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.
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493 comments Add your comment
Oh no, UGA lost its recruiting coordinator...
December 21st, 2012
12:45 pm
Now they won’t be able to beat Bama or Spurrier anymore. Wait…
Rainbow tide pride
December 21st, 2012
12:55 pm
This guy lost his edge years ago. Auburn thinks they have landed a diamond.
Aubie
December 21st, 2012
12:57 pm
Hey Pitbull like there are no rednecks in Athens….or Georgia for that matter? BTW, you got proof AU paid for Newton or Fairley? Cuz if you do you need to give it to the NCAA. Oh wait, they investigated the hell out of that and found nothing. And I’m sure UGA never “paid” anyone. Maybe they should pay for Jarvis Jones to attend diction classes b/c that guy is an embarrassment when he opens his mouth. I’m sure JJ is passing all his classes……ummmmm yeah that’s it!
smlarsen
December 21st, 2012
12:58 pm
Dont let the GT fans in this blog comments mean a thing to you. We should feel sorry for them. We know why they are here. Its really quite simple. There is know one in theres. Why you might ask. Well besides there team being a complete flop their fans are some of the absolute worst. When your team sucks and you have fans that are content with sucking and you also have a coach that is as far as i cant tell leagley blind how do you ever expect to improve. I think i have a good idea. GT should just close the doors. Know one would even notice. They could move to North Dakota and try something up there. Oh and make sure to bring your 15,000 fans with you. Get lives/a team/new outlooks. GT fans in this blog need a reality check hopefully that might be a start.
LawDawg
December 21st, 2012
1:01 pm
Good luck, Coach. I cannot fault a man for taking more money at his alma mater. The string of DL from UGA to the NFL says it all.
ryan
December 21st, 2012
1:01 pm
New recruiting coordinator: Hines. Freakin. Ward.
Universal Dawg
December 21st, 2012
1:02 pm
Hire Hines Ward to the staff! What high school kid has not heard of Hines? Imagine what he could do with special teams and receivers! I know he has spent time in Athens since his retirement and would love the opportunity to coach.
YeahC'mon
December 21st, 2012
1:05 pm
smlarsen hitting the Christmas egg nog a little early? Because it appears you don’t KNOW the difference between KNOW and NO or THERE and THEIR. My favorite though is “leagley”. I’m just sayin’ dude.
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2012
1:05 pm
We are not all rednecks in Alabama damn it! Why does everybody keep thinking that!
mambo
December 21st, 2012
1:12 pm
Hope we get one better that you.
War Eagle
December 21st, 2012
1:12 pm
You guys are screwed just like Tennessee was when Garner left. Enjoy mediocrity.
What was that I just heard?
Did 3 of your top commitments this year, just agree to take visits to Auburn?
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2012
1:17 pm
We are screwed huh.
This from the fan base that doesn’t even bother to remember the coaching staff names anymore, they pass through so often.
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2012
1:20 pm
Assistant head coach at Auburn is a lot like assistant Santa’s helper at the mall. Not exactly the model for job security.
He’ll be the 39th assistant coach hired in 4 years over there.
JB
December 21st, 2012
1:20 pm
Another story on Yahoo sports today from a different writer than the Boston Globe saying Saban to Cleveland Jan 8th is a done deal. Big bucks and some stock. You know, giving Bama 3 titles in like 5 years, what else can he do for them. Five years or so in Cleveland for 60-70 mil then retire…..Makes sense. Thus, Kirby slides right in.
JB
December 21st, 2012
1:22 pm
And before you Bama nuts go nuts, It’s the Boston Globe and Yahoo sports saying this, Not Georgia fans
War Eagle
December 21st, 2012
1:23 pm
@AltamahaDawg
Maybe you guys should try some coaching changes more often.
We got a NC on the count of it! Something UGA can’t claim since when???
1980???
Hint: If Richt ain’t got it by now, especially with your powder-puff schedule and loaded roster this year….
He ain’t going to get it!!!
jim davis
December 21st, 2012
1:24 pm
Joey, judging from your word use and sentence structure, presuming you majored in journalism or perhaps English at UGA…what was your major? It’s obvious you wouldn’t be as lunatic unless you’re a graduate. Amazes me that the most fanatical fans so often have never darkened the door of UGA or any other university classroom. I know that doesn’t apply to a wordsmith like you however.
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2012
1:25 pm
So, you are bragging that you school is FINALLY going to get a visit from a recruit that was already sure he wanted to visit Miss State, but not your school?
JB
December 21st, 2012
1:25 pm
First thing Garner did this morning was go out to his F150 and take that ” Honk if you’ve Beat Auburn” bumper sticker off his truck, just say’n
Moist Dawg
December 21st, 2012
1:26 pm
Joey, you’re right. Every time I am forced to visit Auburn I seriously place a barf bag in the passenger seat. Why any sane person would want to actually live there is beyond me. At least Auburn has bama beat (barely) on one thing, Biggest dump in Alabama.
Good riddance Garner. We’ll enjoy that BCS crystal next year with a recruiter that actually wants to be a loyal Dawg.
JB
December 21st, 2012
1:29 pm
Moist Dawg…….I personally think Garner was more than loyal. He went to Auburn. He grew in Leeds Alabama. He’s 50. He was offered a huge raise. Thank him for his service and good luck except against the Dawgs.
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2012
1:33 pm
Here is the God’s Honest Truth, War Eagle.
You couldn’t GIVE me that NC, if I had to endure what your fans went through to get it, or the harm to your schools reputation it cost you. Fair or not, nobody respects that fluke trophy.
Seriously, you are going to brag about that NC, as a model of how to run a program? You were pretty bad before it, and horrible after it. No thanks.
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2012
1:35 pm
Moist, somehow I don’t think 2013 BCS Champs is exactly lining up with your comments prior to today.
Joey
December 21st, 2012
1:36 pm
Boy, that 83-7 the past two seasons has built up some animosity, huh?
Pitbull
December 21st, 2012
1:38 pm
The three most common lies told by an Auburn fan:
3. My trailer is paid for.
2. I didn’t know she’s my sister.
1. Honest officer, I was just helping the pig over the fence.
smlarsen
December 21st, 2012
1:39 pm
@yeac’mon
Haha, wow thats what GT fans are lowered to. Picking out misspelled words. That is impressive. That must be why the football program is so good. They can’t have a person play there that couldn’t when the pulitzer prize. Well good job buddy. I nominate you. Atleast then you will have somthing to look forward to, but unfortunately get let down on. Hey, its ok though. I am sure as a GT fan your used to that. Have fun next season with another losing season, no recruits, and coach Johnson.
smlarsen
December 21st, 2012
1:42 pm
Can you find the misspelled word in that? “C’mon” I bet you can. You will have plenty of time since you won’t be looking at any GT blogs. Do they even have those?
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2012
1:43 pm
I personally appreciated the typos.
Taco
December 21st, 2012
1:43 pm
This is going to be big and he will get some names off the UGA board. Don’t underestimate what he has done. He has filled the cupboard with talent at UGA, Richt just has not cultivated it properly. Chuck Oliver was a wuss for standing up for his on commentary.
drew
December 21st, 2012
1:43 pm
Having lived in Auburn the past five years, until this summer, I can only wish him good luck. I can’t tell you the number of racist jokes I heard while living there. I am sooooo glad to be away from Alabama (not that Ga. is that much better!!!)
Joe
December 21st, 2012
1:44 pm
Thank you Coah Garner for a great job. I nominate Thomas Brown as new recruiting coordinator.
Moist Dawg
December 21st, 2012
1:45 pm
Altamaha, please tell me a time when I have stated otherwise. Good luck because it has never happened. Being disgusted by the SEC championship game and even more disgusted by the reaction does not mean I don’t believe in my boys.
Mudpuppy
December 21st, 2012
1:45 pm
Throw the bank at David Pollack. Great player,hard worker, excellent speaker & motivator,former all-american, well-known locally & nationally as player and ESPN analyst.
JB
December 21st, 2012
1:49 pm
Georgia doesn’t throw the bank at anyone. Look at Richt. Most senior SEC coach, been to the SEC title game 5 times….And is in the middle of the pack in pay. and about a .750% in wins
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2012
1:50 pm
You have to give blame to Garner for the Crowells, Kings, Ealeys, Seays if you are going to suggest that he was THE one that gets credit for all those successful players, dont you?
JB
December 21st, 2012
1:52 pm
There are a lot of diamond in the roughs in this state. ( see Pollack, a 3 star FB in high school). My hope is the new guy will have some energy to find these, scout them and sign some
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2012
1:53 pm
I see. Georgia wins the east 2 years in a row, is clearly one of the best teams in the country, you have them picked to be THE best next year……….but you have been in here for a month telling us all we are disgusting for ………..well, why don’t you refresh my memory what it is that makes you want to puke on a daily basis.
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2012
1:54 pm
Because it sounds like you think things are going pretty darn well.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 21st, 2012
1:57 pm
Garner got UGa the Dream Team(haha) and the Dream Team II(haha) that everybody loved but it is Richt, Bobo & Grantham that have failed not Garner.
Moist Dawg
December 21st, 2012
2:01 pm
This blog isn’t about me but I will say that I am disgusted by fans that are happy to lose to bama as long as we “tried our best”. All the “good job Dawgs” comments made me literally sick to my stomach. If it was such a good game then why am I not making reservations in Miami? Garner is just the latest.
UGA WILL be the best next year and anything less will be failure. Period.
Joey
December 21st, 2012
2:02 pm
For the record, jim davis, I have a framed, sheepskin above my desk that reads, Bachelors in Business Administration. Give me your email and I’ll send you a copy in exchange for a copy of your PhD in English. Yes?
When on a football blog, I choose to not act like a smarmy, haughty, librarian, bustling around correcting my fellow commentors, while they attempt to discuss football.
However, feel free to knock yourself out, big man, and study my posts for supposed errors and structure, and all that heady stuff.
ps. I may eschew proper punctuation marks and such in order to make you grind your teeth, and mutter to yourself incessantly.
pss. Enjoy.
JB
December 21st, 2012
2:06 pm
Moist Dawg, I have been hard on Richt also on here, but they have improved the last two years. The sins of of 09 & 10 are still with us ( roster management) but he seems to be coming out of it. Don’t know if Richt will ever get us there, But we’ll do what we do legal. There are about 110 D1 schools out of 120 that would trade with us now. I learned to just enjoy what success we have. Saban and all that talent over there is a once in a life time deal. Soon they will be back to Cotton Bowls and Shula type years.
NorthGADawg
December 21st, 2012
2:08 pm
He’s going to really miss out on some big fun next week at all the cement ponds in Orlando.
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2012
2:08 pm
AH, I see. The fans aren’t negative enough in thier comments about the program that you think is the best in the nation. How outrageous.
Colorado Dawg
December 21st, 2012
2:09 pm
I always thought Travis Jones would be a good DL coach for Georgia. Though not sure you can tell much by way Saints play D. But he’s a DAWG and has run a Football Camp for years.
JB
December 21st, 2012
2:13 pm
Would love to see Travis in Athens. Don’t know if we could afford him ( we can but won’t) and I’m not sure he would leave the NFL for us. Totally different animals and time commitments.
Fair n Balanced
December 21st, 2012
2:17 pm
One thing you always know for sure: when people say “it’s not about the money”, its about the money.
smlarsen
December 21st, 2012
2:19 pm
@c’mon
thats what i thought
Dawg Tired
December 21st, 2012
2:22 pm
Watch some the UGA “commitments” follow him.
Aubie
December 21st, 2012
2:27 pm
LOL Pitbull that’s so funny because there are no trailers in Athens or Georgia. What a loser. BTW you probably couldn’t afford to buy my garage at my house on Lake Martin outside of Auburn. You need some new material because the fact is we’re in the South and the South is synonymous with trailers, rednecks, toothless wonders, people who use the word “fixin”, ranking at the lower end nationally in education, etc….. I’m sure I don’t need to go on. Any ignorant comment made about AL can easily be interchanged with “insert any Southern state, i.e. MS, GA, SC, TN, AL….