True to their school: Kirby Smart's Georgia football staff loaded with UGA grads
Kirby Smart’s return to Georgia football as head coach put a UGA graduate atop the program.
As he chases a third straight national championship this year, his roster of on-field coaches is chock full of UGA grads and it carries over to all corners of the support staff.
It’s a notable change from when Smart filled out his first coaching staff in 2016 without any Bulldog flavor. None of his assistant coaches that season had a degree from Georgia.
Now there’s more than two dozen total on staff, either in the program or that work closely with it in athletics.
“We have 26 UGA grads on our staff,” Smart, who has a finance degree from Georgia, said in his opening statement at SEC Media Days in Nashville. “Retention for us is the key to sustaining success.”
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That number of 26 spans from quality control assistant Blake Biltz to the athletic director’s suite.
Josh Brooks graduated from LSU but has a master’s degree in sports management from UGA.
Four of the 10-on field assistants graduated from Georgia: offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon and tight ends coach Todd Hartley.
"We actually use that in our recruiting presentations,” Hartley said. “What that illustrates is Georgia's willingness to welcome people back. The university's willingness to say it's not a four-year decision, it's a 40-year decision. I'm not just going to take care of you in your time in Athens, but it does have the ability to help you find a career."
Kirby Smart's Georgia football staff loaded with UGA grads
Smart played with Bobo and Muschamp in the 1990s, and they are close friends. McClendon was a wide receiver in 2005 when Smart was running backs coach. Hartley didn’t play college football, but was a student assistant when Smart was an assistant, served as a graduate assistant and later director of player personnel and then returned under Smart in 2019.
“When you're recruiting a young man, there is never going to be 100 percent stability,” Bobo said. “They're looking for stability. You hear the old saying, don't go for the coach. Go for the school and where you fit in. At the same time, recruits are going to be attracted to certain coaches. And I think that's a selling point. You've got coaches on this staff that love the University of Georgia. That are here to help the University of Georgia be the best that they can be in all areas, not just on the field. And it's important, to guys that graduated from here that it is successful in all areas. I think that is a selling point to the recruits.”
The winding road of college coaches mean oftentimes they end up at a rival of their alma mater.
Smart cut his teeth at Alabama under Nick Saban. McClendon was on staff at South Carolina with Bobo, who also worked at Auburn. Muschamp was head coach at Florida and South Carolina and was an assistant at Auburn.
"This profession is different than a lot of professions," Muschamp said in 2011 before facing Georgia for the first time at Florida. "You do your job for the school that you're working for. … I don't mean disrespect to anybody, but I'm loyal to people not places."
Back at Georgia, Muschamp said last year of working with several UGA alums on the coaching staff: “All of those guys have a vested interest in the University of Georgia. Not that we didn’t at other places, but at the end of the day, this is where you went to school.”
Bobo bypassed other jobs last year to return to Georgia where he took an analyst position. He was promoted this year to offensive coordinator.
“Athens is a great place,” Bobo said. “I met my wife here. My kids were born here. You’re at a place working for an administration that believes what we’re doing. Our head coach has a plan how to do things. To be a part of this program that I played at, went to school, graduated from the University of Georgia, I couldn't pass that opportunity up.”
Hartley worked at Marshall and Miami, but returned from both places to coach at Georgia.
“It's a great place to raise a family, build a career, it's a great place to go to school,” he said. “There is no place like this anywhere in the country. I'm very thankful to have the opportunity to coach at my alma mater.”
Those with degrees from UGA working with Georgia football
Blake Bilz, quality control assistant
Mike Bobo, offensive coordinator
Josh Brooks, athletic director
Mike Cavan, director of football administration
Austin Chambers, assistant director of player development
Anna Courson, assistant director football operations & recruiting
Colby DeCesare, associate director of facilities
James Ellis, player personnel coordinator
Leigh Futch, assistant athletic director, the Georgia Way
Bryant Gantt, director of player support & operations
Todd Hartley, tight ends coach
Prather Hudson, quality control assistant
Hailey Hughes, football operations coordinator
Ann Hunt, administrative assistant to the head coach
Jonas Jennings, director of player development
Jarvis Jones, player connection coordinator
Bryan McClendon, wide receivers coach
Will Muschamp, co-defensive coordinator
Connor Norman, director of sports medicine
Adam Ray, quality control assistant
Kirby Smart, head coach
Jes Sutherland, quality control assistant
Juwan Taylor, assistant director of player development
Vince Thomas, assistant to the athletic director
Wil Wells, assistant director of football equipment
Ryan Williams, player connection coordinator
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Kirby Smart's Georgia football staff loaded with UGA grads
