FanPost

Hunker Down for Two More Years

Losing consecutive games in embarrassing (and completely different) fashion has left Georgia fans, once so optimistic after obliterating South Carolina last month, scratching their heads regarding the current status and ultimate direction of the UGA football program. I have been a staunch supporter of Coach Mark Richt from day one and I remain convinced that he is the right man for the job even today. I'll be completely honest, though- on my dreary way out of Sanford Swimming Pool Stadium with about eight minutes left in the third quarter on October 3, (I have never left a Georgia football game early and never thought I ever would) my mind began to wander. I, for the first time in my Dawg-loving life, started to ponder who would be a better coach for our university's football team than the man currently patrolling the sidelines. It almost made me feel dirty, like a man in a long-term relationship checking out a pretty, young cocktail waitress while sitting at the same table as his partner.

For the first time in my life, I honestly accepted the possibility that the current coaching staff will never be able to bring another SEC championship to Georgia, but let's not do anything crazy just yet. Below are some reasons why you should not be approaching Coach Richt's house with a torch and/or pitchfork anytime between now and 2017.

1. Administrative Support

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I mentioned this in haagen dawgs' outstanding and thought-provoking post asking what it would take to lose faith in Coach Richt, but I'm going to say it again. For the first time I can remember, the UGA administration seems to be willing what it takes to keep up with the Sabans Joneses. In stark contrast to the previous regime, UGA law alumnus and President Jere Morehead (who received his JD in 1980, by the way) and Athletic Director Greg McGarity are willing to invest in the university's athletics programs in ways necessary, but seemingly unimaginable under the previous regime. The football program might be receiving the most support it has ever received right now. The fact that Georgia football just makes a ton of money is not enough for the current UGA administration, and I applaud that. What good is a Scrooge-McDuck-sized pool full of gold coins if the coins are not being used to achieve a goal?

UGA, as I'm sure you can imagine, has a plethora of resources that were apparently being either squandered, underutilized or outright ignored by previous President Michael Adams and are now being put to good use. The football program, being UGA's most popular and visible, although certainly not most successful, sport, is already benefiting from this unprecedented level of support with the announcement that the university will be constructing an indoor practice facility (IPF) at the cost of $30.2 million. Say what you will about the utter necessity of such a structure, but the IPF, deemed "a transformational facility for our entire program" by Mr. McGarity, signifies to everyone- alumni, current students, recruits, etc. that UGA has the resources to provide upper-echelon facilities for its student athletes and is not afraid to use them. Word on the street is this facility, costing more than double what rival Florida paid for their IPF and already generating ample excitement around the program, will be "the best in America."

The footing of this huge bill that is the IPF is a huge boon in the SEC arms race in which Georgia is already lagging behind recruiting-trail rivals like Alabama and Florida. The current administration is fully cognizant of UGA's place in this race and is determined to keep up, perhaps even surpass, our conference rivals. If the athletic board is willing to devote $30.2 million to the IPF, I'm willing to bet they are willing to open the vaults in other areas of strategic importance as well. It will take time for the impact of this heightened administrative support and financial investment to be truly felt in the Georgia football program, but Dawg fans can expect to start seeing results sooner rather than later. If you are not seeing significant, consistent and fruitful investment alongside marked improvement in the football program by the 2017 season, send me a list of potential replacements for Coach Richt.

2. Coaching Staff

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For what seems the first time since the days of Brian VanGorder, Georgia has a proven coaching staff on both sides of the ball capable of signing big-time recruits and delivering results on the field. If you're thinking, "Did this guy watch any of the past two games?" right now, let me remind you that Nick Saban lost to Louisiana-Monroe early in his tenure at Alabama. It takes time for a coaching staff to leave its mark on a program, even more so with the considerable amount of coaching turnover at Georgia over the past two seasons and the lack of quality depth on the roster (more on that later). Coach Richt's new assistants are already flexing their muscles on the recruiting trail (again, more on that later) and will start delivering consistent results on the field once these kids start to mature into SEC-ready ballplayers.

Take the 2014 defense, for example. In Coach Jeremy Pruitt's first season as defensive coordinator, the Dawg defense lowered its totals in every statistical category from 2013, with one small exception (rush yards). Here are the numbers:

2013

2014

Yards Per Game

375.5

337.2

Yards Per Play

5.41

4.84

Total Yards

4,882

4,384

Plays

902

905

Pass Yards

2,956

2,215

Rush Yards

1,926

2,169

Based on our current defensive coordinator's track record, one can assume that these numbers will continue to improve into this season and beyond. Coach Pruitt has won everywhere he has been, has seen how winning programs go about their business, has learned how to assemble an effective coaching staff and can recruit with the best of them (more on that later). Let the man work his magic through at least half of a recruiting class before rushing to judgement on the Dawgs' defense. By the midpoint of the 2017 season, if you're not seeing an SEC-championship-caliber defense at Georgia, my ears will be wide open to your suggestions of a replacement for Coach Pruitt.

The offensive coaching staff is harder to read as this is Coach Brian Schottenheimer's first full season calling the "schotts" (pun intended) for Georgia. It's even harder to judge a pro-style offensive coordinator without an effective pro-style quarterback, which the Dawgs currently lack, so again, give Schotty and his staff two years to get some of their recruits in there, coach them up and take a shot at getting back to Atlanta. If you are not confident in the offense by 2017, go ahead, #FireSchotty and his staff.

Speaking of Coach Schottenheimer's staff, I assure you he has a good one. By now you should be more than familiar with Coaches John Lilly and Bryan McClendon, both outstanding coaches and recruiters. Rob Sale joined the staff this past winter and made his mark immediately as a recruiter. Word is still out on his ability to coach the offensive line, but you'll recall previous OL coach Will Friend was anything but a rockstar from day one. The newcomer you should be most excited about is probably running backs coach Thomas Brown, the man most known for developing Melvin Gordon into, well, Melvin Gordon, at Wisconsin. Under Coach Brown, Gordon saw his yards per game increase from an amazing 123.8 in 2013 to an insane 184.8 in 2014. Consider the toys that Brown has to play with at UGA and his proven ability as a recruiter, and I'd say Georgia is in good hands at running back.

Again, though, it takes time (and talent) to feel the effect of a relatively new coaching staff. Only two offensive assistants had prior experience at Georgia (as coaches, anyway) before the 2015 season and one of them coached a different position, so let these guys do their thing. If their thing isn't taking the Dawgs to Atlanta by 2017, feel free to run them out of town.

3. Recruiting

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Even those most disenchanted with the new coaching staff's performance on the sidelines thus far have to admit that these guys can flat out recruit. The 2015 recruiting class addressed the team's needs in a big way, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, where the Dawgs desperately needed a shot in the arm. I've long thought that recruiting class rankings, which are based on star power rather than a team's need, are hokum more often than not. If rankings were divvied out based on how the coaches addressed their team's needs, Georgia's 2015 class would be ranked in the top three. The 2016 recruiting class is setting up to rival that of an elite program like Alabama's. Not only is the 2016 class already stacked with the sexy names and the stars next to them that have recruiting services raving, it is already focusing on building the kind of depth necessary to win an SEC championship.

The previous staff did a less-than-stellar job of building quality depth, and you are now seeing that deficiency as Georgia is forced to start freshmen and sophomores at a variety of crucial positions. The most experienced starter in the secondary that we have right now is Quincy Mauger, a junior. If Mauger were to go down, we'd more than likely see a true freshman take his spot. Not the warmest and fuzziest of feelings, is it?

However, nowhere is the absence of a serviceable starter felt than at the quarterback position, the crucial cog in a pro-style machine. When Georgia accepted Greyson Lambert as a transfer from Virginia this summer, I thought it was to add depth and fuel the competition which seemed to be Brice Ramsey's to lose after the departure of redshirt senior Hutson Mason. When Lambert was named the starter, I immediately felt an uneasiness about the state of our offense. What we've seen is a QB totally unprepared for tough SEC competition (Lambert) and a backup with limited playing time and seemingly little self confidence (Ramsey). For some reason unbeknownst to me, third-stringer Faton Bauta has just been left out of the conversation altogether.

Given my somewhat shaky faith in recruiting rankings (I personally rely on MaconDawg's recruiting analyses over any number of stars by a prospect's name when deciding how a player will fit in Georgia's system), I'd say it's too early to say if 2016 mega-recruit Jacob Eason will be the answer at QB. All signs, however, are pointing in that direction. I'm anything but a recruiting analyst, but apparently he has Matthew Stafford's arm with Aaron Murray's brain and David Greene's ice-water flowing through his veins. If even half of the scouting reports on Jacob Eason are true, Georgia will be set at QB for at least the next three years. Eason will play in 2016, but to expect him to come in from day one and make no mistakes is not only unrealistic, it's just nutty. Buckle up for some growing pains from a true freshman signal caller next year, but trust in his bright future. If Eason doesn't pan out the way the coaching staff is hoping, which I think he will, then guess what? One of the best high school QBs in the state has already committed to the G for 2017. This is the kind of recruiting that wins championships, and it's a pleasant departure from previous years' models where one star-studded, deep class would be preceded and followed by incomplete and less-than-stellar ones.

Since everyone loves to use Alabama as the model of an elite college football program, and I can't say I blame them for doing so, compare Georgia's roster to that of Alabama's. The talent gap is not that wide... among most of the starters. The kind of elite recruiting we are finally seeing at UGA will provide minimal to no drop-off when a starter goes down or needs to take a play or two off; both being likely scenarios over the grind of a full season in the country's most physical conference. The problem here is that it can take at least a few games (if not a full season) of consistent playing time for first-year players to develop into the kinds of battle-tested warriors needed to win in the SEC.

Georgia's coaches are recruiting their butts off right now, and no, they actually didn't always do this at such a consistent and high level. Not only that, increased administrative support is providing funding for the coaches to reel in talented prospects from states like Louisiana, Maryland and New Jersey, destinations previously not often visited on the recruiting trail. This geographic footprint is only going to increase in size and scope in 2016 as Georgia will sign the aforementioned Jacob Eason from the suburbs of Seattle, Washington, and are currently making some progress with blue-chip recruits in Texas. Who was the last big-time Georgia player to come from Texas? Terry Hoage? For those of you worrying about the expansion of the recruiting trail hindering the UGA staff's ability to build that proverbial fence around the state, fret no more. The top two prospects from Georgia in 2014 (Nick Chubb and Lorenzo Carter) both found their way to Athens, as did 2015's big fish (Trent Thompson), who many saw as the best overall prospect in the country.

Give the class of 2015 and 2016 time to make a difference for this football program. If you aren't seeing a Dawgs' roster stocked with SEC-championship-caliber starpower and depth by 2017, start emailing me your lists of candidates to replace Coach Richt and his current staff.

4. Philosophical Change

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If there's anything Georgia can brag about among its SEC brethren, it's been having the moral high ground. Though this is something I would never want to relinquish, UGA's tough stance on offenders to its strict code of conduct has often come back to haunt the football program by costing it some serious playmakers and leaving it as a perennial contender in the quest for the annual "Fulmer Cup," an "honor" which was bestowed upon us in 2010.

Applaud the Georgia coaching staff, though, for staying true to the university's principles and for striving to implement a uniform disciplinary policy for all SEC schools. What is becoming known as the "Jonathan Taylor rule" was basically launched by a Coach Richt tired of seeing rival schools pick up players dismissed from Georgia for inexcusable and unacceptable behavior, like abusing women. Georgia currently has a mandatory 10% suspension for something like getting caught smoking marijuana for the first time, and it is unfair that Florida is allowed to enact the same punishment only after the second offense.

Upholding its strict (yet completely rational) disciplinary policies often resulted in a catch-22 for Georgia. Kids are kids. Kids make mistakes. Mistakes should be punished, but with the understanding that the punishment is going to help the kid learn from it and become a better man in the process. However, the UGA football program was all too often a victim of its own principles, which on more than one occasion actually benefited a rival program. Just take a look at the list of star players dismissed from the program between 2009 and 2014.

For one reason or another, a shift has occurred in recruiting where the coaches started going after class acts like Nick Chubb and Trent Thompson over players like Isaiah Crowell* and Nick Marshall. This could be the result of Bryan McClendon taking over for Rodney Garner as Recruiting Coordinator in 2014. It could also be a result of the entire staff more carefully evaluating the character of a recruit alongside his God-given athletic abilities. Whatever caused this shift in recruiting philosophy, it has paid early dividends. For the first time I can remember, Georgia's football players had an incident-free offseason in 2015! Playing with a full roster stacked with team players will undoubtedly benefit this program in the long haul, but like with my previous points, it will take at least a year to breathe this breath of fresh air to the fullest. If you don't see a roster full of high-character players committed to the G who want to bring home a conference and national championship, go ahead and find me some replacements.

*For the record, I am not trying to pick on Isaiah Crowell, a kid who made a HUGE mistake, accepted his punishment like a man and has kept in touch with Coach Richt and the UGA football program to this day. He is a great player for the Cleveland Browns, and I cheer for him every time I see him on the field. I wish all dismissed players would take the Crowell route, but I am also happy we are no longer seeing headlines that our star running back was caught with a Luger in his car.

5. Youth Movement

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This point is loosely related to #3 above, but take a quick look at Georgia's 2015 football depth chart. There are a ton of young guys in key positions right now, many more so than there should be. Do you think the coaches felt fully comfortable starting Terry Godwin, a true freshman, at receiver in an SEC road game last weekend? I mean this with all due respect to Godwin, who is among my favorite young players and who has an amazingly bright future at Georgia. The fact of the matter is this: sophomore starter Isaiah McKenzie, a youngster himself, suffered an injury against Alabama that kept him from traveling to Knoxville with the team last Saturday. Recruiting at receiver was quite poor under previous coach Tony Ball, so current receivers coach Brian McClendon is making do with what he has. It just so happens that what he has is an incredibly talented true freshman whose only SEC action on the road so far came against Vanderbilt.

I'm not just picking on Terry Godwin; take a look at the frightening amount of inexperience to be found in the Georgia secondary. We are a few injuries (knock on wood) away from an all-freshman DB corps. Of course the unit seems to be underperforming- most of these guys are still learning the intricacies of Coach Pruitt's system.

Note that all of these underclassmen will only get better with playing time, which doesn't always have to come in the form of baptism by fire. As the coaches continue to bring in some of the nation's brightest prospects, not only will we have experienced and talented starters on the field, there will be young, hungry guys on the bench challenging those starters for playing time and learning from their veteran teammates as they themselves develop into SEC-caliber players. This is not the NFL, where a team can just pick up a veteran starter via free agency. Georgia's recruiting efforts, despite the rankings, have been inconsistent, and natural (and not so natural) roster attrition has been anything but conducive to building quality depth over the past few years, so we are now relying upon inexperienced, albeit talented, underclassmen to get it done. By 2017, these underclassmen will be juniors and seniors, and if you are not seeing them produce at the highest level by then, feel free to bring in a coaching staff that can find the players who can.

In conclusion:

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I am just as frustrated as anyone about the current state of the Georgia football program. The past two weeks have been so painful for me that I've honestly started questioning my love of college football in general. I am so emotionally numb right now that I was barely angry at the outcome of last Saturday's letdown in Knoxville.

I still believe that the current coaching staff can bring another SEC championship to Georgia, but my patience is now limited. As I've pointed out above, Coach Richt is enjoying an unprecedented level of support from all the parties it takes to have a championship-caliber football program, but very little in college football happens instantaneously. Give the new coaches time to get their bearings, let the young talent develop into experienced leaders, allow the administration to maximize the resources available to the current coaching staff. This is a process that I estimate (based on no scientific data whatsoever) will take about two years to come to fruition. If the Dawgs are still getting blown out by elite teams like Alabama at home and snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory against inferior competition like Tennessee on the road in 2017, I will be ready to see a new head coach at the University of Georgia. That said, my hope is that this increased investment and fresh approach to the game permeating the halls of the Butts-Mehre building will propel the Dawgs to an SEC (and national) championship in the not-so-distant future.

Thank you for reading. I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments below. Go Dawgs!

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