kentdaddy wrote: What will it take to get rid of Richt??
See, if we had gotten rid of him back when we should have, we wouldn't be in this less than desirable logistical situation.
I think next year will be Richt's last. Bama and LSU return to the schedule, which pretty much guarantees 5 losses or so. I do not believe Richt will be fired at the end of this season, as we should close it out with 4 wins after we get whooped in Jacksonville. 10-3 (gonna lose the bowl to Northwestern or someone, too) buys him another year.
This may not be a bad thing. As much as I want the program to be gutted and start anew, I'm not too thrilled with having to compete with Auburn and Tennessee and possibly Texas for the cream of the coaching crop that's out there. Believe we would be last on anyone's list if those were the 3 jobs available. The exception to this is, of course, Kirby Smart. He would pick UGA over Auburn and Tennessee.
So, decisions, decisions. If we want Kirby Smart, we have to fire Mark Richt after a 10 win season and aggressively pursue Smart. If we end up not getting Smart, we also won't get our second choice either. Auburn and Tennessee will both fill before us. If Texas fires Mack Brown, that makes things even worse for us.
On the other hand, if we wait and give Richt another year and then fire him after the impending 8-5 2013 campaign, we will probably be the premier coaching job in the country that's available at that time. By then, Smart will probably be gone, but we should have first pick of whatever coaching talent is available at that time without having to go head to head with Auburn, Tennessee, and Texas and possibly having to settle for our third or fourth choice of head coach.
So, at this juncture, I'm looking at you, AD McGarity. Do you have balls? Do you still have some of that Foley Fairy Dust from Florida that you can sprinkle on our program and let it work its magic? This is your time to shine and be the reason we brought you here.
It's real simple. You contact Smart and discuss the future with him and be prepared to break out the checkbook. You must make sure you have secured this man's services BEFORE you let Coach Richt go. Once Kirby gives you his word with contract in hand, you call Mark Richt into your office, tell him you appreciate what he has done for this program and that a Mark Richt Bobblehead Doll night will be hosted in appreciation for him at some future game, but that his services as the head coach of the University of Georgia Football Team are no longer needed. You give him the option to resign and keep his honor and ride out into the sunset as the man who rebuilt UGA football in the post Kemp incident/Goff/Donnan era. If he refuses, you hand him and Bobo and Grantham and the rest of the staff their pink slips and send them on their way. You then schedule the announcement of new head coach KS for one week after you announce the firing of Richt. This makes it look like you engaged in a coaching search so the clandestine talks you engaged in with Smart are not obvious. Smart signs the dotted line at the press conference, you come across as a big time athletic director who is willing to take risks and always gets his man, and you save UGA football.
Sound like a plan guys?
