Very Interesting
Written by ecdawg | 20 January 2011
Searles:
Stacy Searels had "no comment" today when asked about his private jet ride from Athens to Austin, TX. Rumors are that the Georgia offensive line coach is expected to be named Texas’ offensive line coach. Honestly, this once would have broken my heart. Like, back when he cobbled together a great O-line from walk-ons and brooms wearing helmets, but after this past season, I'm not that broken up. It's like he'd rather be McGyver than good at his job. This year, Georgia allowed 2 sacks a game and ranked 10th in rushing in the conference...how? We brought back 155 starts and have 2 project draft picks. I'm not directly saying it, but that at least smells like coaching problems.
Where does Richt turn?
Two names immediately come to mind: Mac McWhorter and Hugh Nall. Two Georgia men. Both are available. Both have great love for the Georgia program. McWhorter just "retired" at Texas, where Searels replaces him. Retired? Please. This man is a football coach. Nall is an exec in the trucking business in Albany. Just a couple of years ago, I read an article on CF's Top OL Coaches. Both McWhorter and Nall were on that list.
The budget allows for a salary of $300,000. If I were Richt, I'd be looking these two guys in the eye in the next day or two. Both are qualified for the job. And you could probably get them. To me, that beats the heck out of bringing in some young coach, looking to move up, who has few contacts in the business. McWhorter and Nall are well-connected.
More Searles:
The truth probably has more to do with money than anything else — Texas is one of the few programs in the country with the cash on hand to pay their OL coach substantially more than Georgia — but there are also personalities at play here. It’s not exactly a closely guarded secret that Searels’ relationships with a number of his fellow assistants were prickly at best, with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo being just one of the people he didn’t see eye-to-eye with. Take the opportunity for a salary increase, add the personality conflicts, and throw in the fact that, yes, Mark Richt’s job situation isn’t exactly cushy right now, and you have a career jump that, while unexpected, seems perfectly reasonable.
Clay Travis on UGA/Richt:
When a program goes bad, it generally stays bad as long as the man at the top doesn't change. And make no mistake, Georgia is bad, 13-12 the past two seasons, just 7-9 in the SEC. This should be the year that Georgia fires Mark Richt after a third consecutive bad season. Only the schedule is too easy for a complete collapse to occur. The Dawgs have the easiest road schedule in the 2011 SEC: at Vandy, at Tennessee, at Ole Miss and at Georgia Tech. Georgia should be favored in three of these games -- the UT line will be between -3 and +3 depending on the start to the season.
Basically I don't see any way Georgia doesn't win at least eight games in 2011. Eight games won't take Richt off the hot seat, but it won't get him fired either. That's why he may very well be the next coach to go, but he won't be fired, it will be too expensive to fire him. I think you'll see a Tubby Smith-esque departure for another school instead.
Where?
Clemson.