Grantham shoots down rumors, wants to ‘be at UGA a very long time’
Todd Grantham, who led the Bulldogs' defense to a No. 3 overall national ranking this past season, shot down rumors Wednesday he might be heading to the Falcons. (UGA photo)
It’s that time of year where rumors swirl constantly regarding coaching jobs and transfers and the like. On cue, no sooner had Brian VanGorder left the Atlanta Falcons to take the defensive coordinator’s job at Auburn this week than rumors began to circulate that the Falcons may come after Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.
Kind of funny when you think about it, especially with all the arguments that developed this season between Bulldogs’ fans about which DC was better at UGA, VanGorder or Grantham.
Anyway, those rumors must have made their way to Grantham on Wednesday because the Bulldogs’ second-year coordinator issued a statement through the UGA athletic department reiterating that he isn’t looking to leave Georgia and/or return to the NFL. Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity confirmed to the AJC last week and again Wednesday that he and Grantham have already agreed in principle to a new three-year contract. They’re in the process of finalizing the paperwork, which may drag out another week or more. But it’s effectively a done deal and Grantham’s statement underscores as much.
Here’s what Grantham sent via email:
“This time of year there are a lot of rumors involving coaching openings. Because of the terrific recruiting class we are assembling and the juniors that have communicated to me their desire to come back to Georgia I felt it important to address some of these current and any future rumors. I’ve had discussions with Coach Richt and (AD) Greg McGarity and we are on track to finalizing details on a contract extension. My family enjoys Athens very much. I love the passion and excitement of our fans. We have the program headed in the right direction and I want to be a part of bringing Georgia a championship. My desire is to be at UGA for a very long time. Go Dawgs!”
Todd Grantham
Jan. 11, 2012
I suppose you could split hairs about the semantics and, of course, some folks already are. But that seems pretty cut-and-dried to me.
Grantham — who exited the season as the nation’s second highest-paid defensive coordinator at $750,000 a year — led the Bulldogs’ defense to a No. 5 overall national ranking this past season. He has nine of 11 starters due to come back and is making some hay on the recruiting trail. Most recently he nailed down a commitment from defensive end/outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins, the state’s No. 1 prospect.
Most of the time these rumors are generated by opposing teams just trying to blunt recruiting momentum. Just to be certain, the sooner UGA gets Grantham’s contract finalized the better. With just one year left on the current deal, Grantham’s buyout is relatively miniscule. But the one included in the first year of a new three-year agreement will have considerably more bite to it.
In any case, McGarity doesn’t seem in a rush.
“We have talked about what we are going to do, so we are all on the same page,” he said.
That’s definitely a good thing for Georgia.
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302 comments Add your comment
Bulldog18129
January 12th, 2012
11:11 am
Grantham is staying great!!! Now we need to address the offensive coordinator position. You send messages to your team through your play calling; the message last year was I hope this work.
the dude
January 12th, 2012
11:12 am
it is very simple, BO BO HAS TO GO. EVERYONE KNOWS OUR PLAYS BECAUSE HE TELLS ALL IN HIS FORMATIONS. LET HIM WORK FOR OBAMA NOT US.
Bama Mike
January 12th, 2012
11:16 am
The only person making this news worthy is Grantham.
DawginLex
January 12th, 2012
11:19 am
bo duke
go back to sleep son
The SEC office changed the schedule, not UGA
**********
Bama mike
Grantham responded because of the same idiots posting rumors over in alabama just like the ones about richt. Tried to damage recruiting. Saying crap like “sources close to the situation” to make it sound real.
DawginLex
January 12th, 2012
11:20 am
Anybody notice it took Bob Stoops only 2 years to figure out Sweet Willie Martinez can’t coach?
Stewart G. Griffin
January 12th, 2012
11:21 am
Bo Duke,
Georgia did not drop the Bama game, the SEC did. They had to make room for incoming Missouri on the schedule. Blame the SEC schedule makers, not UGA.
SteveDFWdog
January 12th, 2012
11:27 am
Will not matter until CMR mans up and sends Bobo back to QBC. This is so maddening to see.On defense you pay a proven talent big bucks and your team gets better in two years. On the offense you take a guy from the Grad Assistant pool pay him peanuts and your offense stinks. Help me.
WDE
January 12th, 2012
11:32 am
Well we have a couple of hours for the Bama fans to hold their collective breath seems Coach Saban has called a press conference for 1pm today. No other explanation was given as to the nature of the announcement….hmmmmm.
BornADawg
January 12th, 2012
11:32 am
Couldn’t have said it better myself Steve. Are WE, the fans, the only one’s that can see such mediocrity coming from our OC?
docdawg
January 12th, 2012
11:37 am
Great coach, great recruiter, Van Gorder a distant second in my opinion, look out for next year SEC!
Dawg Tired
January 12th, 2012
11:43 am
It would not be a good thing to lose the best coach on the entire staff.
GimmeAbreak
January 12th, 2012
11:47 am
First of all, has anyone confirmed or dispelled the rumor that the Falcons were interested in CTG? A lot of Dawg fans saying they’ll never pull for the Falcons again….
And yes, the D was ranked #5. But why does the Boise State argument over the high ranking not apply here? You know the old “They didn’t play anybody!”. Who has UGA beaten in the last 3 years that was ranked in the top 25? Let’s see… 15 games against ranked opponents and the Dawgs beat AU once and Tech twice! The “trademark victory” this past year was against…. Coastal Carolina! OMG the opponents are shaking in their cleats! And did the latest bowl fiasco have a 7-point lead, our opponent on its own 15, a minute and a half in the fourth quarter AND NO TIME OUTS and this mighty defense gave up the tying score?
I love Dawg fans… dilusional at best!
jaxdawgfan
January 12th, 2012
11:51 am
BVG was a great DC at UGA. He should do well for Auburn and make them more competitive. All the more reason for us to continue to seek the kind of change at OC that we’ve had at DC.
Yes we’ve scored some points and won some games but you can’t tell me we are anywhere near as good on offense as we could be if we had the right OC.
MB is a DGD but, by now, he should be a good fit for his job and he just isn’t. I truly wish he was.
Anyway, thanks for your commitment Coach Grantham and for your work with the D. Keep it going.
Go Dawgs
NorthGaDawg
January 12th, 2012
11:51 am
Great news! CTG is the man. He has turned the defense around and is now even bringing in the recruits! Everything is in place for some good times except BooBoo calling his run it up the middle plays all the time………
azdawg
January 12th, 2012
11:52 am
CTG is outshining his boss, CMR and the rest of the coaching staff. Thats what happens when you inject new blood into the system. He’s got the D playing the best level its been since the BVG days. He’s a good recruiter and GA’s signing some of the states best D players. His D may just carry Bobo and Murray in close games. Glad he’s staying.
KOOL AID DRINKERS
January 12th, 2012
12:20 pm
who is going to do the CHOKE SIGN to the opponents’ kickers is fatboy leaves? OMG what a tragedy, N O T
SteveDFWdog
January 12th, 2012
12:25 pm
I love how the tech nerds get on here and rag on us yet never realize the simple fact that if we suck so bad little bee, how bad are you? Tech and Coastal Carolina our two patsies.
daggone
January 12th, 2012
12:29 pm
AJC makes front page report of coach saying he’s not interested in job Falcon never offered. HAHAHAHA what a joke!
News | MrSEC.com
January 12th, 2012
12:44 pm
[...] to Georgia’s defense next season.4. Their coach — Todd Grantham — says he wants to be at Georgia for “a very long time” despite rumors that the Atlanta Falcons might come calling.More to [...]
NFL Insider
January 12th, 2012
12:50 pm
Yes…Kirby Smart will be with the Falcons any time now!
aw
January 12th, 2012
12:50 pm
BVG had the 6th best defense in the country with top 10 recruiting classes yearly. Am I the only one that thinks he is way overrated. Hell South Carolina had almost that with their defense and only solid recruiting. Alabama and LSU defenses would run circles around ours.
1eyedJack
January 12th, 2012
12:51 pm
Coach Richt contacted Coach Smith of the Falcons, however, it was a mistaken case of pocket dialing.
Coach Fishfry recieved a call from the Coach Smith, but, come to find out…it was just a wrong number, and when Fishfry answered the phone Smitty busted out laughing.
Coach Johnson
January 12th, 2012
12:52 pm
Paul Johnson will coach one more year at Tech and lose his job!
Saban
January 12th, 2012
12:52 pm
Let` see. 42 to LSU and 33 to Michigan State.
Keep him.
SteveDFWdog
January 12th, 2012
12:56 pm
UGA would not let Paul Johnson be our joke strap coordinator. What would the tech score have been? The score boards do not have three digits.
1eyedJack
January 12th, 2012
12:58 pm
Let` see. 42 to LSU and 33 to Michigan State.
Keep him.
Thank you we will, and if you were half a whole moron you’d know that most of those points were due to special teams, turnovers, and OT. Techies….sheesh.
new rumor
January 12th, 2012
1:00 pm
next year, grantham’s agent will start another rumor that some team is “interested” in him, so he can get another raise. Mcgarity will fall for it again.
Dawg D Rules in 2012!
January 12th, 2012
1:02 pm
In 2012, the Dawg D will dominate the SEC. UGA is loaded all over the D and will shut down weak offenses at fla, usc and tennessee to win the East again!! 2012–the year of the Dawg!!
SawThat1nce
January 12th, 2012
1:05 pm
I agree, GA’s. AD, needs to get their DC, looked down if a new contracts ASAP.
Vince Doodly
January 12th, 2012
1:09 pm
Grantham is a scumbag. He will embarrass Richt again next year…just watch. Not with on the field play but by his personal behavior.
SawThat1nce
January 12th, 2012
1:09 pm
I truly believe that GA will go undefeated all the way to the SEC Championship game.
The only real threat in the East is S.C., and they are and were in 2011, highly overrated.
tony
January 12th, 2012
1:13 pm
FIRST 2 SEASON @UGA
2001 BVG Total Defense Rank 49th
2002 BVG Total Defense Rank 15th
2010 CTG Total Defense Rank 23rd
2011 CTG Total Defense Rank 3rd
Coach Grantham’s defense will shutout most of their opponents next season.
ole dawg
January 12th, 2012
1:18 pm
BOBO must go from OC now let grad-asst mix up the calls not so predictable
Crowell is still enrolled?????transfer to junior college
71 Dawg
January 12th, 2012
1:18 pm
Best Dawg news I’ve heard in a long time – CTG is the best and we should give CMR a chance to continue to improve (he deserves it). Now, let’s close the deal by taking care of Richt and Grantham, and replace Bobo with a quality offensive mind – this will convince fans, recruits and opponents that the Bulldog Nation is serious about contending for a National Championship. . .
GDAWG65
January 12th, 2012
1:22 pm
If the Dawgs had a quality offensive coordinator that knew more than a half dozen plays and could motivate the players they could take the SEC title next year. As long as Bobo stays, we lose chanpionship opportunities. BOBO MUST GOGO NOW
Tommy
January 12th, 2012
1:22 pm
Money talks,BS walks.
Derwood
January 12th, 2012
1:23 pm
Contract extesnions sounds great, but we need to remember. The defense will be o the field 75% of the four quarters as long as we have that idiot BOBO calling plays.
Chris Snow
January 12th, 2012
1:49 pm
@ Gimmie a break, We beat SC, ARK, and Gt all in 09. Was SC and Ark not ranked in 09?
Chi-
January 12th, 2012
1:52 pm
Enter your comments here
Just Saying
January 12th, 2012
1:59 pm
Probably best. Arthur and Mike would not put up with his sideline antics anyway
Chi-Town
January 12th, 2012
2:01 pm
Funny, one of my co-workers is a huge UGA fan. I laugh at him because he puts himself though this misery every year. He calls me stupid because I tell him that the CFB bowl system is the dumpiest thing in the world and no other sports fan would accept a system like that. I played basketball, he never played a sport…..enough said.
tony
January 12th, 2012
2:04 pm
The Tide is rolling and nothing can stop it
January 12th, 2012
1:23 pm
Are any schools posting openings for coordinators who average 37 pts to ranked teams? Of course he’s staying. You idiots think he’s good.
_____________________________________________________
Poor performance and turnovers on offense killed the defense momentum against Boise St, SC, LSU and MSU. I do not believe coach Dooley dawgs would of won the national championship in 1980 if his offense couldn’t move the football consistently and turn the ball over like Murray? Coach Russell’s defense actually fed off of HW and their offense.
As long as Richt’s offense continue to perform poorly the defense will continue to lose momentum at some point in the game.
bucket
January 12th, 2012
2:06 pm
You will never hear Kirby Smart’s name rumored to take an NFL job because they all know that he has much to do with the defensive scheme at Alabama as I do. Kirby is a nice guy and a great recruiter, but Nick Saban is the defensive coordinator at Alabama.
bucket
January 12th, 2012
2:08 pm
@ Just saying – I guess you don’t watch much Falcons football. Coach Smith was mixing it up with an ex-Falcon on the sidelines a couple of years ago.
Techster
January 12th, 2012
2:26 pm
Hey dog fans! The GT basketball team got a big win on the road in the ACC. How did your team do against Florida?
hahahahahahahahaha
Evansdawg
January 12th, 2012
2:38 pm
Techster, your football team is a joke and your stadium is a toilet.
hahahahahahahaha
GatorNation19
January 12th, 2012
2:59 pm
Coach speak. No NFL guy wants to stay in College. Once you get a taste of the coffee you want it again. 1010 Sports Radio Jax claim New Jax HC Mike Malarkey has Todd G as his top target as DC.
Big Jacket
January 12th, 2012
3:15 pm
Grantham’s D gave up over 1 point a minute in 2nd half vs LSU. Bama’s D gave up zero points
vs LSU in 60 minutes. Now which team should be looking forward to 2012?
Chris Snow
January 12th, 2012
3:54 pm
Seriously Big Jacket? We gave them the ball at like the 20 after Murray’s fumble, they ran a INT back for a TD, and had another huge PR. Plus I do not think we had a 1st down in the 2nd half period.
Half Century Dawg
January 12th, 2012
3:58 pm
Big Jacket
January 12th, 2012
3:15 pm
Not Tech, thats for sure