First of all, let’s get something straight up front. I have no special access to insider knowledge. I don’t have a mole inside the UGA athletic department.
No little bird has been whispering in my ear. Nobody who knows anything has told me anything that no one is supposed to know.
In other words, take my analysis with a grain of salt, if not the whole shaker.
I’ve been blessed with the God-given ability to use my brain to think like a private detective, which coincidentally comes in quite handy because my day “job” is to write detective novels. I use the pseudonym Rocky Leonard to differentiate the novels from my nonfiction writing.
Kirby Smart does not have my number on speed dial. Nobody has divulged any Georgia Bulldog secrets to me. I’m a writer, not a sports journalist.
Like Sergeant Schultz from the old television show Hogan’s Heroes, I hear nothing. I know NOTHING!
But I think I know who Kirby Smart might be planning to hire as his defensive coordinator, given only the fact that he didn’t retain former UGA defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.
Coach Smart’s hires for the offensive side of the ball seem to be excellent choices, especially considering the overwhelmingly positive reaction that came from the experts in sports journalism and the fact the new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach have experience working together.
Nothing has been said about the defense, though. If we have confidence that the (soon-to-be) former defensive coordinator at Alabama has a clear plan in mind for the Georgia defense, we should assume that Coach Smart has someone in mind already.
If that’s true, then this coach must still be working toward something pretty important (like a national championship, for example) if the deal has been done, but the hire cannot yet be announced for some reason.
Furthermore, this hypothetical new coach would probably be someone with whom Coach Smart is familiar and comfortable, which would be someone he’s worked with before.
Since that person was obviously NOT Jeremy Pruitt, who could it be? Who on Alabama’s current staff might be the next defensive coordinator at Georgia? Who is an outstanding, imminently qualified candidate?
Looking at the rest of Alabama’s current staff for 2015, outside linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi appears to be too young and inexperienced. Bo Davis is an excellent and experienced defensive line coach, but so is Tracy Rocker.
Jeremy Pruitt coached the secondary. At Alabama, assistant head coach Mel Tucker currently coaches the secondary.
And who is Mel Tucker, you may ask?
Well, here’s what his coaching biography at Alabama says:
Mel Tucker has coached at LSU and Alabama in the SEC.
Tucker also has served as the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and Ohio State Buckeyes in addition to coaching for the Cleveland Browns and Miami (Ohio).
Tucker also went 2-3 as the interim coach in Jacksonville after the Jaguars fired Jack Del Rio.
Let me remind you once more — I’m pulling this all out of thin air. We might not know the true identity of the new UGA defensive coordinator until mid January.
But if my “reasonable” speculation turns out to be right…Wow!
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