Was Georgia’s Offseason Hires Graded Correctly?
Kirby Smart, the head coach of Georgia had a considerable amount of work to do this offseason with multiple changes in his staff. The new appointments for four position coaching roles during the off-season are analysed and assessed.
This offseason, Georgia football has undergone some significant changes. Within a few months of late December, four new position coaches were brought on board which marks the highest amount of turnover that Kirby Smart’s coaching staff has seen in his regime so far. In previous seasons at SEC media days, Smart boasted about the retention rates among his coaching squad despite their outstanding accomplishments; however this year saw two former position coaches moving onto head coach positions and another filling an equivalent role within the NFL ranks.
After spending a major chunk of the previous month, interviewing potential coaches, Smart is ready to assess their skills as spring practice approaches.
Without a doubt, Dante Williams’s recruiting skills have been proven by his successful track record of attracting several five star recruits during his tenure with the Trojans. However, there are some doubts surrounding this hiring decision regarding performance and development aspects. Despite signing elite talents as a recruiter, Williams has yet to showcase significant NFL Draft success in that field alone. It is worthwhile noting though that working alongside other great coaches such as Travaris Robinson, Glenn Schumann and Kirby Smart at Georgia will alleviate him from bearing the sole responsibility for developing these players he brings onto their team.
For more than ten years, Travaris Robinson has been coaching in the southeastern conference at an elite level. He boasts a wealth of experience as a defensive coordinator and most of his coaching positions have come from being associated with either Smart or Muschamp’s team. Robinson is highly regarded for fostering continuity within teams’ cultures, which he attributes to having closely followed Will Muschamp – whom he replaced as on-field coach- earlier in his career. Furthermore, Robinson is recognized worldwide for exceptional recruiting skills when it comes to producing top-notch collegiate-level defensive backs — making him one of the best coaches available around college football today. Notably too: you no longer need compete against Tuscaloosa Alabama where we was based previously!
James Coley is definitely a highly qualified candidate for coaching the wide receiver department, and his credentials might even surpass what is necessary. He’s an identifiable face to Georgia fans as he makes his return to Athens after serving as Offensive Coordinator in 2019, following three seasons of being the receivers coach under Kirby Smart’s regime. With familiarity comes continuity and ease which can prove valuable assets for any team. Not only has James produced results throughout his entire career but also excels on recruiting trails where he often goes beyond landing efficient players solely at the receiving position; if there exists a top-tier South Florida prospect (which usually happens), Georgia now gets its shot thanks to Coley’s proven record when it comes down to recruitment runs!
Crawford is facing a learning curve as he transitions from coaching Wide Receivers, which he did for his first three years in college football (two at WKU and one at Georgia Tech), to a new position. However, Crawford has experience on the offensive side of the ball; during his career in collegiate coaching, he gained co-OC titles after spending nearly ten years working with some of Georgia’s most prestigious high school football programs such as Jefferson, Colquitt, Lee County, Valdosta and Greater Atlanta Christian. His time spent building relationships with these teams showcases an impressive tenure as coach.
