Mark Richt Rounds Out Georgia Bulldogs' Defensive Staff by Hiring Warren Belin
by T Kyle King on Feb 5, 2010 9:29 PM EST
in Football
16 comments
Fortunately, vineyarddawg was all over this story when David Hale brought us the news that Warren Belin is Georgia’s new linebackers coach, completing the staff that has been at least a man down since Willie Martinez and two other defensive coaches were sacked.
I know what you’re thinking . . . we’re hiring coaches from Vanderbilt? Yes, that’s right, and here’s why:
Who was Bobby Johnson praising two days ago when he announced his best recruiting class ever?
His recruiting coordinator, Warren Belin.
And now Belin, who is also the Commodores' linebackers and special teams coach, is joining Mark Richt's staff as linebackers coach at Georgia. You can read the entire press release and get some analysis on David Hale's excellent Georgia blog.
Belin was with Bobby Johnson for the past eight years and helped develop linebackers Hunter Hillenmeyer, Marcus Buggs, Moses Osemwegie, Jonathan Goff, Patrick Benoist and now Chris Marve. If you're a Georgia fan and don't recognize those names, let's just say that all those guys were two-star recruits who developed into All-SEC players under Coach Belin's tutelage. Most of those guys are playing or will play in the NFL, and Hillenmeyer is the son of a stockbroker and the Bears linebacker who stripped the ball from Adrian Peterson in overtime of a late-season Monday night game to stun Farve and the Vikings.
Imagine what Belin can do with four- and five-star talent, if those guys are willing to learn and achieve their potential.
After the disappointment of this year’s signing day, that ought to be music to your ears. Since poor recruiting efforts can doom a program long-term, Coach Richt decided to cure what ails us by bringing in a coach who can (a) improve our recruiting down the road and (b) get the most out of athletes with fewer stars in the interim. That sounds to me like a smart hire for now and a smart hire for later.
Bear in mind that Coach Belin’s service on the Commodores’ staff has included stints as linebackers coach, recruiting coordinator, and special teams coordinator. Had I asked you twelve hours ago to name the Bulldogs’ five or six biggest areas of need, three of them likely would have been coaching up the linebackers (particularly in the 3-4 scheme Georgia will adopt under Todd Grantham), recruiting, and special teams. Also, Coach Belin brings what Coach Grantham and Scott Lakatos lack: SEC experience.
Joke all you want about how it’s just Vanderbilt; even leaving aside the fact that Coach Belin was there for the most successful period of Commodore history in nearly three decades, the fact is that Brian VanGorder’s resume consisted of coaching stints at Grand Valley State, Wayne State, Central Florida, Central Michigan, and Western Illinois before Coach Richt tapped him to be the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator. Say what you will about the ‘Dores, but at least they don’t have a directional indicator in their nomenclature and at least you’re 100 per cent sure of the state in which their campus is located, which is more than you can say about any institution that employed Coach VanGorder prior to his arrival in Athens. Did that hire work out for us? Well, then trusting Coach Richt on this one wouldn’t be altogether out of line, then, would it?
All three of Coach Richt’s recent staff hires have been light on the sizzle but strong on the steak. That’s fine with me. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had my fill of sizzle in Sanford Stadium lately. Sizzle is breaking out new uniforms for big games. Steak is wrapping up when you tackle. Sizzle is a long bomb on first down. Steak is establishing the run. Sizzle is a preseason No. 1 ranking. Steak is a postseason No. 1 ranking.
Enough with the sizzle, already. We need steak, because it’s time to let the Big ‘Dawg eat.
Welcome to Bulldog Nation, Coach Belin.
Go ‘Dawgs!
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That's more like it
Much better than the initial reaction posted here.
Well, in my defense, georgiadawg85...
… I did not say that Belin’s hire was a poor decision. I merely implied that such a hiring would not “strike fear deep into the hearts of our enemies,” and would encourage the trolls that seem to keep popping up from time to time. I mean, what would fans of Pepsi say on those vicious internet cola-blogs if Coca-Cola hired the VP of Marketing for R.C. Cola as their new CEO?
After reading David Hale’s piece and other well-reasoned responses the thread I created, I did say that I now feel pretty good about the hire.
Ultimately, though, even if the circumstantial and supporting data were not in Belin’s favor (which they are), I would still give Mark Richt the benefit of the doubt, because he has already taken Georgia football to incredible heights, and I completely trust him to continue leading the flagship of the Bulldog Nation.
Hey Kyle — Just curious (I ask that you not take this personal). What do you think about the similarities between us hiring Warren Belin and Buffalo hiring George Edward?
My opinion, FWIW
I think it would all depend on what Johnson knew and when, same as with Meyer. In either case, it’s the school losing the coach (UF, Vandy) that may have been underhanded in keeping a change secret, not the hiring program. That it was a Vandy position coach and that there hadn’t already been major upheaval and/or misdirection (intentional or otherwise) regarding Bobby Johnson’s status makes a bit of a difference, too.
I'll throw my opinion out there too.
I see similarities, but at the same time, there are differences. I think the fact that Vandy generally doesn’t rank in the top 25 of recruiting classes plays a part too.
At the same time, the fact that Coach Belin had transformed “lesser” players into great players certainly played a part in some kids commiting to Vandy. The fact that he left, should NOT be ignored by the NCAA either, if a kid wants to transfer. AND I’ll even add that I don’t think a kid recruited this year to play at Vandy should be allowed to transfer to UGA since that’s the school employing Coach Belin.
That's a fair question, DawgShark, and I hope I haven't given you the impression that I would take it personally
I agree with NCT that, if the situations are similar, any fault to be found is to be found with the program from which the coach came, not the team to which the coach went.
Obviously, Georgia could not have gained any recruiting advantage from keeping it a secret from prep prospects being pursued by the Bulldogs that a respected assistant would be joining the staff soon. High school linebackers who didn’t yet know the identity of the Red and Black coach overseeing their position certainly were not given more reason to sign with the ‘Dawgs by their ignorance than they would have been given had Warren Belin’s hiring been announced before national signing day.
If Bobby Johnson knew Warren Belin was leaving before signing day, he should have let his recruits know that. Of course, this isn’t a situation where the hiring was announced the day after signing day after being hinted at by a radio host on signing day, so it is much more plausible that Mark Richt and Todd Grantham contacted Warren Belin after signing day than it is that Chan Gailey contacted George Edwards after signing day.
In short, if the situations are analogous, Bobby Johnson and Urban Meyer are the comparable figures in these parallel dramas.
Go 'Dawgs!
Like a Christmas
where every package you open is better than the last. CMR keeps handing us better gifts. Spring practice can’t arrive soon enough.
Interesting question DawgShark…………but my first reaction is they are very different. CMR seems to have waited so as to not to disrupt the Vandy class where as CEM apparently did it gain an advantage or at least save his class.
Ugh
And that is officially why we need to stop using “C__” as the shorthand for referring to coaches by their titles and initials.
Go 'Dawgs!
meh
I don’t think we should go around changing names or customary patterns of abbreviation simply because some might make our inner pre-adolescent selves snicker.
Besides, you can’t spell “lying scumbag” without CUM.
by NCT on Feb 7, 2010 10:13 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
That made me
actually laugh out loud to the point that I had to explain what I was laughing about….
"Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink- under any circumstances." Mark Twain
Careful, Kyle...
You are beginning to sound optimistic. We can’t have that now, can we?
"If we score, we may win. If they never score, we'll never lose."
-Erk Russell
by DavetheDawg on Feb 6, 2010 8:41 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Without any regard to what Johnson said about his recruiting ability,
Belin would have helped us keep some of the defections and cut into some of Fla’s signings. Meyer used Edwards, and Richt did not use Belin. Wake up and smell the coffee young dawg fans.
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