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.
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503 comments Add your comment
THWGT
February 6th, 2010
8:00 pm
PLEASE GT FANS ON A UGA BLOG>>> TELL ME WHAT AS A FOOTBALL PROGRAM HAS GT DONE IN THE LAST 10 YEARS TO COMPARE TO UGA FOOTBALL.
AltamahaDawg
February 6th, 2010
8:00 pm
Guy wears a Tilley, and has a set of twins. My kind of fellow.
Tech Buzz
February 6th, 2010
8:48 pm
Another strange, mediocre hire for mark richt–he must be getting desperate after all these rejections by top coaches. Vanderbilt??????
Bring Back Tubby
February 6th, 2010
8:49 pm
Dawgs blew a 10 point lead on Vandy. vandy must be ticked about hiring their coach.. Bwahahahahah !!!!
Tech Buzz
February 6th, 2010
8:51 pm
This vandy coach may be “looking forward” to competing for SEC and national titles, but he will not see one while he’s at UGA. He should have taken a job with bama or florida, the only 2 teams that will be winning any titles in the SEC for awhile.
Gator in the Hootch
February 6th, 2010
8:55 pm
Hey phrase man….at least if you are going to rant about your DC taking Brantley apart…at least get Brantley’s career stats right….
54 completions in 76 attempts
.71% completion rate
645 yards
3 TDs
1 Int
178.50 passer rating
8.45 yards per pass
Not chump change phrase man….what are Murray’s and Gray’s career stars by the way???
Aaron Murray--Peerless QB
February 6th, 2010
10:17 pm
4000 yards passing
51 td’s passing
11 td’s rushing
62 td’s
In one year.
Aaron Murray--Peerless QB
February 6th, 2010
10:22 pm
Murray had 56 scholarship offers.
UGA QB Mason Crushes Fla QB Brantley
February 6th, 2010
10:24 pm
Mason 4500 yards passing, 55 td’s, 72% completion rate
Brantley 2800 yards passing, 41 td’s, 64% completion rate
Aaron Murray--Peerless QB
February 6th, 2010
10:28 pm
Dual Threat—Brantley can’t Run
Not only did Murray outhrow Brantely in TD’s and Passing yards, Murray ALSO RAN for 900 yards and 11 more td’s.
Total of 62 td’s.
In one year
That’s why 50% of Div-1 colleges offered Aaron Murray a scholarship.
Washaun Ealey- Peerless RB
February 6th, 2010
10:33 pm
Ealey ran for 8100 yards and scored 133 td’s in High School.
In one year, 2900 yards, 55 td’s.
High School Player of the Year.
Vandy Grad
February 6th, 2010
10:39 pm
A BIG THANKS to UGA for taking our spot as the cellar dwellar of the SEC…..you really earned it. Also thanks for taking one of our coaches! LMAO @ UGA
termigator
February 6th, 2010
10:41 pm
Yea unfortunately Murray and Ealey play for Bobo and Richt, losers to KY and Vandy at home.
ga gator
February 6th, 2010
10:42 pm
Vandy has always overachieved compared to the Defensive talent they have had. Probably a good hire.
FL DAWG
February 6th, 2010
11:22 pm
We took Vandys coach and beat them down on the hard court. Great game and hire.
MESSENGER
February 7th, 2010
1:16 am
Exactly, AthDog.
Here we are coming off 3 of the last 4 seasons now which most of us Bulldog fans feel have been huge disappointments to our players and to us, and our fan blog writer Bill King wants to talk about whom it is we can put a statue up for.
2006 was certainly no fun with losses to Vanderbilt, Florida again, Tennessee again, and Kentucky again. If you are not hugely disappointed by that, there is nothing that you are embarrassed by in life. We lost 3 games against the 5 SEC East opponents. 2-3 Record in our own Division of our own Conference. We certainly are not on any national stage with a performance like that.
2008 was certainly no fun giving up 30, 42, & 29 consecutive points in losses to Georgia tek, Alabama again, and Florida again. You just might recall we started that season ranked Number 1 in the Polls. Then, stunk up the stadium offensively and defensively and on special teams allowing opponents to rack up 30, 42 and 29 consecutive points. We became the laughing stock of college football not because we lost to 2 SEC teams that everyone but us knew were better coached teams than our own, but because of the manner in which we just gave up allowing more than 4 consecutive touchdowns against both, and then to top off our first Number 1 Ranking ever in the Polls to begin a season, in the last regular season game, we went out yet again against a team no one had ranked a single time all year long at our own house ‘Tween the Hedges and let lowly unranked Georgia tek score 29 consecutive points against us and we lost to Georgia tek at Sanford Stadium. I see no statues for this season, either. Without the win over UGA, Georgia tek certainly gets ranked by no one in the Final Polls and probably should not have been anyway.
2009 was even worse. Sure, we lost to Florida again, lost to LSU again, lost to Okie State who even Houston beat but not us, lost to Tennessee again, and lost to Kentucky again. But, just how in the name of God can we look and see that Tennessee and Kentucky both went 7-6 on the season and that both have a losing record on the season were it not for their wins over us, and not view ourselves in Decline as we most assuredly are.
2010 frankly on the Offensive Side of the Ball, has started out again hugely disappointing to all Bulldog fans and players, and believe it or not but even Coach Richt said he was hugely disappointed in our recruiting failings on offense this past Wednesday. Coach Richt blamed his disappointment on us fans saying that the reason we recruited only 2 injured offensive players is that we had to replace his defensive coaching staff. If we remain true to form 2010 and there is no one who feels we will not with yet another season of not having prepared a QB with only 3 freshmen QB (Just how does a team do that to itself?), and all the fumbles, all the interceptions and all the penalties this football program produces nowadays, this has certainly at least started out hugely disappointing to all amongst us but the DISNEYdawg.
This could be 4 of the last 5 years viewed by the nation as hugely disappointing to Georgia Bulldogs in football.
And, the 1 year that was not of the last 5 ?
2007 when we started the season with not just Conference losses, but Division losses to knock us out of any hope of making it to the SEC Championship. On Offense, we put up 12 against South Carolina and followed that up with putting up only 14 against Tennessee. South Carolina, you may recall did not even play in a bowl game. 6 losses South Carolina had in 2006, just like Tennessee and Kentucky 6 losses this season just ended – that’s how bad South Carolina was 2007. Loss to South Carolina and for good measure a total blow-out by Tennessee again 35-14.
We are in Decline folks, with a stubborn head coach who bragged this time last year that he would not be replacing Willie Martinez nor Mike Bobo. Or anyone else for that matter on his coaching staff of ninnies.
We have issues on offense and clearly not being able to evaluate talent is right up there at the top of the list.
Now, as a result, the recruits themselves do not want to play on this Mike Bobo no fun offense because they see the way we have squandered our offensive talent, played favorites, and looked absolutely miserable.
We have a losing record All-Time to Tennessee, losing record All-Time to Alabama, losing record All-Time to Auburn, losing record All-Time to LSU, losing record All-Time to Nebraska, losing record All-Time to Penn State, losing record All-time to Pittsburgh, losing record All-Time to Southern California, losing record All-Time to Texas, losing record All-Time to Texas A&M, and a losing record All-Time to Wake Forest, losing record All-Time to Arizona, losing record All-Time to West Virginia, and I do believe with 17 losses the last 20 years to Florida that we are just not the football program the fans of this program would like to come in here and paint us as.
Statues ? The only stinking statues that need to be put up around here are for the fans who try to put some spin on all this the last 5 years, since DJ Shockley graduated with Honors, and find that UGA has been better than Florida to name but one.
I’d like to do something about it. There are others who feel that they instead are way more than just satisfied. Let’s erect a statue to them, the DISNEYdawg fans.
Buckhead Bulldog
February 7th, 2010
6:44 am
MESSENGER: Thanks for the copy/paste of your rant on Bill Kings Junkyard Blawg. What makes you think anyone wants to read your SOS once, much less twice?
If you have contributed to the GEEF, then write a letter to Damon Evans if UGA Fottball really causes you so much pain. More than likely, you probably attend zero games or maybe just one big game per year?
You only write about how bad Richt is. Well then, who do YOU suggest could do a better job?
Waiting………..you never seem to want to answer that question. Waiting………………..
S.E. Dawg
February 7th, 2010
9:01 am
MESSENGER: At least give the new coaching staff a chance to see what they can do before you write the team off this year. Being you’re so pessimistic about UGA football I suggest finding another team. Another thought, give CMR a call and see if you can join the coaching staff and show them how to coach. I know we are only fans but what can you do as a fan to help instead of b!tching and moaning.
AltamahaDawg
February 7th, 2010
9:03 am
…….speaking of things that embarass Dawg fans. #39
BAMA MAN
February 7th, 2010
9:10 am
Coon Dog you could look at that another way and say that Georgia has won 2 SEC championships in the last 25 years. That would be a bit more accurate.
Murray & Ealey: The Peerless Pair
February 7th, 2010
9:11 am
If you add up the yards and td’s from both of their Junior years, it looks like this:
2900 + 5000 = 7500 yards of offense
55 + 62 = 117 td’s
That’s from one year.
We also have Murray’S TE from High School, AJ Green, Wooten, Charles, C. King, an O-Line full of top 10 ranked guys 3 deep at every position.
Louie
February 7th, 2010
9:19 am
Well, where do I start.
Still looking for jackhammer, you need to get in here.
Messenger makes good points as always, just a little too long.
Hard to believe he is a true doggie, but maybe he is however.
He sure stays up late at night,my God does he ever sleep?
Time for the mutt writers to change the subject.
Old news is no news,you know.
Will be back later today.
Oh, what ever happened to Louie Jr??
Maybe he just went away. FOR GOOD.
jackhammer, get your arse in here.
STILL L M F A O
Tim
February 7th, 2010
9:21 am
First!
Tim
February 7th, 2010
9:21 am
hahahahaha
Georgia's Percy Harvin?
February 7th, 2010
9:24 am
Can’t wait to see Branden Smith in 2010. #1 ranked athlete by rivals.com He reminds me of Percy Harvin when you watch him run. Fastest guy clocked in Georgia.
Branden alone could help Georgia win the Natl Champ, so could Ealey, so could Murray, so could AJ or Wooten.
Murray & Gray, as dual threat sppedsters, present all kinds of problems for defenses.
Gator in the Hootch
February 7th, 2010
9:25 am
Opps…sorry phrase man…I thought you were talking about what the two QBs have actually DONE in college!!! High school is over, dude.
Gator in the Hootch
February 7th, 2010
9:27 am
Really…Brandon Smith the same as Percy Harvin. Dude, you need to go take a sedative to help you with your uncontrolled imagination.
UGA Best 2 TE's in Amercia?
February 7th, 2010
9:28 am
If you look at Georgia’s 2 te’s, both were ranked #1 or #2 coming out of High School. Both are averaging over 15 yards a catch for Georgia. I’d say we have the best 2 te’s, the best proven pair, in the NCAA. Linebackers just cannot match-up with these 2 guys.
Tim
February 7th, 2010
9:29 am
I agree with Gator in the Hootch – Percy was a special talent, one that only comes around every so often. Branden is good, but not in Percy’s league.
Old Coach
February 7th, 2010
9:29 am
Messenger— Why in the world would you even consider following a pathetic football team like UGA?? I think you would be so valuable being a head coach on the college level and I am sure you would win the NC every year! Sir, you are the biggest idiot I have ever seen . PLEASE find another team to fix.
Best punter/Kicker Combo
February 7th, 2010
9:30 am
Georgia also has the best punter/kicker combo:
All-American Punter.
Kicker only missed 2 field goals in 2009, 4 out of 5 from 50+ yards.
UGA's WR's Rock the House!
February 7th, 2010
9:32 am
If you look at guys like Grren, Wooten, and T. King, all are averging over 16 yards a catch for Georgia. Add Marlon Brown into the mix, the #2 ranked WR coming out of High School, and Georgia has one of the best WR sets in Amercia. Speed, height, productivity, we have it all.
dawgfan
February 7th, 2010
10:28 am
Branden Smith doesn’t get injured every time someone hits him or the wind blows hard. You’re right, he is nothing like Percy Harvin.
If I made a list of the most overrated players in the SEC over the past 10 years ole Percy would be near the top. A good player? Of course, but he was never the game changer he was always made out to be. Urban Meyer drew up some good plays to take advantage of his open field abilities, but most of the time he was a non-factor. Look at his game to game stats. There were several where you wouldn’t even have known he was on the field. Please shut up about Percy Harvin. Thanks.
Snoop Dawg
February 7th, 2010
10:30 am
Sounds like the Bulldog Nation has a solid defensive coaching staff now. All we need now is a head coach and offensive coaching staff. Get rid of Da Preacha Man and Bozo and return to Glory!
Snoop Dawg
February 7th, 2010
10:37 am
Buckhead Bulldog, I just saw your mindless response to Messenger’s well written summary of history as an objective person sees it. You my friend are hallucinating. You are indeed an idiot…
Snoop Dawg
February 7th, 2010
10:40 am
SE Dawg, I’m calling you out too. You don’t own UGA. Shut up. You evidently are ok with staying drunk on Koolaid while our gabled football history atrophies into the dregs. Messenger is right, and for those who really care you need to demand a new head coach and offensive coordinator. Otherwise, it will just get worse because the recruits and high school coaches have figured Richt’s scam out…
Blind Homers Club
February 7th, 2010
10:44 am
Buckhead is a homer. Wants fans who point out UGA’s shortcomings to pull for other teams. This dude is the type of fan who would have kept Ray Goof as coach.
Blind Homers Club
February 7th, 2010
10:55 am
Snoop Dawg it is agreed….Mr. Vacation Bible School is asleep at the wheel. The hiring fiasco along with this years recruiting fiasco has been a colossal joke in the CFB world. CMR and Bozo needs to cut the crap on being loyal to upperclassmen and put the BEST players on the field. Todd Grantham has told CMR that he wants the BEST on the field because he already knew that this was a weak link at UGA.
GaGator
February 7th, 2010
10:56 am
dawgfan
You may be the biggest homer fool I have read in any blog. Percy Harvin, “he’s no
game changer, he’s overrated” yeah right. He was only a first round NFL draft choice, was offensive rookie of the year and was named All-Pro, but he can’t play a lick.
He made your heroes Stafford and Moreno look down right pedestrian. When you know nothing you nee to STFU.
Buckhead Bulldog
February 7th, 2010
12:01 pm
Okay Snoop Dawg and Blind Homers Club, who would you suggest be the HC and DC for the Dogs?
I do agree with you, Blind Homers Club , on Bobo. Something needs to be done there….see I’m not a blind homer. My objection to MESSENGER = BuLLdawg on the Bill King Dawg Blawg is that all he does is critize without ever giving a valid solution.
And Snoop Dawg…speaking of mindless, you said nothing. You just ranted with your hang over.
“Well written”? Really? Did you read his response? It did not even apply to the topic ” New LB coach ‘looking forward to’ competing ‘for SEC and national championships’” Go read the TOPIC and then MESSENGER’s rant, and then tell me who the idiot is. Go pound some sand, piker.
Georgia's Percy Harvin?
February 7th, 2010
12:32 pm
You’re right, I checked it out, and Branden Smith is averaged 4 yasrds MORE per carry than Percy.
Percy isn’t in Branden Smith’s league.
Diamond Dog's Parole Officer
February 7th, 2010
12:49 pm
I can’t pull for M. Brown… He did the same thing to UT that Da’Rick did to us. But wait a minute, I can b/c Brwon is a DAWG and he wants to be here! woofwoofwoofwoofwoofwoof
Georgia's Percy Harvin?
February 7th, 2010
12:52 pm
Here’s a run Branden Smith, 4.25 speed in the 40, did against an excellent defense–South Carolina. I’d like to see Smith be used on offense like Percy–10 runs a game.
Branden’s 61 Yard blaze td against South Carolina:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrkqD1dC-C0&feature=related
.
February 7th, 2010
1:04 pm
Diamond Dog’s Parole Officer
Thta works for me : )
Louie Jr.
February 7th, 2010
1:06 pm
Taking the day off from showing what kind of I D I O T you truly are, and just laughing at your post, jackhammer jacker.
Ealey & King Best RB Combo
February 7th, 2010
1:06 pm
Our two RB’s have to be the best 1-2 punch in college football.
Ealey and King are both averaging over 5 yards a carry as a pair, over 200 yards a game in the last 5 games.
Video highlights from Ga Tech game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-zZ_qIJ3aQ&feature=related
Buckhead Bulldog
February 7th, 2010
1:39 pm
Ealey & King Best RB Combo: I agree, and hope BimBobo realizes that. You can always tell when Richt is calling plays for the O.
Preston
February 7th, 2010
1:52 pm
Vanderbilt has been playing MUCH better the past several years while this guy has been there. Everyone with a brain knows it’s not easy to win at Vandy and this guy has helped them play respectable football up there. He was their recruiting coordinator too. Looks like a great hire to me. Go Dawgs!
Preston
February 7th, 2010
1:56 pm
If Bobo doesn’t utilize the RB tandem adequately this year, his ass will be looking for a job just like Martinez was. I’m sure he won’t make the same mistakes that he did this past season. Ealey is a beast and King FINALLY started showing why he was a five star recruit toward the end of last season. Can’t wait to watch the Dawgs run AND throw wild on people this year.
Real Dawg
February 7th, 2010
2:01 pm
Murray > Brantley
UGA D > Florida D
Result: Big Dawg win in 2010—-mark it down!