UPDATED: Football assistant Rodney Garner leaving Georgia ‘to get Auburn back on track’
Rodney Garner has served as Georgia's defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for 15 years. He has been Mark Richt's assistant head coach since 2005. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
ATHENS – In the end, Rodney Garner felt like he could no longer ignore his alma mater’s calls for help.
Garner, Georgia’s assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach for the past 12 years, accepted an offer to handle the same jobs at Auburn, where he played offensive line and started his coaching career. He will also receive a significant salary increase from the $300,000 a year he earned with the Bulldogs.
But as Garner adamantly pointed out in an exclusive interview with the AJC Thursday night, “this is not about the money.”
“It was a very difficult decision,” Garner said. “I’ve been approached many times about this opportunity. But it’s my alma mater. It may be more of a pride thing, just looking at where they are right now and feeling like I really wanted to be a part of getting them back on track. I just felt like God was leading me in this direction. It’s something I prayed about and it was not an easy decision. I would not have left for any other reason than Auburn.”
Garner, 46, has received overtures from Auburn several times over the years, including from Tommy Tuberville and Gene Chizik. Chizik was dismissed after the Tigers went 3-9 this past season. Gus Malzahn, who was Chizik’s offensive coordinator but left to become head coach at Arkansas State, was hired by Auburn on Dec. 4.
Garner has spent the last 12 seasons at Georgia working under head coach Mark Richt. He was hired at UGA by former coach Jim Donnan in 1998. A native of Leeds, Ala., he played for the Tigers under Pat Dye from 1984-88. He also met his wife Kimberly there.
Garner will join the Tigers’ staff immediately.
“It’s just time,” Garner said. “I’ve been at Georgia 15 years. It’s been awesome. Worked for two great head coaches at the University of Georgia. Jim Donnan gave me the opportunity to come here, who I have a tremendous amount of respect and love for. And then Coach Richt who retained me and I worked for him for 12 years. Coach Donnan is already in the Hall of Fame, and I’m sure Coach Richt will be one day. So it was a very difficult decision.”
Garner said he spent a long time Thursday counseling with Georgia’s team chaplain Thomas Settles about his decision, then a long time talking to Richt Thursday night.
“It’s difficult because you’re going to a rival school,” Garner said. “Mark has been very good to me and I want people to know that. People need to recognize the body of work that Mark has done here. Here’s a guy who has been at Georgia 12 years and he’s gone to the (SEC) championship game five times. Prior to him coming there, they’d never been to that game. I look at what he’s done there for 12 years, the way he’s done it, the way he’s won with class and integrity, and he’s just been a great guy to work for. So it’s hard leaving him. I mean it really was. But everything I hear about Coach (Gus) Malzahn is that he’s that same caliber of man, cut from that same cloth, and I think it will be a family-friendly environment, which is important to me, with a wife and six daughters.”
Many preliminary reports about Garner’s interest in joining the Auburn hinted at discord between him and Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“The defensive staff we had at Georgia, Coach Grantham, I just think he’s great; he’s awesome,” Garner said. “I think Todd deserves to be a head coach. I was really thinking he’d get some shots at it this year. I think he’s one of the brightest minds I’ve ever been around. Then Scott (Lakatos) and KO (Kirk Olivadotti), we just had a lot of chemistry on that staff.”
Garner would not discuss the financial terms of his contract with Auburn other than to say, “it’s a good deal.” He was on a yearly contract with Bulldogs.
“I’m sure at some point it will all become public record, but that’s not what this was about,” he reiterated.
Regardless, Garner’s departure comes at a complicated time for Georgia. The Bulldogs are in the midst of recruiting their biggest class of the restricted-scholarship era — around 35 in all — and obviously Garner is the hub of that effort. Best known for attracting great defensive linemen to come play for him, Georgia has been considered a leader for junior college all-star Toby Johnson and 5-star defensive tackle Montravius Adams of Dooly County. Both signings could now be in jeopardy.
“I’m kind of surprised, but it helps Auburn,” Adams told 247Sports. “We have a great relationship. He’s a great guy. I know that he’s a guy that will get defensive linemen to the league. I wouldn’t mind him being a guy that coaches me for three or four years. He’s going to be a guy that I’m going to be with most of the time besides the weight-training guy.”
Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs was the first to announce Garner’s hire via Twitter. Auburn later sent out a news release that quoted Malzahn and Garner.
“We’re excited to announce Rodney Garner as our assistant head coach and defensive line coach,” Malzahn said in the statement. “Rodney is one of the top defensive line coaches in college football who has had great success in the Southeastern Conference. We’re excited to welcome an Auburn man back home.”
Said Garner: “I owe a lot to Auburn and the men who helped mold me to who I am today both professionally and personally. I’m very appreciative to Coach Malzahn for this opportunity and I feel very strongly that I can be an asset to the program. I have a lot of love for Auburn and I felt this was a great chance to help give back to a place that has given me so much. I look forward to helping get Auburn back to where it belongs.”
Richt finally acknowledged Garner’s departure in a statement released at 11 a.m. Friday:
“I want to thank Rodney for 15 years of loyal service to UGA. He was the first assistant I hired when I came to Georgia and it turned out to be a great decision. He’s a tremendous ball coach, recruiter, and mentor and a great example of what a good father and husband should be. He’s been a blessing to my life as well as to UGA. We wish him and Kim all the best.”
MORE ON GARNER
Here’s a link to a “10 Things You Should Know about Rodney Garner” profile I did this past summer.
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
493 comments Add your comment
kerryb
December 21st, 2012
12:52 am
We have 0% chance of getting Nkemdiche. If we had offered his brother, and he would have accepted because he wanted to go to UGA, We would have gotten him. Maybe that was another Garner miss.
sflanagan21
December 21st, 2012
12:56 am
kerryb, I hope your right about Adams my man but he seems to have a lot of respect for Garner and that goes a long ways with young adults.
Wilddawg83
December 21st, 2012
12:59 am
Kerryb I agree Nkemdiche would be a long shot but the thought of playing for a bonafide NFL dline coach would definetly give him something to think about. His brother is a big reason but the only reason he is considering ole miss. After all he was once committed to Clemson. Get Jones!!!
sflanagan21
December 21st, 2012
1:01 am
Tunsil and Crowder are strong probabilities, Nkemdiche not a chance!
kerryb
December 21st, 2012
1:01 am
I really think Nkemdiche ends uo at Ole Miss with his brother.
Ray Drew
December 21st, 2012
1:05 am
You never helped me RG but the pay sure wasn’t bad!
kerryb
December 21st, 2012
1:06 am
I guess the question for the recruits this year is do you want to go to a program that has been having success the last couple of years or somewhere that they are starting over. Auburn will not get a sniff of the SECCG for the next 5 years if ever competing with Bama,LSU, and now A&M.
Hodgedog3
December 21st, 2012
1:07 am
Oh Please!!!!! It was definitely about money. Especially when you have a lot of mouths to feed! I will look at it as a good thing, seeing how he was slipping big time in losing recruits to other programs that we should not have lost. I think he lost his passion and his ability to pursue and attain the positions that UGA needs filled with good, level headed players. Good Riddance and good luck. We will see you next year crying after we woop your butt yet once again!
kerryb
December 21st, 2012
1:07 am
Ray Drew
December 21st, 2012
1:05 am
You never helped me RG but the pay sure wasn’t bad!
___________________________________________________________________________
Maybe we can now get an NFL type guy who can develop Ray Drew’s talent.
DooleyDawg
December 21st, 2012
1:08 am
Let him go!!! Big time racist and he’s the coach who didn’t want David P. Much of the dawgs internal turmoil stems from garners antics. Been known since granthams arrival, his feelings were hurt and couldn’t accept, he’s not DC material.
Richt and Dawgs will be much improved upfront now…team will be more cohesive too
GB's Hamburgers
December 21st, 2012
1:11 am
Don’t mind him leaving but why now? Why knife UGA in the back with the recruits? Why would God “lead him” to leave in an uneithical and unfair way? Leaving now puts him squarely in position to influence (even if indirectly) some prime UGA recruits to switch to Auburn. I don’t think it’s right in any system of ethics. But since he prayed about it … it’s all good.
kerryb
December 21st, 2012
1:12 am
Hodgedog3
December 21st, 2012
1:07 am
Oh Please!!!!! It was definitely about money. Especially when you have a lot of mouths to feed! I will look at it as a good thing, seeing how he was slipping big time in losing recruits to other programs that we should not have lost. I think he lost his passion and his ability to pursue and attain the positions that UGA needs filled with good, level headed players. Good Riddance and good luck. We will see you next year crying after we woop your butt yet once again!
____________________________________________________________________________
You are right. For a few years Georgia’s recruiting had started to slip until Bobo and Lilly stepped up. It was mostly Bobo and Lilly that reeled in Mitchell, Drew, and Rome. You can also add McClendon to that group. Those have been the main three guys the last few years not Garner.
kerryb
December 21st, 2012
1:15 am
I wonder if Lilly is about to take over recruiting coordinator. I believe he held that job at FSU while Richt was there.
sanjosemutt
December 21st, 2012
1:57 am
how has recruiting suffered in past few yrs?
Columbus
December 21st, 2012
1:58 am
Anyone who knows the 61-year-old Saban understands his anxious side. He is not a man who puts down roots. He’s a man who pulls them up and then heads for the next job. He has told his own players (as he did at Michigan State) that he was staying one day, then left for LSU the next.
Columbus
December 21st, 2012
1:59 am
Until he got to Alabama, he had not been at a place longer than five years. He’s in his sixth season with Alabama, and as much as you’d think he could coach the Crimson Tide for the remainder of his career, that’s not his style.
Saban likes challenges. He has succeeded in turning around programs, winning national titles at LSU and Alabama.
Another telling trait is that Saban likes to live in denial just as he’s about to go from one place to another. There was the move from Michigan State to LSU. When he left the Miami Dolphins for Alabama, he lied time after time about how he wouldn’t be the Crimson Tide’s next coach.
Columbus
December 21st, 2012
2:03 am
As I posted on Twitter, take the adamant denial for what it’s worth, particularly when another source I spoke with on Thursday claimed that Saban has already begun interviewing potential assistants he would take to the Cleveland Browns with him. The source laid out the timing of how current Browns coach Pat Shurmur will be fired after the season, one or two candidates will be interviewed (complete with the name of a minority candidate) and that Saban will be hired on Jan. 8, the day after Alabama’s BCS title game tilt vs. Notre Dame.
Columbus
December 21st, 2012
2:04 am
That bit of information advances an earlier report by Boston Globe ace NFL writer Greg Bedard about Saban wanting to return to the NFL and that Saban would work with current NFL Network analyst Michael Lombardi. Lombardi is a former personnel man with several teams, including Cleveland, Oakland and Denver.
GaDawgsEmOut
December 21st, 2012
2:10 am
Money motivates alot of lives, not saying it made his decision. Though we know it didnt hurt it either. Dawgs will be fine if and when he takes a recruit we hoped for. See ya next yr , best of luck to ya at allbarn.
Jason in Gainesville
December 21st, 2012
2:12 am
Stupid move. Live with it.
Don
December 21st, 2012
2:16 am
We appreciate all the contributions Coach Garner made to the success of Georgia and we wish him well in the future, but just not so much against UGA.
Ghost of Sinkwich
December 21st, 2012
3:15 am
Time to bring Hines Ward, in as recruiting coordinator.
Rodney Garner Leaving UGA for Auburn - Atlanta Sports Today
December 21st, 2012
3:44 am
[...] More on the Rodney Garner to Auburn Story [...]
jb
December 21st, 2012
4:04 am
Anything that helps AU is good with me. To hayell with Ga!!! – Tech fan
n1dog
December 21st, 2012
4:11 am
It was all about the money–ga should have paid him a lot more than $300,000–that’s chump change.
Red_Elephant101
December 21st, 2012
4:29 am
When coaches leave Alabama, we thank them for service rendered and replace them, with a well thought out hire in (insert pun), this is the business were in nothing more, why are ‘dawgs so cynical about everything?
Zeesh you clowns knock over your own bowl more often than not….
RunninWithTheDawgs
December 21st, 2012
4:34 am
Garner is a dedicated family man and a good recruiter but as a coach? Remember (how could you forget?) that it was his d-line that played in the SEC championship game against Bama this year.
Notso Fast
December 21st, 2012
4:35 am
Could hurt with one or two recruits but Ga.is not going to suffer long term.
Left Coast Dawg
December 21st, 2012
4:38 am
There are 10 active DL from UGA in the NFL that formerly called Rodney Garner line coach:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/complete-list-georgia-football-players-nfl-200500434–ncaaf.html
Left Coast Dawg
December 21st, 2012
4:38 am
Me thinks this is gonna hurt us way more and longer before it gets better.
Cousin Curtis
December 21st, 2012
4:46 am
Best of luck to you, coach. Thanks for 15 solid years.
Sargent Carter
December 21st, 2012
4:52 am
Wow, big loss here…Great for you coach, though…Have fun on the plains
zbulldawg
December 21st, 2012
5:12 am
Well now. It’s not the end of the world. For someone who says e doen’t like the spot light he just put him self at center stage.I sure Todd knows a few good men to replace this traitor !! To all the recruits that he’s lied to about being at UGA & what a great place it is REmember one thing You can join a group of winners now or you can go & hope to be one maybe later. No head coach at a top notch program will ever trust you again Gardner !!! Even though he has put alot of DL in the NFL. There is alot that start in the NFL that didn’t start at UGA. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. What a dirty move at this time of recruiting to make this chioce. I see Bobo coming to the rescue !!!!! It might be Trooper time LOL It’s all good now Todd will have the total defensive staff of his choosing !! LET THE BIG DAWG EAT
its sad
December 21st, 2012
5:30 am
?? Good enough to play but not to coach??? Uga’s roster is over 85% African American but only has one African American position Coach. You want me to send my son to this school with a glass ceiling…. Not Happening. And you wonder why you can’t recruit againts or beat Lsu or Alabama. ATLEAST hire one black coordinator in the schools 100 + year history..
Blake
December 21st, 2012
5:48 am
From a recruiting stand point it will hurt, especially with rounding out the rest of this class. From a coaching stand point, we stand to be greatly improved with the right hire. Would not be suprised to see us grab someone from the NFL.
gomdawg
December 21st, 2012
5:52 am
GOOD LUCK, BUT LIFE GOES ON I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US GET DAVID POLLACK BUT DON’T THINK HE WOULD LEAVE ESPN. HINES WARD SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT MOVE. IF ANY OF THE PLAYERS THAT DON’T COMES TO GEORGIA BECAUSE HE LEAVES THEN THEY WERE NOT DAWGS. JUST THAT SIMPLE. GO DAWGS
Bama_Owns_You
December 21st, 2012
5:53 am
“I just want to go to a team that can actually win a national championship and not simply be content with moral victories. ”
Rodney Garner
Blake
December 21st, 2012
5:56 am
its sad,
You have no idea what you’re talking about. UGA had three african american position coaches prior to Garner leaving and another two or three on the strength staff. Garner not becoming a coordinator has everything to do with his coaching IQ and nothing to do with the color of his skin. Everyone in the Bulldog nation knows that the only reason Garner has stayed around this long was because of his excellent recruiting ability. Our D line’s have underperformed for years, this year being a prime example. UGA has always had the talent, but it has not performed in college like they do when they go to the NFL. Just wait and see how much more improved our line will be next year, with less experience.
Blake
December 21st, 2012
5:58 am
Bama_Owns_You,
Why don’t you go kiss your cusin and poison some more trees. Bama is lucky to be playing for the National Championship, and it’s gonna be funny when you lose to a Notre Dame team that you see as “overrated”.
Uncle Tom
December 21st, 2012
6:04 am
I teach at Peachtree Ridge and we have witnessed several of our top defensive players over the years go on to Ohio State, LSU, etc and become All-Conference. When I ask the coaches why the kids didn’t go to Georgia, they say, “Rodney Garner.” And whenever you watch these running backs streak up the middle untouched for 10 yards over and over again, or watch them just bounce off our defensive linemen, it’s the same reason: Rodney Garner. This is good news for us.
Bama_Owns_You
December 21st, 2012
6:07 am
Blake,
Rodney Garner had nothing to do with the Georgia brain fart with not spiking the football. He didn’t cost you a shot at the national time.
But, whatever gets you through the night. As Georgia fans always say, just you wait until next year…
No hard feelings | Get The Picture
December 21st, 2012
6:50 am
[...] Fifth time’s the charm, I guess. In the end, Rodney Garner felt like he could no longer ignore his alma mater’s calls for help. [...]
RHall55
December 21st, 2012
6:54 am
Just make the right hires and it will work out….too many miscues on CRG…case in point, there were (7) All Americans on this year’s AA Teams / all (7) did not make it to UGA coming out of high school…only Jarvis Jones by transferring from USC did UGA have a player from a GA High School make All American!!
Stout
December 21st, 2012
6:56 am
If Richt know what is good for him he’ll hire Tide Roll and call it a day. I sure hope he got his application in on time.
DG
December 21st, 2012
7:05 am
David Pollack? Hines Ward? If you are going to fantatize about hiring former UGA players with no coaching experience – much less recruiting experience – wouldn’t it more sense to hire Kevin Butler?
Rod
December 21st, 2012
7:12 am
PATHETIC. All these UGA “fans” making nasty comments about Garner. Yesterday you would have been praising him and saying all the wonderful things about him.
He chose to work for someone else – when you do it, you consider it your right. When he does it, you insult him.
Shows how petty and pathetic so many UGA “fans” are. Grow up.
01HAWK
December 21st, 2012
7:12 am
Rich get RICHER …………………………………..ROLL TIDE ROLL
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Despite a scholarship offer from Oregon State, Elite 11 quarterback Luke Del Rio (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Valor Christian) has decided to walk on at the University of Alabama. He was previously committed to Oklahoma State.
“I was never going to make a decision just based on if I had a scholarship from that school or not,” Del Rio said. “Obviously, you want to be wanted, and I felt wanted at Alabama. I’m not afraid to work to earn a scholarship. That’s never been a big deal for me. I trust my work ethic, and I feel like I could be able to earn one, eventually.
“It really just came down to what’s the best fit for me. Both of those schools are very similar, Oregon State and Alabama. Both have great coaches, very stable programs. One of the deciding factors was Alabama’s in the South. I’m by my sister (Sister is enrolled at BAMA). I’m originally from the South. I lived in Jacksonville for the past 10 years, so that was really big. And I know a lot of people who go to Alabama. I just felt more comfortable coming to Alabama.”
Brice Ramsey (Georgia) and Cooper Bateman (BAMA) did not make the final
Birmingham Jacket
December 21st, 2012
7:14 am
You UGA fans that don’t think you’re going to feel Gardners loss in a negative way are crazy.
He’s the primary reason you guys were recruiting top 5 classes every year.
Ask Tennessee. You can mark a point in time when he left Tennessee and their recruiting classes dropped off the map.
Wouldn’t be surprised at all if you end up losing 3 or 4 big recruits this year on the count of it.
Certainly, recruiting will be more challenging in years to come.
jerry
December 21st, 2012
7:17 am
Why they got Garner:
Alabama rallied behind a punishing run game, finishing with 350 yards on the ground, an SEC championship game record. Eddie Lacy – the game’s MVP – rumbled for 181 yards on 20 carries, including two TDs. Freshman T.J. Yeldon added 153 yards on 25 carries, also scoring a TD.
Da man
December 21st, 2012
7:19 am
Adams is the most overrated recruit ever. Can’t believe yall drink this Kool-aid.