be good, how good depends on QB play and injuries. I suspect 10 wins, but my opinion is no better than yours. Can’t wait to see the new defense, proven running game and AJ back healthy.
Bring Back Tubby
February 6th, 2010
1:27 pm
How has UGA stooped to such a lowly state of mire ? Vandy ???? I thought the Wac job was bad enough….. LOL !!!!!!!
Danny Ford
February 6th, 2010
1:27 pm
bumac
Glad we understand each other,son.
Your mother and me had a time raising you.
You almost drowned in Lake Hartwell when you were 4 years old.
jasont
February 6th, 2010
1:27 pm
Hey UGA’s 2 news QB’s if Aaron Murray wasn’t the real deal then why was Urban Meyer riding his jock in high school and was at his high school every week trying to get the kid to change his mind and sign with Florida?
Leave Vandy Alone
February 6th, 2010
1:28 pm
Jason T. SHUT UP! Have you not read anything that has been said about this guy?
Bring Back Tubby
February 6th, 2010
1:29 pm
HEY Jasont…. 45 – 19 remember dude?????
Ghost of Phil Fulmer
February 6th, 2010
1:29 pm
UT just hired Chuck Smith (former Falcon) to be the Defensive Line Coach. He is yet ANOTHER Georgia boy who sees the rise in Tennessee football. Yes, Chuck did play at UT.