UGA assistant coach leaves for NFL
Warren Belin is leaving the Georgia football coaching staff after just one season for the NFL.
Belin, the Bulldogs’ inside linebackers coach, has resigned to accept a position as a defensive assistant coach with the Carolina Panthers, UGA senior associate athletic director Claude Felton confirmed.
Belin, 43, joined the Georgia staff in February 2010 from Vanderbilt, where he coached linebackers for eight years. A native of Marshville, N. C., and a graduate of Wake Forest, Belin has 20 years of college coaching experience, also having worked at Cornell, East Tennessee State, William & Mary and SMU.
“Warren made some outstanding contributions to our team and program in his year with us,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said in a statement Thursday night, “and we wish him the very best in his new role with the Panthers.”
In addition to coaching inside linebackers at Georgia, Belin was in charge of the Bulldogs’ kickoff coverage unit, which ranked first in the SEC last season.
Belin joined the Georgia staff two days after last year’s national signing day and departed one day after this year’s signing day. Georgia signed three inside linebackers Wednesday: Amarlo Herrera of College Park (North Clayton High School), Kent Turene of Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., and Ramik Wilson of Tampa.
– Tim Tucker, UGA Blog
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233 comments Add your comment
npgator
February 4th, 2011
8:10 am
I hope he was involved in the recruitment of John Jenkins who will announce tomorrow.
NFL knows
February 4th, 2011
8:15 am
Yet one more indication that UGA is where it’s at in football. They know our players are great, and therefore UGA has tons of NFL players, and with this move, it validates our coaches too. Been a great UGA week so far. Basketball in Bud Walton Arena went our way too!!!
No haters, you cannot have it both ways. You say that the NFL is THE indicator of a school’s worthiness, so now they go after our coaches too. Another fabulous validation of UGA football.
Frankly, any numbnuts knows that it is good to have coaches coming and going. It keeps it fresh and with that, you bring in more new talent and ideas. It is ALSO a compliment to CMR as he hired Belin.
Go Dogs!!
dawgster
February 4th, 2011
8:23 am
Beast from the East and others…i guess if the shoe was on the other foot as some say, i would probably feel the say way, but from the info that i have heard and found, the UGA staff knew nothing of this unitl Thurs…Evidently this happened quickly based on the new coaching staff at Carolina and his previous working relationship with the new DC…Belin is from that area and went to school at Wake Forest, so he has alot of ties in the area…Its also an NFL job and i’m sure a pretty good pay increase…with that being said i can understand the negative comments that are coming based on the timing, i’m not too happy about it, but as i said from what has been reported neither Coach Richt or the UGA staff was aware of this until Thurs…I’m sure more will come out on this, so i will reserve judgement unitil more facts are known, but if he knew this before hand i think he should have been upfront with the kids that he was involved directly with….as for the question regarding John Jenkins recruitment…Coach Todd Grantham and Coach Garner are the ones involved in his recruitment…go dawgs
kydawg
February 4th, 2011
8:24 am
Will be missed as much for his KO coverage team as anything,,,they were #1 in the SEC and #15 national…that has to hurt
Destin Dawg
February 4th, 2011
8:31 am
Good for Warren… a great coach and a good guy… best of luck in the NFL…
NFL knows also......
February 4th, 2011
8:31 am
That in the last few years our players have been out of shape…… see Jeff Owens.
dawgster
February 4th, 2011
8:36 am
Additional info regarding Belin’s leaving can be found in several souces, if you want to know more about his sudden departure…Coach Grantham is the OLB’s coach and could just assume the responsibilities until a decison is made on how they proceed….Coach Grantham was the main recruiter with our new LB commits, however Coach Belin was involved…It appears that from the statements being given, that the coaching staff was caught off guard with this, so if you feel you have to put blame, then it should go to Coach Belin if he kept this under his hat…I’m sure the exact details will come out on how this came about so quickly…Hey, but all the dawgs haters, don’t worry, the replacement coach will be a good one, you can count on that…go dawgs
trey
February 4th, 2011
8:39 am
Why doesn’t BooBoo ever get a call?
dawgster
February 4th, 2011
8:43 am
Good Luck Coach Belin…you did a fantastic job with the special teams and represented UGA well…I wish your timing had been different but you have to do whats best for you and your family…I’m sure Coach Richt will take some heat for this, unfairly due to the pure timing after recruiting.. And to other dawg fans, be ready for the backlash from the blog trolls we will get hammered over this, i;m sure it will be thrown back at us as having said some of the same things when this happened with other programs so just take it with a grain of salt…..go dawgs
NFL also knows......
February 4th, 2011
8:46 am
That UGA is a sinking ship
It's the NFL!!!
February 4th, 2011
8:49 am
Congratulations to Coach Belin! He is 43 and he is not getting any younger so if he desires to work in the NFL or get a higher profile college job he needed to make a move now. I think there will be some more moves on the coaching staff before Spring practice. Thankfully, everyone stayed together and kept the recruiting class in tact before the moves were made.
It's the NFL!!!
February 4th, 2011
8:53 am
By “higher profile” I meant a coordinator’s job or head coach.
frannie T mae......
February 4th, 2011
8:57 am
UGA really now has a huge debt in their coaching with the departure of Belin.
Close the deal!
February 4th, 2011
8:58 am
Jenkins was being recruited primarily by Coach Gratham from what I understand. Grantham was in-home with Jenkins when Rome and Mitchell announced with Bobo in the audience.
robodawg
February 4th, 2011
8:59 am
Belin was a promising assistant. The improvement in kickoff coverage was pretty dramatic. These are big shoes to fill.
Jerry Seymour
February 4th, 2011
9:00 am
UGA fans are not seeing the real picture, coach’s are leaving because of one thing. They know that Richt’s, on his way out, one more season an that’s it. The new AD is going to bring in his on coach, that will be Dan Mullin.
I was told this bit of infro from a very large supporter at UGA, he said out with the preacher, in with a coach that knows how to bring back discipline to UGA.
dawgster
February 4th, 2011
9:11 am
@Jerry Seymore…yeah i guess you are right…thats why Coach Richt has received dozens of phone calls and resume’s for the OL line coaching positon….Coach Belin takes a shot at the NFL which will lood good on his resume….he is only 43 years old….also he’s is from that area and went school at Wake Forest, so he has alot of contacts and family in the area…I guess that is why we had a top ten recruiting class this year, due to the “sinking ship”…Its fans like you that are never happy, but you can sit behind a computer and spew out absurd remarks just to make yourself lood good or actually llke you really know something…You want to know the “Real Picture”…go find a team to support since you have such disgust for the dawgs…Thank goodness that our AD knows what he is doing and i can assure he will do what is best for UGA…Why not support the team and our coaches and then next season we will see where we are…I’m sure you are one of the ones that will be quick to get on here when we have a very good or great year, and say, hey i was with you all alone…just unbelievable how some are never happy….go dawgs
ga gator
February 4th, 2011
9:14 am
At least he waited until after signing day to leave. UF’s recruiting coordinator/RB coach left to Oh St 4 days before signing day and took 2 4-star recruits with him.
dawgfan
February 4th, 2011
9:14 am
I’m with the haters on this one. Assistants are looking elsewhere because they don’t know if their boss will be around a year from now. I bet being part of a fired coaching staff doesn’t exactly look good on a resume, fairly or unfairly. I don’t think it says anything about how they feel about Richt and his ability to turn things around. There is just some uncertainty there and they’ve got to do what’s best for them and their families.
Now, could someone PLEASE take Bobo off of our hands? 4 full years as OC and nobody is calling for his services. It doesn’t even appear tha mid majors and ACC teams are all that interested, but we’re supposed to win a championship with this guy calling the ball plays? Its laughable.
ga gator
February 4th, 2011
9:17 am
dawgfan, I am surprised UF’s OC didnt try to take Bobo with him to Temple.
DTC
February 4th, 2011
9:25 am
Hey Jerry Seymour. These two guys left for more money, not becaue of rats halling fanny off of a sinking ship. Supposedly, Belin did not do ‘everything’ that Coach Grantham wanted him to do, to coach these guys up, to be able to push the 3-4 more. However, at the same time, he evidently did a pretty good job, just ‘not a great job’.
Both of these coaches that have left, are evidently good enough coaches for the NFL to come calling, or the NFL teams would not be calling them and ‘actually hiring’ them. Grantham now has the opportunity to go out and get his assistant coach, that he wants to coach the LB’s.
The real problem is the NFL did recognize the good coaches that UGA does have. However, to our knowledge, no one wants Bobo. If CMR did not or does not sit Bobo down this off season and critique him on his play calling, UGA will not improve in the standings, or with its standing with the fans. CMR has proven to be a good head coach. Every coach goes through this. It is impossible to stay on top every year, year in and year out. Bobo is the key to whether CMR has a job next year or not. CMR should have demoted him, and brought in an experienced OC – unless – CMR has sat Bobo down and critiqued his play calling. It does appear that the new strength and conditioning coach is helping on the endurance factor that this team obviously had.
Eisendawg
February 4th, 2011
9:27 am
Sure hope our remaining coaches payed attention on how to run a kick-off coverage. That was one area that our team made a drastic improvement on.
Skeptic
February 4th, 2011
9:29 am
DTC, have you watched them, how do you know that they appear to be improving. The problem was not the weight room last year it was leadership. Richt quit on his players because he thought it too tough going through 2 a days so he abolished them. I guess he quit on them when he didnt go for it on 4th and inches. PATHETIC!!!
Runnin With The Dawgs
February 4th, 2011
9:29 am
I’m REALLY hoping that MR turns this thing around. I’m scared to death that if MR fails and has to go on down the road the POWERS THAT BE at UGA will name Bobo as the new head coach. If that happens I’m going to uproot my family and move to Tuscaloosa Al.
just sayin
February 4th, 2011
9:31 am
Jerry Seymour
February 4th, 2011
9:00 am
UGA fans are not seeing the real picture, coach’s are leaving because of one thing. They know that Richt’s, on his way out, one more season an that’s it. The new AD is going to bring in his on coach, that will be Dan Mullin.
I was told this bit of infro from a very large supporter at UGA, he said out with the preacher, in with a coach that knows how to bring back discipline to UGA.
I was told you are a shI+ for brains fool. It is now confirmed.
DTC
February 4th, 2011
9:33 am
Dawgfan, you be right on Bobo. I disagree with you on the other two coaches though. There is a coaching carousel every year, and you said yourself, “they’ve got to do what’s best for them and their families.” Which includes taking a big pay increase.
Can you imagine what their wives would have done to them, much less said dto them, if these two coaches had gone home one afternoon and said to their wives, “The NFL called, wanting to hire me immediately, double my salary and include some additional NFL benefits, but I turned it all down. I am staying here at Georgia, and make less money.” I have been divorced for a long time, but if my ex-wife heard me tell that story, she would still call me up, chew my butt out, and then call everyone that we both knew and tell each and everyone of them, “See, I told you he was an idiot!”
just sayin
February 4th, 2011
9:35 am
DTC
February 4th, 2011
9:25 am
If CMR did not or does not sit Bobo down this off season and critique him on his play calling, UGA will not improve in the standings, or with its standing with the fans.
The idiot posting as DTC thinks UGA’s issues are on offense. These idiots are fun to listen to.
STEINER
February 4th, 2011
9:38 am
tired dawg
You have a new name, STUPID DAWG….If you only come on here to bash the guy who is our best recruiter and also a fine offensive coordinator, then go to the Tech blog and spew your venom there. You are not worthy to be a dawg…Do us a favor, if you can’t support, shutup, or go the hell somewhere else….
82Dawg
February 4th, 2011
9:38 am
@just sayin…totally agree
STEINER
February 4th, 2011
9:47 am
DTC:
Bobo has had opportunities to leave…He, unlike you, is loyal to CMR and the Georgia Bulldogs…You are like a bunch of these wanna be fans who are loyal as long as the Dawgs are winning and you can stick your chest out and brag…A little rain falls, and you want to fire everybody…Bobo is our best recruiter, and the offense did a good job this year with no running backs and an inexperienced QB,..NFL scouts told the world that the best coached QB coming out of college in 10 years was Matthew Stafford, and guess who coached him…As long as idiots like you are around with yore non-supporting ways, Georgia coaches will continue to leave…Quit being a cry baby and support the Dawgs, or go support the bees….
Go Dawgs!
February 4th, 2011
9:48 am
Hire Randall Godfrey!!!
dawgster
February 4th, 2011
9:53 am
You guys that are such wonderful coaches in your own right and are jumping on Bobo and want him gone, let me remind you who is the number one recruiter on this staff and also is guy that formed a relationship with the South Ga recruits….if you want to disagree with Coach Bobo and him being an OC, i think that is fair, i haven’t agreed with some of his calls or lack of calls either, but you know its so easy to know what to do sitting behind my computer…but anyone that doesn’t realize how valuable he is to our program is not much of a dawg fan…And just to set the record straight for those of you that don’t know…Coach Bobo has been approached by other programs to gauge his interest, he has remained a loyal dawg…Are there better play callers or OC people out there, probably, but it would be a great loss to our University if Coach Bobo were to leave…I don’t think many of you realized how respected he is among the players and other coaches….go dawgs
@Jerry Seymour.
February 4th, 2011
9:54 am
My sister’s husband’s stepson goes to school with a kid who’s dad knows a contractor that’s working on the Butts-Mehere renovation who overheard a janitor say that HE heard from a very reliable source close to McGarity’s wife that when she was at the women’s auxiliary meeting last tuesday told a lady who’s husband is a season ticket holder that…what were we talking about again?!
dawgster
February 4th, 2011
9:56 am
@t Steiner…just read your comments..couldn’t have said it better….i always wonder about these so called dawg fans, if truly they are…Its funny how great of coaches these guys are when sitting behind a table…again, great comments….go dawgs
UGA Insider
February 4th, 2011
9:56 am
I am shocked and disappointed. Belin turned Akeem Dent into the best LB in the SEC in my opinion. Under Sweet Willie he couldn’t tackle my grandma. I feel confident Grantham will get someone good however. And news on The Fridge out there??
J Clay
February 4th, 2011
9:57 am
Will Friend to be named O Line coach
dawgfan
February 4th, 2011
9:57 am
Bobo has had opportunities to leave? Name one. I think some crap no name mid major was interested a couple of years ago but that’s all I can think of. He certainly hasn’t received any attention from strong established programs. 4 years in one position is an eternity in the coaching business. He’s had ample time to prove himself but no one comes calling. I’m just stating facts here. It speaks volumes if you ask me.
atltiger15
February 4th, 2011
10:04 am
Current UAB OL coach, Will Friend will be next OL coach for the dawgs. He is a f ormer Bama OL and former UGA GA
82Dawg
February 4th, 2011
10:07 am
@dawgfan…are you saying get rid of your teams best recruiter? If not for Bobo we would not have the kids out of South GA that just signed…
82Dawg
February 4th, 2011
10:08 am
@atltiger15 …where is this info coming from? You know anything else about him?
Skeptic
February 4th, 2011
10:11 am
Bobo is not the problem, it is that tub of lard blowhard “choke” Grantham. He gave up over 30 to Brantley and Florida’s pathetic offense.
Runnin With The Dawgs
February 4th, 2011
10:12 am
Will some of you Bobo lovers please explain how it is that we only managed to score 6 points against Central Fla. in the Liberty Bowl.
Skeptic
February 4th, 2011
10:15 am
Runnin With The Dawgs
I will explain, the OL lost confidence when sunday school teacher went for a field goal on 4th and inches on the four yard line.
82Dawg
February 4th, 2011
10:19 am
@Runnin with the Dawgs…does this help you understand
Georgia rushing offense: #51 UCF rushing defense: #36
Georgia passing offense: #41 UCF passing defense: #23
mcdawg
February 4th, 2011
10:19 am
good for him
reebok
February 4th, 2011
10:19 am
tech fan here. good luck, coach…
just sayin
February 4th, 2011
10:20 am
Runnin With The Dawgs
February 4th, 2011
10:12 am
Will some of you Bobo lovers please explain how it is that we only managed to score 6 points against Central Fla. in the Liberty Bowl.
Dawg’s players did not want to be there. Enough said.
Just remember what Utah did to the Tide a couple of years back…When the Tide did not want to be in the game they were in…
dawgster
February 4th, 2011
10:21 am
@dawgfan…its common knowledge in the coaching industry and people that “actually” know him, you not being one of them i assume, that he and his family are extremely happy with where he is with the University of Georgia…you also have to let it be known that you are open to leaving, Coach Bobo has not given anyone that indication….Maybe he is not the hot commodity as an OC…seems like that is the prevailing thought nowadays….Coach Bobo also is not one that calls attention to himself…If i could compare Coach Bobo to another coach and their committment to his HC and the school, it would be Coach Mickey Andrews of Fla State…How many years did he lead the Fla St Defense under Bowden and everyone wondered what was up, why wasn’t he a Head Coach somewhere or being offered by the USC’s or Texas for their DC position…I would explain it, but some of you really wouldn’t understand…Again, if some of you knew the value of Coach Bobo and the type of idividual he is you would understand that when he sits down with a recruit and their familly you might have a clue to how he gets their respect and they want to play for him…Talk to some former players that played for Coach Bobo and then come on here and bash him…i doubt you will…Don’t know how this blog article went from Coach Belin to Coach Bobo, but somehow it did…Now those are facts…go dawgs…..
See if you can get this fact, and i don’t mean any disrespect to you or any dawg fan, but Coach Bobo loves this University, he bleeds Red and Black, you will find no one, and i mean no one more loyal to UGA than Coach Bobo….i’m not saying you have to agree with his playcalling, i for one do not agree alot of times and i questions some of the decisions, but i respect him for the responsibilities he has as an OC and and very vital part of our football program…go dawgs
Runnin With The Dawgs
February 4th, 2011
10:21 am
Skeptic
I agree with you on that. You would think that the Dawgs could have scored at least one TD in a full 60 minute ballgame with the talent we have. That game showed the most vanilla play calling I’ve seen yet out of Bobo.
ESPN News Room
February 4th, 2011
10:22 am
A report is just out that has this audio: CMR overheard telling Belin on Tueday “Don’t announce that you are leaving until Thursday; we don’t want to lose the Dream Team”.